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| Giza Pyramids & the
Sphinx |
Over giza plateau we found one of the seven
world wonders which is the great pyramid. The area consists of 9 pyramids
, 3 main pyramids for the kings & 6 baby pyramids for the wife's & the
daughters of the kings, and also found the sphinx which was 'carved' of
soft limestone were quarried around the Great Sphinx to give its basic
shape. This is why the Great Sphinx appears to sit below the surrounding
land in its own 'nook.'
When it was built, the Great pyramid was 145.75 m (481 ft) high. Over the
years, it lost 10 m (30 ft) off its top. It ranked as the tallest structure on
Earth for more than 43 centuries, only to be surpassed in height in the
nineteenth century AD. It was covered with a casing of stones to smooth its
surface (some of the casing can still be seen near the top of Khefre's pyramid).
The sloping angle of its sides is 51 degrees and 51 minutes. Each side is
carefully oriented with one of the cardinal points of the compass, that is,
north, south, east, and west. The horizontal cross section of the pyramid is
square at any level, with each side measuring 229 m (751 ft) in length. The
maximum error between side lengths is astonishingly less than 0.1%. |
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The main Pyramids and the small pyramids around. |
The Pyramids and tourists riding camels.
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The structure consists of approximately 2 million blocks of stone, each weighing
more than two tons. It has been suggested that there are enough blocks in the
three pyramids to build a 3 m (10 ft) high, 0.3 m (1 ft) thick wall around
France. The area covered by the Great pyramid can accommodate St Peter's in
Rome, the cathedrals of Florence and Milan, and Westminster and St Paul's in
London combined.
On the north face, is the pyramid's entrance. A number of corridors, galleries,
and escape shafts either lead to the King's burial chamber, or were intended to
serve other functions. The King's chamber is located at the heart of the
pyramid, only accessible through the Great Gallery and an ascending corridor.
The King's sarcophagus is made of red granite, as are the interior walls of the
King's Chamber. Most impressive is the sharp-edged stone over the doorway which
is over 3 m (10 ft) long, 2.4 m (8 feet) high and 1.3 m (4 ft) thick. All of the
interior stones fit so well, a card won't fit between them. The sarcophagus is
oriented in accordance with the compass directions, and is only about 1 cm
smaller in dimensions than the chamber entrance. It might have been introduced
as the structure was progressing. |
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The Great Sphinx "The guardian of the whole cemetery" |
Side view of the sphinx and the great pyramid appears in the back ground |
Saqqara
Saqqara has the distinction of being the site of the first large stone
structure built in the world. The place where humans began to strive for
the impossible, where the imagination gained the power to transform
reality |
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The sphinx at night in the sound and light show. |
The step pyramid of Saqqara and remains of temples
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