Once upon a time… As our ancestors began to travel they began to recount the marvels that they saw. Eventually Seven Wonders were commonly identified and, unfortunately, six were lost to time. The remaining one, and the oldest is the Great Pyramid of Giza. At 480 feet tall, it was the tallest building in the world for many centuries. The Giza complex consists of three main pyramids, Khufu’s Pyramid (The Great Pyramid), Khafre’s Pyramid (prominent display of casing stones at its apex), the smallest of the three, Menkaure’s Pyramid plus a variety of smaller monuments to other important people of the time. In pictures Khafre’s Pyramid looks larger than the Great Pyramid but this is a deliberate illusion, Khafre was Khufu’s son so building a taller one would have been disrespectful. So Khafre designed his to be smaller in both height and volume but at higher elevation to give the illusion of being taller.
Heba told us it took 20 to 27 years to build each pyramid and the farmers in the Nile river valley would work on the construction during the Nile floods since their land was unusable at this time. Why not use spare time to contribute to the leaders project?
The Giza complex is also home to the Great Sphinx of Giza. Made of one solid piece of rock for the Egyptians, the sphinx was a protector. Built to guard royalty, it was often found near royal burials and temple entrances. With the head of a man and body of a lion it represents the combination of knowledge and strength. There are multiple debates on the Sphinx first of all being who’s face is on it, Khufu or Khafre. Also what happened to the nose, some stories say Napoleon Bonaparte shot it off with a cannon however Heba said illustrations that date before Napoleon reveal a noseless sphinx so natural erosion is the likely cause.
A chance to visit the King’s Chamber in Khufu’s Pyramid was impossible to pass up for me. This journey is not for the faint of heart, it is a bit of work, crowded (the tunnels are two way) and quite warm. It was well worth the effort.
After all this it was time to leave Cairo for Aswan. We really wish we had more time in Giza and Sakkara as well, there was so much to see. Cairo is a very busy place and after five days soaking it in we are ready to move on. We will most definitely miss Heba, our guide and companion for the past few days. She got my number quickly and gave as well as she took. شكرا هبة!
