The pyramids of Cheops were built. Great Pyramid of Cheops
Sarcophagus, internal corridors, unloading chambers, solar boat, companion pyramids, queen's treasures.
The diagonal of one of the faces of the Cheops pyramid is directed along the meridian exactly to the North Pole, and with an error less than that of the Paris Observatory. In addition, the pyramids “reflect” the location of the constellation Orion, and the top of the Great Pyramid looks exactly at the North Star.
Great Pyramid consists of three chambers, which corresponded to the three stages of its construction. Pharaoh wanted to have a ready-made tomb at his disposal at any time.
The first chamber is carved into the rock at a depth of approximately 30 m below the base; it is not located exactly in its center.
The area of the chamber is 8 x 14 m, height - 3.5 m. This chamber, like the second, remained unfinished.
The second chamber is located in the core of the pyramid, exactly below its top, at a height of about 20 m above the base of the structure. Its area is 5.7 x 5.2 m. The vaulted ceiling reaches a height of 6.7 m. Previously, it was called the queen’s tomb.
The third chamber was the tomb of the pharaoh. She is the only one of all three that is complete. It was in this room that the sarcophagus was found. This chamber was built 42.2 m above the base, slightly south of the pyramid's axis. The length of this room from east to west is 10.4 m, from north to south - 5.2 m. The ceiling height reaches 5.8 m.
Pharaoh's Tomb
This room was magnificently tiled with immaculately fitted granite slabs. The ceiling is formed by nine monoliths, the weight of which is 400 tons. Above the ceiling there are 5 unloading chambers, the total height of which is 17 m. The uppermost one ends with a gable roof, constructed from huge blocks that bear the weight of approximately 1,000,000 tons of stone mass and are designed so that it does not press directly on the burial room.
According to one theory, the pyramids are the most powerful energy center of the Earth. They say that the meridian on which the top of the Cheops pyramid is located divides the surface of land and sea equally. The parallel passing through the center of the pyramid also divides the planet into two equal parts according to the amount of water and land.
All three chambers have so-called hallways, connected by corridors or shafts. Some shafts in the lower chambers end in a dead end. They were hewn into the stonework at a later time. Two such shafts are laid from the royal tomb to the surface of the pyramid and come out almost in the middle of the northern and southern walls. We do not know their original purpose, but undoubtedly, among other things, they were supposed to provide ventilation.
At first, after construction, the entrance to the pyramid was located on the north side at a height of 25 m above the base. Nowadays, the pyramid can be entered from another entrance, located approximately 15 m below the original one, almost in the very middle of the northern side. You have to walk crouching along a narrow and low horizontal corridor 40 m long, since it was not cut through for the convenience of numerous tourists and is the result of the long labors of ancient robbers.
At the end of this corridor there is a wooden staircase, climbing which the visitor will find himself in a low granite room, which is something like a hallway. Entering it, a person finds himself in the very heart of the pyramid.
The Great Gallery is a unique structure, even on the scale of a grandiose structure such as the Great Pyramid. Its length seems endless, since the polished walls reflect the light of electric lamps installed in Lately and illuminating the room, like ancient metal plates. Thanks to this effect, the entrance rectangle is completely lost from sight.
The length of the gallery is 47 m and the height is 8.5 m. The elevation angle is 26°. Limestone facing slabs are laid on top of each other in 8 layers, each subsequent layer extends 5-6 cm beyond the previous one.
Even with modern technology, pyramids would be very difficult to build. Japanese enthusiasts tried to work using ancient technologies, but this also turned out to be an impossible task. The mounds for raising the blocks were supposed to be huge, like the pyramid itself, but they collapsed under their own weight.
The sarcophagus is wider than the entrance to the burial chamber. It is carved from a single piece of brown-gray granite, there is no date or inscription on it, and the whole thing is quite badly damaged. The sarcophagus stands directly on the floor in the western corner of the chamber. Most likely, no one ever moved it from its place. It looks like it was cast from metal. Naturally, not a trace remains of the person for whose eternal peace it was intended.
Construction around the Cheops pyramid
The Great Pyramid is surrounded by equally labor-intensive and expensive buildings. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus, describing the 18-meter-high road leading from the upper (mortuary) to the lower temple and lined with polished slabs, said that the work on its construction was almost as enormous as the construction of the pyramid itself.
Currently, only a few meters of this road remain. Lepsius and some other Egyptologists were lucky enough to find its remains with fragments of decorative reliefs. The road was razed to the ground at the end of the 19th century during the construction of the village of Nazlat es-Simman, which, like Giza, is now part of Greater Cairo.
The lower temple once stood on the territory of this village. It was distinguished by its extraordinary beauty, rising 30 m above the ground. Most likely, people destroyed it in ancient times, seduced by the excellent building material.
Of the numerous buildings that once surrounded the pyramid of Cheops, only the ruins of the upper (mortuary) temple, as well as three satellite pyramids, have now survived. Traces of the upper temple were discovered by the Egyptian explorer Abu Seif in 1939. After World War II, these excavations were completed by Lauer.
Traditionally, the temple was located east of the pyramid. The length of its pediment was 100 Egyptian cubits (about 52 m). It was built from Tours limestone. There were 38 square granite pillars in the temple courtyard. In the vestibule in front of the small shrine there were 12 more similar pillars.
On either side of the sanctuary, at a distance of approximately 10 m, archaeologists discovered two so-called docks carved out of a limestone plateau, in which solar boats were apparently stored. A third such dock was found to the left of the road leading to the lower temple.
All three discovered docks were, unfortunately, empty. However, in 1954, fate gave archaeologists an unexpected gift in the form of two more similar docks. One of them turned out to be a room for an excellently preserved boat, which today is the oldest ship in the world. Its length reached 44 m, and it was made of cedar.
After extraction, the boat was preserved and placed in a specially built pavilion located near the pyramid.
Pyramids - companions
The satellite pyramids, like the temple, are located east of the Great Pyramid. It should be noted that they were usually built south of the main tomb. Most likely, religious traditions were violated due to the difficulties associated with the terrain. The pyramids stand in height from north to south. The side of the square base of the first pyramid is 49.5, the second - 49, the third - 46.9 m.
Each of the companion pyramids had a stone fence, a funeral chapel and a burial chamber with a room that served as an entrance hall, into which a steep shaft led. According to the most common hypothesis, these pyramids were intended for the wives of Cheops. The first of them, the so-called main one, according to ancient tradition, was obviously his sister.
All three satellite pyramids are well preserved, having lost only the outer cladding. Underground structures and the surrounding area were thoroughly examined.
According to some information, it was planned to build a larger one to the east of the first pyramid, but its construction was stopped even before the completion of work in the burial chamber. Reisner theorized that it must have served as a tomb for Cheops' mother Hetepheres (Sneferu's wife), since the tomb in which she was originally buried was looted shortly after the queen's death.
Treasures of the Queen's Tomb
T. Fisanovich
Secrets of the ancient pyramids
Great Pyramids at Giza. Pyramids of Egypt.
Pyramids of SneferuGreat Pyramids
Internal structure of the Cheops pyramid
Pyramid of Khafre
Pyramid of Menkaure
Great Sphinx
The oldest information about the Great Pyramids
Secrets of the Great Pyramids
The check showed that the stones (from which the pyramid is made) are 8000 years old. And Cheops lived no earlier than 4000 years ago. 80 centuries ago people were still learning how to smelt bronze. Who built the pyramids in the desert? And there are the same ones on Mars. (http://svetorussie.narod.ru/MARS/Piramidy_i_lico_na_Marse.htm)
30.05.09
Crazy God
I think it has long been clear that the pyramids were built long before the Egyptians highly developed civilization. they were only able to use it as a grave)))
28.03.09
ali-balala
It looks like another rehash of interpretations on the topic “what Herodotus meant.” And in his text it says, if you look not at the translations and translations from translations, not “mechanisms,” but “devices made from short pieces of wood.” In all respects, the simplest “sleepers” of E. Diomedi are suitable for what the builders Sneferu and Khufu actually used.
Moreover, it is fundamentally impossible to use any individual numerous “mechanisms” in their conditions: they are inadequately slow and on the masonry ledges (their width at best is 80 - 70 cm) it is unacceptably cramped for them and working with them. And any attempts to expand them lead to stone-earth and transport work on a larger scale than for the Pyramid itself.
06.12.08
Rustem
If anyone is interested in the exact numbers (and they are impressive more volumes general praises): F. Petrie identified such a royal cubit (no need to find fault with the fourth and further digits after the decimal point, this is the arithmetic average of measurements on the ground): 524.0524 plus or minus 0.1016 mm. Multiply by 280 and 440 - and you get DESIGN (i.e., theoretically desired by their creators) dimensions the Pyramid of Cheops . But here are the base lengths they actually got: 230,358 mm, 230,251 mm, 230,391 mm and 230,583 mm. Angles between them: 89 degrees 59 minutes 58 seconds, 90 g 03 m 02 s, 89 g 56 m 27 s, 90 g 00 m 33 s.
15.12.06
Rustem
They write that it is ideally located on the north-south line... How do you understand whether the diagonal of the base is located in the north-south or the middle line of the base? :(
22.05.06
, [email protected], Vlas
How to make a mini-pyramid at home? :) how many centimeters of height do you need to make? =)
22.05.06
, [email protected], Vlas
How to position the pyramid relative to the milky way? Can you help?
23.04.06
, [email protected], Dmitriy
well idiots...
05.04.06
, burning
there is a useful little book by Peter Tomkins, “The Secrets of the Great Pyramid”, and “The Secret Doctrine”, of course
27.01.06
, [email protected] yuri
Eternal PYRAMIDS!!! The eternal theme is to solve their riddle... It would be nice if the information was even closer to the truth, otherwise, wherever you read about PYRAMIDS, there are different numbers everywhere. Of course, it’s 240 meters or 220, there’s almost no difference, but even if they can’t measure it accurately, then how can we talk about everything else. By the way, about the SPHINX. Some fairly respectable articles define its length as 73 meters and its height as 15 meters, while in other articles it is 50 meters and 20 meters, respectively. Sorry, this is no longer a small matter. Where is the TRUTH?
19.01.06
, Alex
Look, build a new one :) That’s a lot of concrete needed! Who will pay?
14.01.06
, Alexander
The Cheops Pyramid is the most fascinating and most terrible thing that can happen to a person... Its CRAZY size leaves an indelible impression on the subconscious of a person who spends more time in it than expected... I am drawn to it... to its mysteries... I want to go to her.....
19.11.05
, Kelly
Not bad, make more pictures/photos and more mesmerizing design...
19.11.05
, Kelly
For 15 years I have been deciphering the proportions of the Cheops pyramid - I called it the “Divine Scheme”, to which many ancient monuments are subordinate
31.10.05
, [email protected] plescom
The pyramid is a tool for entering a communication channel through which you can obtain information about the future and the past. The dimensions and proportions of the Cheops pyramid correspond to the Fibonacci numbers (L-233, H-147 (d.b. 144, mass ~ 57,000,000 tons, d.b. 56,470,871 tons). Zero fractal or golden ratio. Everything living and non-living is subordinated this or other number series. In nature, there are no sizes and proportions. The structure of objects is in a completely strict numerical series. The parameters of the pyramid affect biological processes in the human body, affect the organs of perception. The pyramid interacts with the gravitational, spatial and temporal parameters of the earth, the nearest and deep space. A person who finds himself inside a pyramid within a few hours (up to 24 hours) acquires knowledge about the past and present. Napoleon Bonaparte was one of three people in Europe who spent 24 hours in the pyramid. Their impressions and new knowledge are like those of people who came into contact with the fact that a person does not have the right to know, cannot be explained from the standpoint of modern science. All three Europeans experienced what people who visited Tibet experienced. There is an opinion that the Tibetan mountains and the pyramids of Egypt are connected with each other, that some mountains of Tibet are of artificial origin and are essentially pyramids, but only much larger in size. The colossal mass of the pyramid, the absence of vibration and sound inside the pyramid (the chambers of the pyramid) should greatly influence the human psyche and change its functioning.
26.09.05
, [email protected], Valriy
write to me please who was the first to enter the pyramid of Cheops
07.05.05
, [email protected], Sancho
What a pyramid!!! The construction of the pyramids was carried out by the Egyptians. And there is no point in flattering anyone else there. These are not just beautiful figures - this is their life.
13.03.05
, Nati
We kindly ask everyone who likes this topic to send me links on this topic. Thank you in advance [email protected]
21.12.04
, [email protected], Alyona
Why not build a super pyramid now, so that archaeologists will have something to do in the future?
06.12.04
,LI
And I want a pyramid!!!
29.10.04
, Vika
But how to build a pyramid for yourself, a living person, because somewhere you came across descriptions... Or is this all nonsense? Maybe you need a scale? And important...
29.03.04
, [email protected], Alexander
Pyramid of Cheops - a legacy of the ancient Egyptian civilization, all tourists coming to Egypt try to see it. It amazes the imagination with its grandiose size. The weight of the pyramid is about 4 million tons, its height is 139 meters, and its age is 4.5 thousand years. It still remains a mystery how people built the pyramids in those ancient times. It is not known for certain why these majestic structures were erected.
Legends of the Cheops Pyramid
Shrouded in mystery Ancient Egypt was once the most powerful country on Earth. Perhaps his people knew secrets that are still inaccessible to modern humanity. Looking at the huge stone blocks of the pyramid, which are laid with perfect precision, you begin to believe in miracles. 
According to one legend, the pyramid served as a grain storage facility during the great famine. These events are described in the Bible (Book of Exodus). Pharaoh had a prophetic dream, warning of a series of lean years. Joseph, the son of Jacob, sold into slavery by his brothers, managed to unravel Pharaoh's dream. The ruler of Egypt instructed Joseph to organize the procurement of grain, appointing him as his first adviser. The storage facilities must have been huge, given that they fed many nations for seven years when there was famine on Earth. The slight discrepancy in dates - about 1 thousand years old - is explained by adherents of this theory by the inaccuracy of carbon analysis, through which archaeologists determine the age of ancient buildings. 
According to another legend, the pyramid served to transfer the material body of the pharaoh into upper world Gods. Amazing fact is that inside the pyramid where the sarcophagus for the body is located, the mummy of the pharaoh was not found, which the robbers could not take. Why did the rulers of Egypt build such huge tombs for themselves? Was their goal really to build a beautiful mausoleum that testified to greatness and power? If the construction process took several decades and required enormous amounts of labor, it means that the final goal of constructing the pyramid was vitally important to the pharaoh. Some researchers believe that we know very little about the level of development ancient civilization, the mysteries of which are yet to be discovered. The Egyptians knew the secret eternal life. It was acquired by the pharaohs after death, thanks to technology that was hidden inside the pyramids. 
Some researchers believe that the Cheops pyramid was built by a great civilization even more ancient than the Egyptian one, about which we know nothing. And the Egyptians only restored existing ancient buildings and used them at their own discretion. They themselves did not know the intention of the forerunners who built the pyramids. The Forerunners could be giants of the Antediluvian civilization or inhabitants of other planets who flew to Earth in search of a new homeland. The gigantic size of the blocks from which the pyramid is built is easier to imagine as a convenient building material for ten-meter giants than for ordinary people. 
I would like to mention one more interesting legend about the Cheops pyramid. They say that inside the monolithic structure there is a secret room in which there is a portal that opens paths to other dimensions. Thanks to the portal, you can instantly find yourself at a selected point in time or on another inhabited planet of the Universe. It was carefully hidden by the builders for the benefit of people, but will soon be found. The question remains whether modern scientists will understand the ancient technologies to take advantage of the discovery. In the meantime, archaeological research in the pyramid continues. 
In the era of antiquity, when the Greco-Roman civilization began to flourish, ancient philosophers compiled a description of the most outstanding architectural monuments on Earth. They were called the "Seven Wonders of the World." They included Hanging Gardens Babylon, Colossus of Rhodes and others majestic buildings, built before our era. The Pyramid of Cheops, as the oldest, is in first place on this list. This wonder of the world is the only one that has survived to this day; all the others were destroyed many centuries ago. 
According to the descriptions of ancient Greek historians, the large pyramid shone in the rays of the sun, casting a warm golden sheen. It was lined with meter-thick limestone slabs. The smooth white limestone, decorated with hieroglyphs and designs, reflected the sands of the surrounding desert. Local residents later dismantled the cladding for their homes, which they lost as a result of the devastating fires. Perhaps the top of the pyramid was decorated with a special triangular block made of precious material. 
Around the Cheops pyramid in the valley there is a whole City of dead. Dilapidated buildings of mortuary temples, two other large pyramids and several smaller tombs. A huge statue of a sphinx with a broken nose, which was recently restored, is carved from a monolithic block of gigantic proportions. It was taken from the same quarry as the stones used to build the tombs. Once upon a time, ten meters from the pyramid there was a three-meter thick wall. Perhaps it was intended to protect the royal treasures, but it could not stop the robbers. 
History of construction
Scientists still cannot come to a consensus on how ancient people built the Cheops pyramid from huge blocks of stone. Based on the drawings found on the walls of others, it was assumed that workers cut each block into the rocks and then dragged it to the construction site along a ramp made of cedar. History does not have a consensus on who was involved in the work - peasants for whom there was no other work during the Nile flood, slaves of the pharaoh or hired workers. 
The difficulty is that the blocks had to not only be delivered to the construction site, but also raised to a great height. Before its construction, the Cheops Pyramid was the tallest structure on Earth. Modern architects see the solution to this problem differently. By official version Primitive mechanical blocks were used for lifting. It’s scary to imagine how many people died during construction using this method. When the ropes and straps holding the block broke, it could crush dozens of people with its weight. It was especially difficult to install the upper block of the building at a height of 140 meters above the ground. 
Some scientists suggest that ancient people had the technology to control Earth's gravity. The blocks weighing more than 2 tons, from which the Cheops pyramid was built, could be moved with ease using this method. The construction was carried out by hired workers who knew all the secrets of the craft, under the leadership of the nephew of Pharaoh Cheops. There were no human sacrifices, backbreaking labor of slaves, only building art, which has achieved the highest technologies that are inaccessible to our civilization. 
The pyramid has the same base on each side. Its length is 230 meters and 40 centimeters. Amazing accuracy for ancient uneducated builders. The density of the stones is so great that it is impossible to insert a razor blade between them. An area of five hectares is occupied by one monolithic structure, the blocks of which are connected with a special solution. There are several passages and chambers inside the pyramid. There are ventilation holes facing different directions of the world. The purpose of many interior spaces remains a mystery. The robbers took away everything valuable long before the first archaeologists entered the tomb. 
The pyramid is currently listed cultural heritage UNESCO. Her photo adorns many Egyptian tourist brochures. In the 19th century, Egyptian authorities wanted to dismantle the huge monolithic blocks of ancient structures to build dams on the Nile River. But labor costs far outweighed the benefits of work, so monuments ancient architecture stand to this day, delighting pilgrims in the Giza Valley.
History of the construction of the Cheops pyramid
The construction of the pyramid began around 2560 BC. The architect was Hemion, the nephew of Pharaoh Cheops, who managed all the construction projects of the Old Kingdom at that time. The construction of the Cheops pyramid took at least 20 years, and, according to various estimates, more than one hundred thousand people were involved. The project required a herculean effort: workers extracted blocks for construction elsewhere, in the rocks, delivered them along the river and lifted them along an inclined plane to the top of the pyramid on wooden sleds. To build the Cheops pyramid, more than 2.5 million granite and limestone blocks were needed, and at the very top a gilded stone was installed, which gave the entire cladding the color of the sun's rays. But in the 2nd century, when the Arabs destroyed Cairo, local residents dismantled the entire cladding of the pyramid to build their houses.
For almost three millennia, the Cheops pyramid occupied the first place on Earth in height, giving the palm only in 1300 to Lincoln Cathedral. Now the height of the pyramid is 138 m, it has decreased by 8 m compared to the original one, and the base area is more than 5 hectares.
The Pyramid of Cheops is revered local residents as a shrine, and every year on August 23, Egyptians celebrate the day its construction began. No one knows why August was chosen, because there are no historical facts No evidence has been found to confirm this.
The structure of the Cheops pyramid
Inside the Cheops pyramid, the most interesting are the three burial chambers, which are located one above the other in a strict vertical line. The lowest one remained unfinished, the second belongs to the pharaoh’s wife, and the third belongs to Cheops himself.
To travel along the corridors, for the convenience of tourists, paths with steps were laid, railings were made and lighting was installed.
Cross section of the Cheops pyramid
1. Main entrance
2. The entrance made by al-Mamun
3. Crossroads, “traffic jam” and the al-Mamun tunnel made “bypass”
4. Descending corridor
5. Unfinished underground chamber
6. Rising corridor
7. “Queen’s chamber” with outgoing “air ducts”
8. Horizontal tunnel
10. Pharaoh's chamber with “air ducts”
11. Prechamber
12. Grotto
Entrance to the pyramid
The entrance to the Cheops pyramid is an arch formed from stone slabs, and is located on the north side, at a height of 15 m 63 cm. Previously, it was filled with a granite plug, but it has not survived to this day. In 820, Caliph Abdullah al-Mamun decided to find treasure in the pyramid and made a seventeen-meter gap below historical entrance by 10 meters. The Baghdad ruler found nothing, but today tourists enter the pyramid through this tunnel.
When al-Mamun made his passage, a fallen block of limestone blocked the entrance to another corridor - an ascending one, and behind the limestone there were three more granite plugs. Since a vertical tunnel was discovered at the junction of two corridors, descending and ascending, it was assumed that granite plugs were lowered down through it in order to seal the tomb after the funeral of the Egyptian king.
Funeral "pit"
The descending corridor, which is 105 meters long, descends underground at an inclination of 26° 26’46 and abuts another corridor 8.9 m long, leading to chamber 5 and located horizontally. There is an unfinished chamber measuring 14 x 8.1 m, running east to west in shape. For a long time it was believed that there were no other rooms in the pyramid except this corridor and chamber, but it turned out differently. The height of the chamber reaches 3.5 m. At the southern wall of the chamber there is a well about 3 m deep, from which a narrow manhole (0.7 × 0.7 m in cross-section) stretches southward for 16 m, ending in a dead end.
At the beginning of the 19th century, engineers John Shae Perring and Richard William Howard Vyse dismantled the floor of the chamber and dug a well 11.6 m deep, in which they hoped to discover a hidden burial chamber. They were based on the testimony of Herodotus, who claimed that the body of Cheops was located on an island surrounded by a canal in a hidden underground chamber. Their excavations came to nothing. Later studies showed that the chamber was abandoned unfinished, and it was decided to build the burial chambers in the center of the pyramid itself.
Interior of the burial pit, photo from 1910
Ascending Corridor and Queen's Chambers
From the first third of the descending passage (18 m from the main entrance), an ascending passage (6) about 40 m long, ending at the bottom of the Great Gallery (9), goes up at the same angle of 26.5° to the south.
At its beginning, the ascending passage contains 3 large cubic granite “plugs”, which from the outside, from the descending passage, were masked by a block of limestone that fell out during the work of al-Mamun. It turned out that for almost 3 thousand years scientists were sure that there were no rooms in the Great Pyramid other than the descending passage and the underground chamber. Al-Ma'mun was unable to break through these plugs and simply carved out a bypass to the right of them in the softer limestone.
In the middle of the ascending passage, the design of the walls has a peculiarity: in three places the so-called “frame stones” are installed - that is, the passage, square along its entire length, pierces through three monoliths. The purpose of these stones is unknown.
A horizontal corridor 35 m long and 1.75 m high leads to the second burial chamber from the lower part of the Great Gallery in a southerly direction. It is traditionally called the “Queen’s Chamber,” although according to the ritual, the wives of the pharaohs were buried in separate small pyramids. The Queen's Chamber, lined with limestone, measures 5.74 meters from east to west and 5.23 meters from north to south; her maximum height 6.22 meters. There is a high niche in the eastern wall of the chamber.
Grotto, Grand Gallery and Pharaoh's Chambers
Another branch from the lower part of the Great Gallery is a narrow, almost vertical shaft about 60 m high, leading to the lower part of the descending passage. There is an assumption that it was intended to evacuate workers or priests who were completing the “sealing” of the main passage to the “King’s Chamber.” Approximately in the middle of it there is a small, most likely natural expansion - a “Grotto” of irregular shape, in which several people could fit at most. The grotto (12) is located at the “junction” of the masonry of the pyramid and a small, about 9 meters high, hill on the limestone plateau lying at the base of the Great Pyramid. The walls of the Grotto are partially reinforced by ancient masonry, and since some of its stones are too large, there is an assumption that the Grotto existed on the Giza plateau as an independent structure long before the construction of the pyramids, and the evacuation shaft itself was built taking into account the location of the Grotto. However, taking into account the fact that the shaft was hollowed out in the already laid masonry, and not laid out, as evidenced by its irregular circular cross-section, the question arises of how the builders managed to accurately reach the Grotto.
The large gallery continues the ascending passage. Its height is 8.53 m, it is rectangular in cross-section, with walls slightly tapering upward (“false vault”), a high inclined tunnel 46.6 m long. In the middle of the Great Gallery, along almost the entire length, there is a square recess with a regular cross-section, 1 meter wide and 60 cm deep, and on both side protrusions there are 27 pairs of recesses of unknown purpose. The recess ends with the “Big Step” - a high horizontal ledge, a platform of 1x2 meters, at the end of the Great Gallery, immediately before the hole into the “hallway” - the Antechamber. The platform has a pair of ramp recesses similar to those in the corners near the wall. Through the “hallway” a hole leads into the funeral “Tsar’s Chamber” lined with black granite, where an empty granite sarcophagus is located.
Above the “Tsar’s Chamber” are discovered in the 19th century. five unloading cavities with a total height of 17 m, between which lie monolithic slabs about 2 m thick, and above there is a gable ceiling. Their purpose is to distribute the weight of the overlying layers of the pyramid (about a million tons) in order to protect the “King’s Chamber” from pressure. In these voids, graffiti was found, probably left by workers.
A network of ventilation ducts leads from the cells to the north and south. The channels from the Queen's Chamber do not reach the surface of the pyramid by 12 meters, and the channels from the Pharaoh's Chamber reach the surface. Such branches have not been found in any other pyramid. Scientists have not reached a unanimous opinion whether they were built for ventilation or have anything to do with Egyptian ideas about the afterlife. At the upper ends of the channels there are doors, most likely symbolizing the entrance to another world. In addition, the channels point to the stars: Sirius, Tuban, Alnitak, which makes it possible to assume that the Cheops pyramid also had an astronomical purpose.
Surroundings of the Cheops Pyramid
At the eastern edge of the Cheops pyramid there are 3 small pyramids of his wives and family members. They are located from north to south, according to size: the base side of each building is 0.5 meters smaller than the previous one. They are well preserved inside; time has partially destroyed only the outer cladding. Nearby you can see the foundation of the mortuary temple of Khufu, inside of which were found drawings depicting a ritual performed by the pharaoh, it was called the Unification of the Two Lands.
Pharaoh's boats
The Pyramid of Cheops is the central figure of a complex of buildings, the location of which had ritual significance. The procession with the deceased pharaoh crossed the Nile on west bank on numerous boats. In the lower temple, to which the boats sailed, the first part of the funeral ceremony began. Next, the procession headed to the upper temple, where the prayer house and altar were located. To the west of the upper temple was the pyramid itself.
On each side of the pyramid, boats were walled up in rocky recesses, on which the pharaoh was supposed to travel through the afterlife.
In 1954, archaeologist Zaki Noor discovered the first boat, which was named Solar boat. It was made of Lebanese cedar, consisted of 1224 parts, and had no traces of fastening or joining. Its dimensions are: length 43 m and width 5.5 m. It took 16 years to restore the boat.
On the southern side of the Cheops pyramid there is a museum of this boat.
The second boat was found in a mine located east of where the first boat was found. A camera was lowered into the shaft, which showed traces of insects on the boat, so it was decided not to raise it and to seal the shaft. This decision was made by scientist Yoshimuro from Waseda University.
In total, seven pits were discovered with real ancient Egyptian boats, dismantled into parts.
Video: 5 Unsolved Mysteries of the Pyramids of Egypt
How to get there
If you want to see the Great Pyramid of Cheops, you need to come to Cairo. But there are practically no direct flights from Russia and you will have to make a transfer in Europe. Without a transfer, you can fly to Sharm el-Sheikh, and from there travel 500 kilometers to Cairo. You can get to your destination by comfortable bus, the travel time is approximately 6 hours, or you can continue the journey by plane, they fly to Cairo every half hour. In Egypt they are very loyal to Russian tourists; you can get a visa right at the airport after landing. It will cost $25 and is issued for a month.
Where to stay
If your goal is ancient treasures and you come to the pyramids, then you can choose a hotel in Giza or in the center of Cairo. There are almost two hundred comfortable hotels with all the benefits of civilization. In addition, Cairo has many attractions; it is a city of contrasts: modern skyscrapers and ancient minarets, noisy colorful bazaars and nightclubs, neon nights and quiet palm gardens.
Reminder for tourists
Don't forget that Egypt is a Muslim state. Men should simply ignore Egyptian women, because even an innocent touch can be considered harassment. Women must follow dress codes. Modesty and once again modesty, a minimum of bare areas of the body.
On organized excursions Tickets to the pyramids can be purchased at any hotel.
The pyramid area is open to the public in summer from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in winter it is open half an hour less; the entrance ticket costs approximately 8 euros.
Museums are paid separately: you can see the Solar Boats for 5 euros.
To enter the Pyramid of Cheops you will be charged 13 euros; visiting the Pyramid of Chefre will cost less - 2.6 euros. There is a very low passage here and be prepared for the fact that you will have to walk 100 meters in a half-bent position.
Other pyramids, for example, the wife and mother of Khafre, can be viewed for free by presenting admission ticket to the zone.
The best time to view them is in the morning, immediately after opening. It is strictly forbidden to climb the pyramids, break off a piece as a souvenir and write “I was here...”. You can pay a fine for this that will exceed the cost of your trip.
If you want to take a photo of yourself against the backdrop of the pyramids or just the surrounding area, prepare 1 euro for the right to take photographs; photography is prohibited inside the pyramids. If you are offered to take a photo of you, do not agree and do not give the camera to anyone, otherwise you will have to buy it back.
Tickets to visit the pyramids are limited: 150 tickets are sold at 8 a.m. and the same number at 1 p.m. There are two ticket offices: one at the main entrance, the second at the Sphinx.
Each of the pyramids is closed once a year for restoration work, so you are unlikely to see everything at once.
If you don't want to walk throughout the Giza area, you can rent a camel. Its cost will depend on your bargaining ability. But keep in mind that they won’t tell you all the prices right away, and when you ride around, it turns out that you have to pay to get off the camel.
Tricky tip: The toilet is located in the Solar Boat Museum.
On the territory of the pyramid zone there are cafeterias where you can have a good lunch.
Every evening there is a light and sound show lasting one hour. It is held in different languages: Arabic, English, Japanese, Spanish, French. On Sundays the show is performed in Russian. It is recommended to separate your visit to the pyramids and the show over two days, otherwise you will not be able to fit in as many impressions.
Continuing the series of stories about the wonders of antiquity on LifeGlobe, I will tell you about the largest of the Egyptian pyramids - the Pyramid of Cheops, located in Giza. It is also called the Pyramid of Khufu, or simply the Great Pyramid.
This is the oldest of the seven wonders of the world, moreover, perfectly preserved to our times, unlike the Colossus of Rhodes or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Egyptologists believe the pyramid was built as a tomb for the Fourth Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Cheops. Construction of the pyramid lasted about 20 years and was completed in 2560 BC. The giant pyramid, 146.5 meters high, was the largest structure in the world for more than 4 millennia, which is absolute record, which is unlikely to ever be beaten. Initially, it was completely covered with smooth stone, which crumbled over time. There are many scientific and alternative theories about the methods of constructing a large pyramid, from alien intervention to generally accepted ones, based on the fact that huge blocks of stone were moved from quarries by special mechanisms 
Inside the Cheops pyramid there are three chambers - tombs. The lowest one is carved into the base of the rock on which the pyramid is built. For unknown reasons, its construction was not completed. Above it are the Queen's chamber and the Pharaoh's chamber. The Great Pyramid is the only one in Egypt that has both ascending and descending corridors. It is the central key element of the Giza complex, around which several more pyramids were built for the pharaoh's wives, as well as other temples and tombs 
The Great Pyramid consists of approximately 2.3 million stone blocks. The largest stones were found in the Pharaoh's chamber, and weigh 25-80 tons each. These granite blocks were delivered from a quarry almost 1000 kilometers away. According to general estimates, 5.5 million tons of limestone and 8,000 tons of granite were spent on the construction of the pyramid.
Let us turn to the theories of pyramid construction, many of which often contradict each other. Scientists cannot agree on whether the blocks were pulled, rolled, or even transported. The Greeks believed that the slave labor of millions of Egyptians was used, while modern research has proven that the construction employed several tens of thousands of skilled workers, divided into teams according to their qualifications and skills. 
Initially, the entrance to the pyramid was at a height of 15.63 meters (#1 in the diagram below), on the north side, assembled from stone slabs in the form of arches. Later it was sealed with granite blocks, making a new passage 17 meters high (#2 on the diagram). This passage was carved out in 820 by Caliph Abu Ja'far in an attempt to plunder the pyramid (it is worth noting that he never found any treasure). Currently, it is through it that tourists get inside the pyramid.
Below is a cross-sectional diagram of the pyramid, where all the corridors and chambers are marked: 
Immediately after entering the pyramid, a descending corridor 105 meters long begins (No. 4 on the diagram above), flowing into a small horizontal corridor leading to the lower chamber (No. 5 on the map). A narrow passage leading from the chamber ends in a dead end. as well as a small well 3 meters deep. As mentioned above, for some reason this chamber was abandoned unfinished, and the main chambers were later built higher, in the very center of the pyramid 
From the descending corridor there is an ascending passage, at the same angle of 26.5°. Its length is 40 meters and it leads to the Great Gallery (No. 9 on the diagram), from where there are passages to the Pharaoh's chamber (No. 10) and the Queen's chamber (No. 7).
At the very beginning of the large gallery, a narrow, almost vertical chamber is hollowed out, with a small extension in the middle, which is called the Grotto (No. 12). Presumably, the grotto already existed before the construction of the pyramid, as a separate structure 
From the Chamber of the Pharaoh and the Chamber of the Queen, ventilation ducts 20 centimeters wide diverge evenly, in the direction of north and south. The purpose of these channels is unknown - either they were used specifically for ventilation, or traditional Egyptian ideas about the afterlife are associated with them 
There is an opinion that the ancient Egyptians were fluent in geometry, and knew about the “number Pi” and the “Golden Ratio”, which was reflected in the proportions of the Cheops pyramid and the angle of inclination. The same angle of inclination was used for the pyramid at Meidum. But it is possible that this is a simple accident, since this angle was not repeated anywhere else; all subsequent pyramids had different angles of inclination. Particularly fanatical supporters of mystical theories suggest that this particular pyramid was built by representatives alien civilizations, and the rest were actually built by the Egyptians trying to copy it 
According to some astronomers, the Great Pyramid is astronomical observatory ancient Egyptians, since the corridors and ventilation ducts accurately point to the stars Thuban, Sirius and Alnitak. Opponents of this theory claim that this is a mere coincidence. During excavations near the pyramid, pits were discovered with ancient Egyptian boats made of cedar without the use of nails or fasteners. This boat was dismantled into 1,224 parts, which were assembled by restorer Ahmed Yussuf Mustafa, which took him 14 years. Currently, a museum is open on the southern side of the pyramid, where you can see this boat (the museum building itself in the photo below looks quite original, it’s worth noting), as well as buy a lot of souvenirs 
Currently, it is the most visited tourist attraction in Egypt. You can read more about other ancient wonders in the article "Seven Ancient Wonders of the World" 
The Egyptian pyramids are one of the greatest attractions in the world. They, according to archaeologists, are the tombs of pharaohs, members of their families and court nobles. This version is generally accepted and its confirmation is considered to be the presence of mummies inside. But is it? What secrets do these buildings keep? Who built them and how? For what? What's inside? You will find answers to your questions in this article.
Pyramids in Egypt: why were they built?
During the period of the Old Kingdom (c. 2707 - 2150 BC, III-VI dynasties), structures began to be created for burials, symbolizing sacred mountain- the desire of humanity to reach heaven.
Pink Pyramid in Dahshur. CC BY-SA 3.0, Link Scientists suggest that the Egyptians' belief in the ascension of the spirit to the gods is fundamental the purpose of their construction. In their opinion, even today, these structures represent man's dream of achieving Higher Consciousness. There are other opinions on this matter, which are given below. Some occult mystery researchers Egyptian pyramids spent the night in inner cells. They wrote books about their mystical experiences. Several theories try to explain the technology of their construction, but no one knows exactly how and why these famous buildings were built. architectural monuments. There are only versions and assumptions. One of the greatest mysteries: how did people move such massive stone blocks using primitive tools? The Egyptians left thousands of illustrations depicting daily life in the Old Kingdom. It is curious that none of them show their construction. But maybe these images are simply not for the eyes of modern man? Perhaps, looking at the drawings, we are not able to see their method of creating grandiose structures, because it radically different from modern ideas? Here's what information you can find about this on the Internet. But there is an architect who created a project according to which the Cheops pyramid can be built today. Read about it in the article Construction of the Cheops pyramid on the Architecture channel. Director Florence Tran's film Unraveling the Mystery of the Cheops Pyramid features this interesting version by Jean-Pierre Houdin (Jean-Pierre). His father, a former civil engineer, came up with the idea of building using an internal ramp. The evidence presented is quite convincing. See a detailed study conducted by a Frenchman. Maybe he solved the mystery of the construction of the Egyptian pyramids? The earliest known pyramidal structures are found at Saqqara, northwest of Memphis. The oldest of them is the Pyramid of Djoser, built approximately in the period 2630 - 2611. BC. during the third dynasty, the first adviser to the king, architect and builder, high priest of Ra in Heliopolis, poet and thinker Imhotep. He is considered the founder of this architectural form, proposing to build three more smaller ones above the main one. His tomb has not yet been identified. Therefore, there is no mummy of Imhotep. Do you think the mystery of the Cheops pyramid has been solved? Write your thoughts in the comments.
“Secrets of the Pyramids (The Secret of Orion)” by R. Bauval, E. Gilbert offers a version about the stellar orientation of the buildings.
The American prophet and medium Edgar Cayce spoke about the significance of the pyramids for the lost civilization of Atlantis. Information is available on the Internet.Egyptian pyramids: about the secret of construction
Who was the architect of the first pyramid?
Where are the most famous Egyptian pyramids located?
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