A story about ancient pyramids. History of the Egyptian pyramids

22.10.2020

Egyptian pyramids– the most famous buildings on the ground. And the most ancient, because they are already five thousand years old! It is probably impossible to find a person who has not heard of them. Is it possible that somewhere in the jungles of Polynesia you can meet people so far removed from civilization. However, very few can tell anything about them.

These giant tombs of the fourth dynasty of pharaohs stand on the outskirts of Cairo as if specifically to make it convenient for tourists to travel to them by taxi. But this, of course, is not true. Over five thousand years, the capital of Egypt moved from city to city many, many times, while the pyramids always remained in one place - in the lower reaches of the Nile, where the roads leading to Asia and Europe intersect. So it would be more correct to say that the capital returned to them.

For a very, very long time, the Egyptian pyramids were the tallest buildings on Earth. Only at the end of the nineteenth century, when the Eiffel Tower was built in Paris, did it overtake the Cheops pyramid in height. And yet it remains a formal game of numbers - they are too different from each other.

And if you try to imagine the weight of the pyramid - and it weighs more than six million tons, then this is quite commensurate with the weight of all the buildings in Moscow within Garden Ring. It turns out that an entire city is hidden in one pyramid.

But what is most striking is that all this was built by hand, without mechanisms. Only wooden wedges and sledgehammers helped people cut out huge blocks of limestone, and they dragged them into place using papyrus ropes. The pyramid took twenty years to build, and every three months a hundred thousand workers came to the construction site. History is silent about how many of them survived to the end of this period. Most likely there weren't that many of them.

Why did people build such grandiose structures that required such enormous efforts and sacrifices? It is very difficult for modern people to understand this, although this riddle is not so complicated.

In ancient times, kings were considered direct descendants of the gods, which means their word was law for everyone. Therefore, the ruler, as in the famous fairy tale, could well order his subject: “Go there, I don’t know where, bring that, I don’t know what.”

He had enough money, because both the conquered peoples and his own people paid tribute to him. Perhaps it would be even more correct to say that he had a lot of extra money, because he could no longer eat or drink the excess, and the idea of distributing it to those in need simply did not occur to him. There have been no such cases in history.

And in order to show everyone his greatness, the ruler ordered the architect: “Build something that has never been done anywhere in the world, so grandiose that the gods will rejoice. And may this building reach the sky!” This task was difficult, but it did not seem impossible. Indeed, in ancient times, people were sure that the sky was solid and not very high.

Moreover, the gods sit on it, like on a platform, and look down at them, so if you get closer to them, they will definitely see and hear the person.

The great architect of the ancient world, Imhotep, was the one who could figure out how to complete such a task for the pharaoh. He proposed to build a multi-story pyramid out of stone, where each subsequent floor would be smaller than the previous one.

Before this, stone was not used for construction in Egypt; houses were built from wood and reeds, coated with clay, and unbaked brick was used for palaces and tombs. And all the buildings had a rectangular shape, like a matchbox. Imhotep proposed placing such “matchboxes” on top of each other, gradually reducing them towards the top.

But here’s what’s interesting: this form turned out to be not at all unique to the ancient world. Around the same time, huge ziggurats were built in a neighboring state - in Mesopotamia. This was the name given to multi-story pyramids made of clay bricks, on top of which a temple was placed. They probably hoped that this way God would better hear the requests addressed to him.

What’s even more remarkable is that very similar stone pyramids with temples on top were also built on the other side of the Earth, in America. And if Egypt and Mesopotamia can still argue about who first invented the pyramid, then the Americans almost certainly came up with it themselves.

Well, in Egypt, where the living God ruled the people, there was no need to build a temple on the top. The pyramids themselves inspired awe in the eyes of the pharaoh, especially since in the time of Herodotus they were dazzling white and absolutely smooth.

Only much later, at the beginning of the fourteenth century, a strong earthquake occurred in those places, and the white cladding crumbled. Ledges appeared on the walls of the pyramids, which today are quite successfully climbed by tourists who do not at all have exalted feelings for the long-vanished pharaohs.

Only one of the seven wonders of the world has survived in the world - the pyramids in Egypt. How they were erected, what their purpose is and what they symbolize - this article answers these questions.

Construction and evolution of tomb form

Official science classifies the Egyptian pyramids as multi-level tombs for the burial of pharaohs. In total, there are about 120 pyramids in different areas of the Nile, but all of them are built the same way - a regular pyramid with a square at the base. Part of the pyramid is on the surface of the earth, part is hidden under the sand. Inside there is a burial chamber, to which passages lead on both sides. The walls of the passages were painted with hieroglyphs containing religious texts.

How were pyramids built in Ancient Egypt? The first pyramids were built from bricks made by mixing clay with river silt - adobe. With the development of construction knowledge, large limestone megaliths began to be used. The facts of how pyramidal complexes were built without the presence of sophisticated construction equipment still remain a mystery.

Pyramids are divided into two types. Step pyramids are of more ancient origin and did not have impressive overall dimensions. Over time, they were replaced by pyramids with a smooth surface, which were built from large monolithic stones mined in the upper reaches of the Nile. Pyramids Ancient Egypt represent more than just one building. Near them there should have been two temples: one directly next to them, and the second should have been washed by the waters of the Nile and connected to the first temple by an alley.

Rice. 1. Step pyramid in Egypt.

Contrary to the widespread belief that slaves built the pyramids, excavations have shown that the builders lived in good conditions with decent food.

Pyramids of Dahshur and Saqqara

Widespread construction of pyramids at Dahshur occurred during the succession of the 3rd and 4th dynasties. Pharaoh Huni was the first to build a pyramid of the correct shape, using the stepped structures from Meidum as a basis. This pyramid was supposed to become a tomb for his son, Snorfu (2613-2589 BC).

Although Snorfu finished his father’s work, he built his pyramid as a step pyramid. However, it had to be abandoned, since changing the angle of inclination of the side plane led to a change in the angle of inclination. This pyramid has survived to this day and is called Broken.

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The oldest step pyramid of Djoser is located in Saqqara. It was from her that the pyramidal construction began. An ancient document “Texts of the Pyramids” was found in Saqqara, according to which its architect was the son of the god Ptah Imhotep, who invented masonry from hewn rock.

Pharaoh's dissatisfaction with the Bent Pyramid led to its construction around 2600 BC. Pink pyramid, so named because it was built of red limestone. It was created in the correct shape and had a slope of 43 degrees.

Rice. 2. Bent pyramid in Egypt.

Pyramids of Giza

On the banks of the Nile 20 km. from Cairo stands the wonder of the world - the Pyramid of Cheops. The Great Pyramids of Ancient Egypt were built in 2500 BC.

Rice. 3. Pyramid of Cheops.

It still remains a mystery how the Egyptians managed to make a huge technological leap in a short 200 years, which is equal to the time between the construction of Lomana and Great Pyramids. After all, for a breakthrough in construction, other areas of human activity had to be affected, and this was not observed in those years.

It is noteworthy that in addition to strict orientation to the cardinal points and ideal side faces of the Giza pyramids, they are all oriented according to the stars. The Cheops Pyramid consists of 2.3 million stone blocks weighing from 2 to 15 tons.

Much about the construction of the pyramids has survived to this day thanks to Herodotus, who visited there. According to his notes, the Cheops pyramid was built by 400,000 people over 20 years. But these data are considered exaggerated and scientists believe that about 20,000 workers were involved in construction.

What have we learned?

According to official version, the pyramids had a religious purpose and were built during the lifetime of the pharaohs for their eternal stay there. This unique monument ancient civilization, which carries information that has yet to be fully received.

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Great Seven Wonders of the World - Hanging, Alexandrian lighthouse, statue of Zeus, Colossus of Rhodes, etc. Everyone knows about them. But only one “miracle” of these seven has survived to this day. It's mysterious Egyptian pyramids, which are more than 4,500 years old.

Location and structural features of the Egyptian pyramids:

The pyramids stand on the territory of the ancient cemetery in Giza, which is on the opposite bank from (the modern capital).

Scientists note that during the existence of the Ancient Egyptian kingdom, more than 80 pyramids were built, but only a small part has reached us. There are three surviving pyramids in total - these are the pyramids of Cheops, Khafre and Mikerin (they also have Egyptian names - Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure). Only the first of this list formally belongs to the legendary seven. However, they are all mysterious and majestic.

The appearance of these buildings is impressive. They stand out clearly against the background of the blue sky and dark yellow sand. You notice them from afar, before you get close to them. The giant pyramids evoke sacred awe in anyone. They seem like something out of space; it’s hard to believe that man had anything to do with their construction.

The main pyramid is the pyramid of Cheops (Khufu). Each side of the base is 233 m long. The height of the pyramid is 147 m. The area of the pyramid is more than 50 thousand square meters. Her interior spaces occupy a very small volume - no more than 4% of the total area.

Until the mid-19th century, the Cheops pyramid was considered the largest structure on our planet. According to Napoleon's calculations, the stone blocks from the three pyramids of Giza would be enough to encircle the entire wall with a height of three meters and a thickness of 30 centimeters.

All sides are almost symmetrical - such accuracy is surprising. The pyramid consists of 2,500,000 huge blocks, each of which weighs at least two tons, the heaviest block weighs 15 tons. The architect of this pyramid is also known - the Egyptian Hemuin.

Many misunderstandings arise due to the layout of the internal corridors and the so-called “main royal chamber” with the empty sarcophagus of the Cheops pyramid. As is known, a narrow passage - a ventilation duct - leads outside from this room at an angle, and above the chamber there are several empty unloading rooms, built in order to reduce the huge mass of stone. One of the mysteries, for example, is the location of the main room - it is not located along the central axis, as in all tombs, but is tilted to the side.

Pyramid of Khafre(Khefre) is almost as good as the Cheops pyramid. It is slightly smaller - 215 m long and 143 m wide, but due to the fact that it is located on steeper slopes, it appears larger. Khafre, the son of Cheops, is buried there.

Not far from this pyramid is the legendary Great Sphinx, which is also part of the funerary complex. The size of the figure is rather large: its height is 20, and its length is 57 meters. The figure, carved from a single rock, depicts a reclining lion with a human head.

Pyramid of Khufuso has reached our times in good condition compared to other pyramids: it is the only one that has preserved the lime cladding on its top.

Pyramid of Menkaure(Mykerina) is the smallest of the legendary pyramids. It is almost 10 times smaller than the Cheops pyramid. Its height is only 66.4 meters. The pyramid was intended for the grandson of Cheops.

History of the Egyptian pyramids:

The construction of the Egyptian pyramids dates back to the beginning of the Old Kingdom, which is approximately 2800 - 2250 BC. e.

Almost 5 thousand years ago (28 centuries BC), the founder of the III dynasty, Pharaoh Djoser, as soon as he ascended the throne, ordered the construction of his tomb to begin. The construction was entrusted to the architect Imhoten. The innovation that the architect used when building the tomb for Djoser was that he built it in the form of six benches stacked on top of each other. Moreover, each subsequent one was smaller than the previous one. Imhoten created the first step pyramid. Its height was 60 m, length - 120 m, width - 109 m. Unlike previous tombs, the pyramid of Djoser was built not from wood and brick, but from large limestone blocks. This pyramid is considered the ancestor of the great Pyramids.

The first of the great pyramids is the Pyramid of Cheops. It is absolutely impossible to imagine that it was built, according to the manuscripts that have reached us, in just 20 years. Even today, with all the modern technology, it is difficult to build such a huge structure, not to mention the fact that the pyramid was built 4,500 years ago, when no mechanisms were even thought of. Sometimes the opinion is expressed that the pyramids could not have been built by people living in the Bronze Age, and that ... aliens took part in the creation of these colossal structures. But, according to the official scientific version, the construction of the pyramid was the work of ordinary people. The main builders were almost 100,000 slaves.

Millions of blocks were literally chiseled out of the rocks using primitive red copper drills, which quickly became dull from such hard work. When fitting wooden boards under the future slab, they were constantly watered. The tree swelled and tore the stone away from the rock. Then the resulting block was carefully polished, giving it the required shape. One has only to marvel at the impeccable result, because, in fact, the work was carried out with completely primitive tools. Without any measuring instruments, we ended up with a block that was ideal in its proportions and shape. In the vicinity of Aswan, there are still ruins of ancient quarries, on the territory of which many ready-made blocks have been found. As it turned out, this was a waste material that was not used when laying the pyramids.

The processed blocks were transported by boat to the other side of the Nile. Then they were transported along a specially paved road, the construction of which took 10 years and which, according to Herodotus, is only slightly simpler than the construction of the pyramids. The pyramid was built on a bedrock limestone massif, cleared of sand and gravel. Workers pulled them into place using ramps, blocks and levers, and then pushed them towards each other without any solution. The stones of the pyramid are “fitted” so tightly that it is impossible to insert even a knife blade between them. To raise the blocks, the Egyptians built an inclined embankment of brick and stone with an elevation angle of about 15. When the main structure was completed, it resembled a series of steps. As the pyramid was built, the mound was lengthened. It is possible that wooden sleighs were also used, on which the blocks were dragged up by hundreds of slaves. Traces of these carts were found here and there.

When the construction was basically completed, the inclined embankment was leveled, and the surface of the pyramid was covered with facing blocks.

Construction ended in 2580 BC. e. Initially, the height of the pyramid was 150 meters, but over time, due to destruction and advancing sands, it became smaller - by 10 meters today.

There is no doubt that this pyramid was built as a tomb for Pharaoh Cheops. In ancient Egypt, it was customary to build burial structures long before the death of the person for whom it was intended. The Egyptians believed in an afterlife and carefully prepared for it. They believed that in the event of a person's death, his body should be preserved so that the spirit could continue to live after death. They removed the internal organs, filled the body with salts and wrapped it in linen shrouds. So the body turned into a mummy. Jewels were buried with the pharaohs, which, according to the ancients, could be useful to him in another world. In addition, a large number of servants were often buried along with the ruler, who would serve the owner even after death. The pyramids served the pharaohs, according to their religious beliefs, as a ladder along which souls ascended to heaven.

After the construction of the Cheops pyramid, the construction of the Khafre pyramid began. Huge money was invested in these constructions. According to the plan, the third pyramid should have been no less majestic. But Menkaur could not afford to build a large pyramid. The country was devastated by the construction of the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre. Hunger began. The population, exhausted by backbreaking labor, grumbled. But, despite its smaller size, the pyramid of Menkaure still looks incredibly beautiful.

Secrets of the Egyptian pyramids:

There are absolutely fantastic assumptions about the pyramids. For example, that these are not tombs at all, but something like observatories. Astronomer Richard Proctor argues that the descending corridor may have been used to observe the movements of certain stars, and the Grand Gallery, open at the top, was used to map the sky. But still, the official version is that the pyramids were built primarily as tombs.

Since the pharaohs were buried along with various valuable things, there is no doubt that jewelry can be found in them. The search for treasures in the tomb of Cheops does not stop today. There is still a lot of unknowns. That is why the ancient pyramids - favorite place for treasure hunters. For a long time, the main problem was considered to be theft of the pyramids. It seems that this problem existed even in the Old Kingdom, so the tombs were designed on the principle of labyrinths, with secret rooms and doors, baits and traps.

According to the official version, they entered the pyramid for the first time in 820 AD: the Arab caliph Abdullah Al Manum decided to find the treasures of Khufu. Immediately, the treasure hunters were faced with the fact that it was completely impossible to find the entrance to the tomb. After a long search, we decided to dig under the pyramid. They soon found themselves in a passage that led down. This digging continued for several months. People were simply in despair - as soon as they entered a corridor, it immediately ended in a blank wall.

The first room they found was what is now known as the "royal room." From it they were able to find a way out into the space at the junction of two corridors and come to the “large gallery”, which, in turn, led to the “king’s room” - about 11 meters long and 5 meters wide. Here they found only an empty sarcophagus without a lid. There was nothing else in the room.

Several years of work yielded nothing - no treasure was found. It is most likely that the tomb was plundered long before the arrival of Abdullah Al Manum, but the workers said that this was simply impossible, since all the slabs inside the pyramid were untouched, and it was impossible to pass through them. True, in 1638, John Graves discovered a narrow passage in the Great Gallery, which was littered with rubble. It is possible that all the treasures were taken out through this passage. But many scientists doubt this, since the passage is very small and a thin person can barely fit into it.

What happened to Khufu’s mummy and his treasure2 Nobody knows. Various explorations have not revealed any other rooms or passages. However, many still believe that the main rooms and the treasures hidden there have not yet been found.

Elevation Egyptian civilization occurred approximately 5 thousand years ago and lasted three thousand years. At this time, the first pyramids appeared, at first imperfect, and then very skillful. In the ancient world they were considered one of the seven wonders of the world. The Egyptian pyramids keep their mysteries to this day. Interesting facts about them are collected in this article.

Why were the pyramids created?

The Lord, wanting to show his greatness and power, built a majestic creation in memory of himself. He filled individual rooms and the burial chamber with precious utensils that were supposed to serve him after death.

History of the creation of the pyramids

Mastaba was the name of the king's first tomb. Low rectangular buildings were built from clay bricks. The burial itself was underground. This is how the first Egyptian pyramids were created. We have selected interesting facts for children below.

The first “house of eternity” was built by the architect Imhotep for Pharaoh Djoser. He placed several mastabas one on top of the other. The largest was the base, then the mastabas became smaller.

This is how the world's first step pyramid was built, the top of which reaches into the sky. It was a very impressive and monumental structure. They liked it, and soon the kings began to build themselves houses for the afterlife - the Egyptian pyramids. Interesting facts about the world's first pyramid are as follows:

A wall is built around it, which is 10 meters high. It has 15 inputs. Only one of them is real.
On the outside, its walls are made of limestone, which has weathered and become uneven over 4.5 thousand years.

Inside there are shafts and branched corridors that are easy to get confused in. Of them they end up in one room or another, and there are more than four hundred of them. In these premises the priests performed religious ceremonies. The corridors are very narrow and low. They walk on them, bending their back. This is done so that only the body of the deceased can be carried. The first eleven shafts are very smooth, with right angles. All others are created more primitively.
The top of the pyramid is directed towards the North Star.

The rituals of the priests that we know about seem strange to us. Their witnesses are the Egyptian pyramids. Interesting facts about them can be collected endlessly. Here, for example, is what we know about the burial of Djoser.

Thanks to its triangular shape, its head is directed towards the heavens. Therefore, the soul of the pharaoh easily soared to the gods. But first, his body floated along the river of the underworld in a boat in search of his soul. When the priests believed that the soul had ascended to heaven, they returned it to dead body the rulers of the heart, then opened their eyes and mouth so that in the afterlife he could see everything and conduct conversations. After this they began the sacrificial feast. Oils were poured onto the mummy, thin bandages and tiaras were applied. At this point the ritual ended, and the pharaoh was considered resurrected.

Information for schoolchildren

IN Ancient world there were Seven Wonders of the World. They reflected the cultures of different peoples. Among them, ancient people included the pyramids of Egypt. There was even a statement that everyone is afraid of time, but it itself is afraid of the pyramids. It's true - the other wonders did not survive, only the pyramids survived. People have always been interested in what these huge structures hide. They looked for treasures in them, and a lot was looted, despite the fact that systems of traps completely permeated the Egyptian pyramids. Interesting facts about them can be found in numerous books. Children's libraries are rich in them. We will bring Interesting Facts about Egyptian pyramids for schoolchildren:

Pyramids do not cast shadows if the sun is high. On the day of the winter solstice, the longest shadow falls on the earth. Using it you can measure the height of the pyramid without instruments.
Three of them were placed by ancient astronomers and builders in the same way as the belt of the constellation Orion. Today, the stars have shifted a little, and the pyramids do not stand perfectly level under the stars. This situation was not accidental. Orion was united in the minds of the Egyptians with the god Osiris. He was the lord underworld and reigned over the rebirth of life: pharaohs must necessarily live forever.

The pyramids stand not only in North Africa. They are found in South and Central America, India and Mexico, Ethiopia and Cambodia, and Somalia. This leads some scientists to think that there was a single civilization in ancient times.

Giant on the Nile

The exact number of pyramids is difficult to determine. There are about seventy or eighty of them. They lined up on a rocky plateau that separates the valley of the life-giving Nile from the desert, at a distance of one hundred kilometers from Cairo to Illauhan. Almost all of them, with the exception of two, have a geometrically regular shape. We have already mentioned one of them - stepped, the other is located in Dashur and has a diamond shape. But the rest of the pyramids are as similar to each other as two peas in a pod. They differ only in size. The Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) is the largest.

If you describe it in numbers, it will awaken your imagination. Its volume is 2,525,000 cubic meters and its area is 54,000 square meters. Such a site can accommodate more than 1,000 two-room apartments. Royal palaces Europe is smaller than it: Versailles in Paris and Buckingham in England, Escorial in Madrid and Winter Palace In Petersburg. The pyramid is taller than the dome over St. Peter's in Rome, St. Paul's in London, Notre Dame in Paris, St. Vita in Prague. If it were empty inside, it would fit a tower for a space rocket and its launch pad. Aren't these interesting facts about the Egyptian pyramids?

Guardians of Eternity

In Ancient Egypt, the works of architects and builders, who were supposed to glorify the earthly rulers, towered above all the temples dedicated to the gods. In architecture, perhaps, there are no more powerful and more laconic structures than the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Mikerin. These stone “crystals” boldly triumph over the unknowable and the mystery of death. Here are the most interesting facts about the Egyptian pyramids:

The angle of inclination of the stacked blocks is not too steep. It is only 6 degrees higher than 45°.
The four sides of the three main pyramids are strictly oriented to the north, south, west and east.
If five nine-story buildings are placed on top of each other, we will get an approximate maximum height buildings.
On average, each block weighs 2500 kg, but there are also those whose weight exceeds the average by 32 times, which is approximately eighty tons.
The stones fit tightly together without mortar. Their pressure is such that it is impossible to squeeze even a piece of paper between them.

The road that led to the pyramid from the quarry took about ten years to build, and the pyramid itself took about twenty. Therefore, the pharaohs began construction of the tomb from their youth.

Tutankhamun's tomb

In 1922, English researchers found the tomb of the young ruler, almost untouched by thieves, in the area of former Thebes.

Immediately, exciting facts about the Egyptian pyramids began to appear, or rather, about a new sensational one:

Tutankhamun died at age 19.
The causes of death have not yet been established: illness, murder, fall from a chariot.
Treasures were found in the pyramid: a golden chariot and throne, lamps, caskets, vases, writing utensils, gold jewelry, gems, ships. On them the ruler was supposed to sail to the afterlife. Gold masks on three coffins and on a mummy.

Mysterious deaths

The excavations took five years, and all this time their participants gradually died. The list of mysterious facts about the Egyptian pyramids includes the “curse of the tomb.” Suggestions have been made about the presence of radioactive elements, poisons, and harmful fungi in it. Here is the list of the dead:

Lord Carnarvon died in 1923.
Then Douglas-Reid, who performed the x-rays.
A. K. Mace, who opened the burial chamber with Lord Carnarvon, dies.
Colonel Aubrey Herbert, Lord Carnarvon's brother, has died.
The wife of an Egyptian prince kills her husband right at the excavation site.
In 1928, deaths continued. First, archaeologist Carter's secretary dies, then his father is thrown out of a window in 1930.
That same year, Carnarvon's half-brother commits suicide.

Such tragedies, which have not been revealed to this day, ended the work on the tomb of Tutankhamun.

One of the seven wonders of the world is the pyramids of ancient Egypt, which will be briefly discussed in this article. Age of these unique structures is about 4500 years old. The most famous pyramids, which are especially popular among tourists and researchers, are located on the opposite bank of the Nile from the Egyptian capital - in the ancient cemetery in Giza. Scientists claim that more than a hundred pyramids were built in those days, but only a small part of them has survived to this day, which is today an important landmark of Egypt. These mysterious structures had special purpose as tombs of pharaohs and their wives. The pyramids were built using masonry, some of them were lined.
The earliest structure is considered to be the tomb of King Djoser, built according to the design of the ancient Egyptian architect Imhotep. This pyramid has a peculiar, stepped shape.

The Pyramid of Cheops is rightfully considered the most famous. Until the mid-19th century, this building was considered the largest in the whole world. Its height is 147 meters, all sides are completely symmetrical, and the construction area is more than 50 thousand square meters. But for all its greatness, and despite the impressive size of the Cheops pyramid itself, its internal premises make up no more than 5 percent of the entire area. The name of the architect who designed such a monumental structure is also known - his name was Hemuin.
The second largest is the Pyramid of Khafre. It is only a few meters smaller in height than the Cheops pyramid, but is located on a higher and steeper hill. Moreover, near the pyramid there is a statue of the Great Sphinx. Many Egyptologists believe (although this has not been proven) that the face of the Sphinx is a stone portrait of Khafre. In addition, this pyramid is distinguished from others by the fact that only two chambers were found in it, which rightfully allows it to be considered the most compact structure in the world. The free space in this tomb is less than one hundredth of a percent of the total volume. In this case, some researchers pay attention to the records of the ancient Greek historian Diodorus, who in his collections reports that Khafre was hated by his contemporaries so much that his real tomb had to be made not in a pyramid, but in a secret place.

Among the pyramids of Ancient Egypt, there are also those that differ from the classical idea of them. They are distinguished by their unusual shape. For example, the pyramid at Medum, built for Pharaoh Huni. Initially, this building had a stepped form and consisted of seven steps, but today only three are visible. This happened as a result of natural processes.

In Dahshur there is a so-called broken pyramid, which has an irregular shape. At a height of 45 meters, the walls of this building change their level of inclination. Like all other pyramids, it has an entrance on the north side, but there is another distinguishing fact, in addition to its unusual shape, is the presence of a second entrance from the west. Exists a large number of opinions about the reasons for the irregular shape of this pyramid. Perhaps, due to the sudden death of the pharaoh, the tomb had to be urgently completed. Either it was deformed due to violations of construction technology or an earthquake.
Pyramid burials were popular until the New Kingdom. From this moment on, the tombs of the pharaohs began to be made in rocks. Pyramids began to be used exclusively as a decorative element in the burials of rich and noble people.