) and Heliopolis millennia before the founding of Cairo. For more than three thousand years (until the construction of the cathedral in Lincoln, England, ca. 1300)
The Great Pyramid was the tallest building on Earth. Since 1979, like many other pyramids of the complex " Memphis and its necropolises - the pyramid area from Giza to Dahshur", is a part World Heritage UNESCO.
Age of the pyramid
Architect Great Pyramid Hemiun, vizier and nephew of Cheops, is considered. He also bore the title "Manager of all Pharaoh's construction projects." It is assumed that the construction, which lasted twenty years (during the reign of Cheops), ended around 2540 BC. e.
unknown, Public DomainExisting methods for dating the start of construction of the pyramid are divided into historical, astronomical and radiocarbon. In Egypt, the date for the start of construction of the Cheops Pyramid was officially established (2009) and celebrated - August 23, 2560 BC. e. This date was obtained using the astronomical method of Kate Spence (University of Cambridge). However, this method and the dates obtained with it have been criticized by many Egyptologists.
Dates according to other dating methods: 2720 BC. e. (Stephen Hack, University of Nebraska), 2577 BC. e. (Juan Antonio Belmonte, University of Astrophysics in Canaris) and 2708 BC. e. (Pollux, Bauman University). Radiocarbon dating gives a range from 2680 BC. e. to 2850 BC e. Therefore, there is no serious confirmation of the established “birthday” of the pyramid, since Egyptologists cannot agree on exactly what year construction began.
First mention of the pyramid
The complete absence of mention of the pyramid in Egyptian papyri remains a mystery. The first descriptions are found in the Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BC) and in ancient Arab legends. Herodotus reported (at least 2 millennia after the appearance of the Great Pyramid) that it was built under a despot pharaoh named Cheops (Greek: Cheops). Koufou), who ruled for 50 years, that 100 thousand people were employed in construction. for twenty years, and that the pyramid is in honor of Cheops, but not his grave. The real grave is a burial near the pyramid. Herodotus gave erroneous information about the size of the pyramid, and also mentioned about the middle pyramid of the Giza plateau that it was built by the daughter of Cheops, who sold herself, and that each building stone corresponded to the man to whom she was given.
Appearance
The pyramid is called "Akhet-Khufu" - "Horizon of Khufu" (or more accurately "Related to the firmament - (it is) Khufu"). Consists of limestone and granite blocks. It was built on a natural limestone hill. After the pyramid has lost several layers of cladding, this hill is partially visible on the eastern, northern and southern sides of the pyramid.
Despite the fact that the Cheops pyramid is the tallest and most voluminous of all Egyptian pyramids, yet Pharaoh Snofru built the pyramids in Meidum and Dakhshut (Bent Pyramid), the total mass of which is estimated at 8.4 million tons.
Rigelus, CC BY-SA 3.0 Initially, the pyramid was lined with white limestone, which was harder than the main blocks. The top of the pyramid was crowned with a gilded stone - pyramidion (ancient Egyptian - “Benben”). The cladding shone in the sun with a peach color, like “a shining miracle to which the sun god Ra himself seemed to give all his rays.”
In 1168, the Arabs sacked and burned Cairo. Residents of Cairo removed the cladding from the pyramid in order to build new houses.
Franck Monnier, Public Domain Concavity of the sides
When the sun moves around the pyramid, you can notice the unevenness of the walls - the concavity of the central part of the walls. This may be due to erosion or damage from falling stone cladding. It is also possible that this was specially done during construction.
Franck Monnier, Public Domain As Vito Maragioglio and Celeste Rinaldi note, the pyramid of Mycerinus no longer has such concave sides. I.E.S. Edwards explains this feature by saying that the central part of each side was simply pressed inward over time by the large mass of stone blocks.
Vivant Denon, Dominique, Public Domain As in the 18th century, when this phenomenon was discovered, today there is still no satisfactory explanation for this architectural feature.
Tilt angle
It is not possible to accurately determine the original parameters of the pyramid, since its edges and surfaces are currently mostly dismantled and destroyed. This makes it difficult to calculate the exact angle of inclination. In addition, its symmetry itself is not ideal, so deviations in the numbers are observed with different measurements.
In the literature on Egyptology, Peter Janosi, Mark Lehner, Miroslav Werner, Zahi Hawass, Alberto Scigliotti came to the same results in measurements, who believe that the length of the sides can be from 230.33 to 230.37 m. Knowing the length of the side and the angle at the base, they calculated the height of the pyramid - from 146.59 to 146.60 m. The slope of the pyramid is 51° 50", which corresponds to a seked (ancient Egyptian unit of measurement of slope, which is defined as the ratio of half the base to the height) of 5 ½ palms. Taking into account the fact that in one cubit (cubit) there are 7 palms, it turns out that with such a chosen seked, the double ratio of the base to the height is equal to 22/7, a well-known approximation of the number pi from ancient times, which, apparently, happened by chance, since other pyramids were chosen other meanings for seked.
Franck Monnier, Public Domain A study of the geometry of the Great Pyramid does not provide a clear answer to the question of the original proportions of this structure. It is assumed that the Egyptians had an idea of the “Golden Section” and the number pi, which were reflected in the proportions of the pyramid: thus, the ratio of the height to half the perimeter of the base is 14/22 (height = 280 cubits, and the base = 220 cubits, semi-perimeter of the base = 2 ×220 cubits; 280/440 = 14/22). For the first time in world history, these values were used in the construction of the pyramid at Meidum. However, for pyramids of later eras, these proportions were not used anywhere else, as, for example, some have height-to-base ratios, such as 6/5 (Pink Pyramid), 4/3 (Pyramid of Khafre) or 7/5 (Broken Pyramid).
Some theories consider the pyramid to be an astronomical observatory. It is argued that the corridors of the pyramid accurately point towards the “polar star” of that time - Thuban, the ventilation corridors on the south side - to the star Sirius, and on the north side - to the star Alnitak.
Internal structure
The entrance to the pyramid is at an altitude of 15.63 meters on the north side. The entrance is formed by stone slabs laid in the form of an arch, but this is the structure that was inside the pyramid - the true entrance has not been preserved. The true entrance to the pyramid was most likely closed with a stone plug. A description of such a plug can be found in Strabo, and its appearance can also be imagined based on the preserved slab that covered the upper entrance to the Bent Pyramid of Snefru, the father of Cheops. Today, tourists enter the pyramid through a 17-meter gap, which was made 10 meters lower by the Baghdad caliph Abdullah al-Mamun in 820. He hoped to find the pharaoh's countless treasures there, but found there only a layer of dust half a cubit thick.
Inside the Cheops pyramid there are three burial chambers, located one above the other.
Yucatan, CC BY-SA 4.0 Funeral "pit"
A 105 m long descending corridor running at an inclination of 26° 26'46 leads to an 8.9 m long horizontal corridor leading to the chamber 5 . Situated below ground level in a limestone bedrock, it remained unfinished. The dimensions of the chamber are 14x8.1 m, it extends from east to west. The height reaches 3.5 m, the ceiling has a large crack. 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 in a southern direction for 16 m, ending in a dead end.
John and Edgar Morton, Public Domain At the beginning of the 19th century, engineers John Shae Perring and Richard William Howard Vyse cleared 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 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.
Photos taken in 1910
John and Edgar Morton, Public Domain 
John and Edgar Morton, Public Domain
Ascending Corridor and Queen's Chambers
From the first third of the descending passage (18 m from the main entrance), an ascending passage goes south at the same angle of 26.5° ( 6 ) about 40 m long, ending at the bottom of the Great Gallery ( 9 ).
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. Thus, for the previous approximately 3 thousand years, it was believed that there were no rooms in the Great Pyramid other than the descending passage and the underground chamber. Al-Mamun was unable to break through these plugs and simply hollowed out a bypass to the right of them in the softer limestone. This passage is still in use today. There are two main theories about the traffic jams, one of them is based on the fact that the ascending passage has traffic jams installed at the beginning of construction and thus this passage was sealed by them from the very beginning. The second argues that the current narrowing of the walls was caused by an earthquake, and the plugs were previously located within the Great Gallery and were used to seal the passage only after the funeral of the pharaoh.
Franck Monnier, GNU 1.2 An important mystery of this section of the ascending passage is that in the place where the traffic jams are now located, in the full-size, albeit shortened model of the pyramid passages - the so-called test corridors north of the Great Pyramid - there is a junction of not two, but three corridors at once, the third of which is a vertical tunnel. Since no one has yet been able to move the plugs, the question of whether there is a vertical hole above them remains open.
Jon Bodsworth, Green Copyright In the middle of the ascending passage, the wall design has a peculiarity: in three places so-called “frame stones” were installed - that is, a square passage along the entire length pierces through three monoliths. The purpose of these stones is unknown. In the area of the frame stones, the walls of the passage have several small niches.
John and Edgar Morton, Public Domain 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. The walls of this horizontal corridor are made of very large limestone blocks, on which false “seams” are applied, imitating masonry from smaller blocks . Behind the western wall of the passage there are cavities filled with sand.
The second chamber 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; its maximum height is 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 extension - the “Grotto” (Grotto) of irregular shape, in which several people could fit at most.
Jon Bodsworth, Green Copyright 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.
Jon Bodsworth, Green Copyright The large gallery continues the ascending passage. Its height is 8.53 m, it is rectangular in cross-section, with walls slightly tapering upward (the so-called “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 measuring 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 so-called. “Big step” - a high horizontal ledge, a 1x2 meter platform 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 (the 28th and last pair of BG recesses). Through the “hallway” a hole leads into the funeral “Tsar’s Chamber” lined with black granite, where an empty granite sarcophagus is located. The sarcophagus lid is missing. Ventilation shafts have mouths in the “King’s Chamber” on the southern and northern walls at a height of about a meter from the floor level. The mouth of the southern ventilation shaft is severely damaged, the northern one appears intact. The floor, ceiling, and walls of the chamber do not have any decorations or holes or fastening elements of anything dating back to the construction of the pyramid. The ceiling slabs have all burst along the southern wall and are not falling into the room only due to the pressure from the weight of the overlying blocks.
John and Edgar Morton, Public Domain Above the “Tsar’s Chamber” there are five unloading cavities with a total height of 17 m discovered in the 19th century, between which lie monolithic granite slabs about 2 m thick, and above there is a gable roof made of limestone. It is believed that their purpose is to distribute the weight of the overlying layers of the pyramid (about a million tons) to protect the “King's Chamber” from pressure. In these voids, graffiti was found, probably left by workers.
Ventilation ducts
From the "King's Chamber" and "Queen's Chamber" in the northern and south directions(first horizontally, then obliquely upward) the so-called “ventilation” channels 20-25 cm wide extend off. At the same time, the channels of the “Tsar’s Chamber”, known since the 17th century, are end-to-end, they are open both below and above (on the edges of the pyramid), then As the lower ends of the channels of the “Queen's Chamber” are separated from the surface of the wall by about 13 cm, they were discovered by tapping in 1872. The upper ends of these channels do not reach the surface by about 12 meters. The upper ends of the channels of the Queen's Chamber are closed by stone Gantenbrink Doors, each with two copper handles. The copper handles were sealed with plaster seals (not preserved, but traces remain). In the southern ventilation shaft, the “door” was discovered in 1993 with the help of the remote-controlled robot “Upout II”; the bend of the northern shaft did not allow this robot to detect the same “door” in it. In 2002, using a new modification of the robot, a hole was drilled in the southern “door,” but behind it a small cavity 18 centimeters long and another stone “door” were discovered. What lies next is still unknown. This robot confirmed the presence of a similar “door” at the end northern channel, but they didn’t drill it. In 2010, a new robot was able to insert a serpentine television camera into a drilled hole in the southern “door” and discovered that the copper “handles” on that side of the “door” were designed in the form of neat hinges, and individual red ocher icons were painted on the floor of the “ventilation” shaft. Currently, the most common version is that the purpose of the “ventilation” ducts was of a religious nature and is associated with the Egyptians’ ideas about afterlife journey souls. And the “door” at the end of the channel is nothing more than a door to afterworld. That is why it does not reach the surface of the pyramid. Pyramid of Queen Meritites (G1b)
Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)
Great Pyramid of Giza
Arab. الهرم الأكبر or هرم خوفو
English Great Pyramid of Giza, Pyramid of Khufu or Pyramid of Cheops
Statistical data
- Height (today): ≈ 138.75 m
- Side angle (current): 51° 50"
- Side rib length (original): 230.33 m (calculated) or about 440 royal cubits
- Side fin length (current): approx. 225 m
- The length of the sides of the base of the pyramid: south - 230.454 m; north - 230.253 m; west - 230.357 m; east - 230.394 m
- Foundation area (initially): ≈ 53,000 m² (5.3 ha)
- Lateral surface area of the pyramid (initially): ≈ 85,500 m²
- Base perimeter: 922 m
- Total volume of the pyramid without deducting the cavities inside the pyramid (initially): ≈ 2.58 million m³
- Total volume of the pyramid minus all known cavities (initially): 2.50 million m³
- Average volume of stone blocks: 1,147 m³
- Average weight of stone blocks: 2.5 tons
- The heaviest stone block: about 35 tons - is located above the entrance to the “King’s Chamber”.
- The number of blocks of average volume does not exceed 1.65 million (2.50 million m³ - 0.6 million m³ of rock base inside the pyramid = 1.9 million m³/1.147 m³ = 1.65 million blocks of the specified volume can physically fit in the pyramid, without taking into account the volume of mortar in interblock joints); referring to a 20-year construction period * 300 working days per year * 10 working hours per day * 60 minutes per hour leads to a speed of laying (and delivery to the construction site) of about a block of two minutes.
- According to estimates, the total weight of the pyramid is about 4 million tons (1.65 million blocks x 2.5 tons)
- The base of the pyramid rests on a natural rocky elevation about 12-14 m high in the center and, according to the latest data, occupies at least 23% of the original volume of the pyramid
History of research
Recent Research
There is a version that tries to explain the precise fit of individual blocks during the construction of the pyramid by the fact that the blocks were created from a concrete-like material by gradually raising the formwork and making the blocks on the spot - hence the precision of the fit. This version was proposed by the French chemist, Professor J. Davidovits. Professor Davidovits in the mid-twentieth century developed a method for creating so-called geopolymer concrete. Davidovits suggested that his discovery might have been known to the creators of the pyramids. Subsequent studies refuted this theory.
There are also non-scientific works on the pyramids by some researchers, such as Erich von Däniken and Christopher Dunn (The Mystery of the Ancient Egyptian Machines, 1984), based on outdated information from Sir William Flinders Petrie from the book The Pyramids and Temples of Giza (1883).
Around the pyramid
Pharaoh's boats
Near the pyramids, seven pits with real ancient Egyptian boats, dismantled into pieces, were discovered.
The first of these vessels, called "" or "Sun Boats", was discovered in 1954 by Egyptian architect Kamal el-Mallah and archaeologist Zaki Nour.
The boat was made of cedar and did not have a single trace of nails for fastening the elements. The boat consisted of 1224 parts; they were assembled by restorer Ahmed Youssef Mustafa only in 1968.
The dimensions of the boat are: length - 43.3 m, width - 5.6 m, and draft - 1.50 m. A museum of this boat is open on the south side of the Cheops pyramid.
Therefore, this article will present only the basic general facts and figures relating to the Great Pyramid as a whole.
Date of construction and geometric dimensions
According to generally accepted opinion, the Great Pyramid was built in the 2560-2580s BC as a tomb for the reigning pharaoh of the IV dynasty, Cheops (Khufu). Despite some difficulties in explaining the possibility of its construction in the required time frame using the technology available at that time, this version is nevertheless considered the main one and has quite numerous confirmations in the form of inscriptions discovered inside the Pyramid and the Pit of the Solar Boat with it.
The Pyramid of Cheops is the largest of the Egyptian pyramids.
- Height (today): ≈ 138.75 m
- Height (original): ≈ 146.5 m
- Angle: 51° 50"
- Side length (original): 230.33 m (calculated) or about 440 Royal cubits
- Side length (currently): about 225 m
- The length of the sides of the base of the pyramid: south - 230.454 m; north - 230.253 m; west - 230.357 m; east - 230.394 m.
- Foundation area (initially): ≈ 53,000 m² (5.3 ha)
- Area of the pyramid: (initially) ≈ 85,500 m²
- Perimeter: 922 m.
- Total volume of the pyramid without deducting the cavities inside the pyramid (initially): ≈ 2.58 million m³
- Total volume of the pyramid, after subtracting all known cavities (initially): 2.50 million m³
- The average size of the observed stone blocks of rough masonry: 1.27 m in width and depth, 71 cm in height (according to Petrie)
- Average weight of rough masonry stone blocks: 2.5 t
- The heaviest stone block of rough masonry: 15 t
- Heaviest stone block (known; granite; above the entrance to the King's Chamber): 90 t
- Number of blocks: about 2.5 million (provided that the pyramid is not a backfill type)
- Estimated total weight of the pyramid: about 6.25 million tons (possibly about 6 million tons according to microgravimetry)
- The base of the pyramid rests on a natural rocky elevation in the center (in the Grotto area) more than 9 m high.
- Materials used in construction (from known ones): limestone from the Giza Plateau - rough masonry, Tour white limestone - internal walls, ventilation shafts and external cladding, Aswan granite - Antechamber, King's Chamber, unloading chambers (partially), plugs; Sinai - sarcophagus. Quartz sand was also found inside.
- The pyramidion of the pyramid was not found, nor were its fastening stones.
- The True Entrance is located traditionally, i.e., on the north side. He is the only one known.
Difference in thickness of pyramid masonry layers
Despite the fact that the pyramid is built in layers, the thickness of the layers is different and varies from 60 cm to one and a half meters.
The reasons for this are not exactly known, there are several hypotheses, the simplest one says that large blocks were laid in eras when there was an excess amount of labor for laying layers of rough masonry. Which may be connected, for example, with its release after the completion of a certain labor-intensive stage in the construction of some complex internal infrastructure or a season for the procurement of blocks, etc. The scheme requires careful analysis.
Current state of affairs and appearance after the disappearance of the cladding
The Great Pyramid now has edges concave inwards. This often gives rise to various theories and speculations, but it should be remembered that the structure has lost several meters of cladding on each side, and the nature of its looting for stone does not give reason to believe that the original faces were not flat.
Perhaps the observed picture is simply a consequence of the most profitable extraction of stone.
Question about using the pyramid for its intended purpose
Since ancient times, the question has been acutely raised: was the Cheops pyramid used for its intended purpose? There is still no clear answer to this question. On the one hand, there is almost complete confidence that the pyramid was completely completed by the builders. On the other hand, what we see inside it, for example, is clearly not best quality a sarcophagus in the King's Chamber, an unfinished floor in the Queen's Chamber or a picture of complete incompleteness in the Underground Chamber - everything suggests that the pharaoh in these famous premises could hardly have been buried at all. Herodotus also claimed that Cheops was buried in another place, on an island surrounded on all sides by water. On the third hand, traces of obvious hacking of the plugs and dampers of the Antechamber indicate that the pyramid was for some reason carefully sealed. The official point of view of science on this matter suggests that the burglars visited the pyramid no later than the first 500-600 years from the moment of its construction. But what they found, who they were and whether they found anything at all is completely unknown. In the volume of the Great Pyramid, the volume of all known and explored rooms is less than 1 percent, and it is already known that in addition to the explored ones, there are several unknown sealed rooms in it.
Blocks and Quarries
Egyptologists believe that the Pyramids of Giza were built from natural stone, which was quarried from three quarries. The actual construction of the pyramids is made of nummulitic limestone of the Mokattam formation. The quarries were located in close proximity to the pyramids. The lower parts of the pyramids of Khafre and Mikerin were lined with granite from the Aswan quarry, which is located in Southern Egypt at a distance of 934 kilometers along the Nile (700 kilometers in a straight line). Several rows of granite cladding have been preserved at the pyramid of Mikerin. Middle and upper parts of two great pyramids were lined with limestone from the Tours quarry, which is located on the eastern bank of the Nile south of Cairo at a distance of 13-17 kilometers from the pyramids. The number of pyramid facing blocks (granite and limestone) that have reached us is relatively small. Therefore, we can simply agree that stone from the Tours and Aswan quarries was used in the construction of the pyramids. The opinion that the pyramids were built from nummulitic limestone does not fully correspond to reality. The lower rows of the pyramids are made of hard limestone from the Moqattam formation. Higher up, blocks of soft limestone, which do not contain nummulites, predominate. It is fundamentally. That is, when describing the blocks of pyramids in specialized literature, it seems to remain “behind the scenes” that most of them are carved out of soft limestone.
The bottom rows of the pyramids (approximately 1-7/10 rows) are made of blocks cut from solid limestone. The first row of the Cheops pyramid (thickness 1.5 m) is carved from a layer of strong limestone, which has the greatest thickness - 1.5 m. The upper rows of the pyramids are dominated by blocks cut from soft limestone (or cast blocks indistinguishable from them - this statement requires evidence, Supervisor 03:05, 22 May 2011 (UTC)). When developing the quarry, it was necessary to fulfill one condition: the time elapsed from the opening of soft limestones to the cutting of building blocks from them should be minimal. That is, soft limestones had to be cut into blocks before they hardened from contact with air. In addition, after cutting the soft limestone blocks, it took some time for them to harden and not crumble during transportation. The cyclical nature of quarry development meets these requirements. Its site was being developed, the area of which was approximately 1.5 times larger than the area of the row of blocks where the construction of the pyramid was stopped. The blocks were cut from layers of hard and soft limestone and stored “layer by layer,” that is, according to their vertical dimensions. After all the limestone had been removed from the area, its laying into the body of the pyramid began. The order of laying blocks of different thicknesses (and, accordingly, different weights) was determined by the ratio of labor costs for lifting them. This ensured that the rows of blocks were ranked according to their thickness.
Base of the pyramid
The rocky base of the Cheops pyramid, according to modern calculations, occupies 23% of the volume of the pyramid, or about 600,000 cubic meters. The minimum figures were obtained by determining the height of the rock in terms of average level equal to 12.5 meters. But the authors of the study do not exclude the possibility of using an average height of 20 meters. In any case, new geological exploration work is required to clarify these data. A revision of most old works with calculations of the stone used during construction is also required. In addition, there are estimates of 10-12 % of the volume of the pyramid, which is occupied by the solution holding the blocks together.
The directions to the north of the side faces were kept so precisely that due to the sphericity of the Earth and the colossal size of the Pyramid, its northern side turned out to be 20 cm shorter than the southern one. (the exact dimensions of the pyramid are known from the preserved pits of the supporting corner stones)
Sources
[http://supernovum.ru/public/index.php?doc=171 | Mining and geological aspect of the technology of construction of the pyramids of Giza]
[http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/31/95/86/PDF/PyramidsSR.pdf Geological and Geomorphological study of the original hill at the base of Fourth Dynasty Egyptian monuments.]
- one of the most ancient “seven wonders of the world” that has survived to this day. It inherited its name from its creator, Pharaoh Cheops, and is the largest in the group of Egyptian pyramids.
It is believed that it serves as a tomb for his dynasty. The Pyramid of Cheops is located on the Giza Plateau.
Dimensions of the Cheops pyramid
The height of the Cheops Pyramid initially reached 146.6 meters, but time is inexorably and gradually destroying this impressive structure. Today it has decreased to 137.2 meters.
The pyramid is made up of a total of 2.3 million cubic meters of stone. The average weight of one stone is 2.5 tons, but there are even some whose weight reaches 15 tons.
The most interesting thing is that these blocks are so perfectly fitted that even the blade of a thin knife cannot pass through them. They were glued together with white cement as protection against water penetration inside. It has still been preserved.
One side of the pyramid is 230 meters long. The base area is 53,000 square meters, which can be equated to ten football fields.
This huge structure amazes with its grandeur and emanates antiquity. According to scientists, the total weight of the pyramid is 6.25 million tons. Previously, its surface was perfectly smooth. Now, unfortunately, there is no trace of this smoothness.
There is one entrance leading inside the Cheops pyramid, located at a height of 15.5 meters above the ground. It contains tombs in which the pharaohs were buried. These so-called burial chambers are made of durable granite and are located at a depth of 28 meters.
The pyramid consists of ascending and descending passages that were not used in any other similar structure. One of the features is a large descent leading to the tomb of the pharaoh.
The Pyramid of Cheops is located directly in the place that points to all four cardinal directions. She is the only one of all ancient buildings, has such accuracy. 
History of the Pyramid of Cheops
How the ancient Egyptians were able to build this Pyramid and when, probably no one can say with exact data. But in Egypt, the official date when construction began is August 23, 2480 BC.
It was then that Pharaoh Snofu died and his son Khufu (Cheops) gave the order to build the pyramid. He wanted to build such a pyramid so that it would become not only one of the greatest structures, but also glorify his name for centuries.
It is known that about 100,000 people simultaneously participated in its construction. For 10 years they only built a road along which it was necessary to deliver stones, and the construction itself continued for another 20-25 years.
According to the research of scientists, it is known that workers cut down huge blocks in quarries on the banks of the Nile. They went on boats to the other side and dragged the block with felt along the road to the construction site itself.
Then came the turn of hard and very dangerous work. The blocks were placed next to each other with extraordinary precision using ropes and levers.
Secrets of the Pyramid of Cheops
For almost 3,500 years, no one disturbed the peace of the Cheops Pyramid. It was covered with legends about the punishment of anyone who entered the chambers of the pharaoh. 
However, there was such a daredevil caliph Abdullah al-Mamun, he built a tunnel inside the pyramid in order to profit. But imagine his surprise when he found absolutely no treasures. Indeed, this is one of the many secrets of this majestic structure.
No one knows whether Pharaoh Cheops was really buried in it or whether his tomb was plundered by the ancient Egyptians. Scientists emphasize that the pharaoh's chamber does not have decorations, which were customary at that time to decorate tombs. The sarcophagus has no lid and is not completely hewn. It is obvious that the work was not completed.
After unsuccessful attempt Abdullah al-Mamun, becoming furious, ordered the pyramids to be dismantled. But naturally I did not achieve this goal. And the robbers lost all interest in her and her non-existent treasures.
In 1168, the Arabs burned down part of Cairo and when the Egyptians began to rebuild their homes, they removed the white slabs from the pyramid.
And from that pyramid, which shone like a precious stone, only the stepped body remained. This is how it appears today, before enthusiastic tourists.
The Cheops Pyramid has been constantly explored since the time of Napoleon. And some researchers are more inclined to believe the theory that the pyramid was built by aliens or Atlanteans.
Because to this day it is not clear how builders could achieve such excellent stone processing and precise laying, which has not been affected by external factors for centuries. And the measurements of the pyramid themselves are amazing in their results.
The pyramid was surrounded by other interesting buildings, mainly temples. But today almost nothing has survived.
Their purpose is not completely clear, but in 1954 archaeologists found the oldest ship at this site. It was the Solnechnaya boat, which was made without a single nail, with preserved traces of silt, and most likely sailed during the time of Cheops.
The Pyramid of Cheops is located on the Giza plateau. Giza is a settlement northwest of Cairo. You can get there by taxi, calling the Mena House Hotel as your final stop. Either take a bus from the Tahrir Square stops in Cairo or take the bus at Ramses Station.
Pyramid of Cheops on the map
Opening hours, attractions and prices
You can see the majestic Pyramid of Cheops every day from 8.00 to 17.00. V winter time Visits are limited until 16.30. It is advisable to visit the pyramid in the early morning or late afternoon. At other times it is quite hot, and you can’t get through the crowds of tourists. Although even at this hour there are not so few of them.
When walking to the ticket office, which is not far from the hotel, you should not pay attention to the barkers offering camel rides or calling themselves inspectors. Most likely, these are scammers.
The cost of entry to the territory will cost $8, entrance to the Pyramid of Cheops itself will cost $16. And of course it’s worth visiting the two nearby pyramids of Khafre and Mikerinus, each costing $4. And see Solar Rook — 7$.
It is impossible to appreciate the full power and grandeur of the Cheops Pyramid, shrouded in many secrets, from photographs or words.
You just need to see it with your own eyes and touch this ancient, truly impressive structure.
The Pyramid of Cheops is a rare case in Egyptology when we can be sure who owns the monument. Often the ancient monuments of Egypt were appropriated by later rulers. The technology of appropriation was very simple - the name of the pharaoh-builder (cartouche) was simply lost from the inscriptions in the temple or in the tomb, and another name was knocked out.
This phenomenon was very common. Take, for example, the famous Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Until 1922, when archaeologist Howard Carter dug up, Egyptologists doubted the existence of this ruler. There was almost no written evidence about him; everything was destroyed by subsequent pharaohs.
In the 19th century, archaeologists often used very barbaric research methods. In the Cheops pyramid, gunpowder explosions were used to find hidden rooms. You can still see traces of such methods on the surfaces of structures (see photo on the left).
During this study, small rooms were discovered above the main burial chamber. Explorers rushed there in the hope of finding treasure, but, of course, there was nothing there except dust.
These rooms, only 1 meter in height, had a purely technical purpose. These are unloading chambers; they protect the ceiling of the burial chamber from collapse and relieve mechanical stress. But it was on the walls of these unloading chambers that scientists discovered inscriptions made by ancient builders.
These were block markings. Just as we now put a label on a product, the ancient Egyptian foremen marked the blocks: “This block is for the pyramid of Khufu, produced at that time, laid at that time.” These inscriptions cannot be fake; they prove that this structure was built by Cheops.
A little about Pharaoh Cheops
In the last paragraph we used the name “Khufu”. This is the official Egyptian name of this pharaoh. Cheops is the Greek interpretation of his name, and not the most common one. Other pronunciations “Cheops” or “Kiops” are more common.
The name “Khufu” is more common in the world. If you are going on an excursion to Giza with Russian speaking guide, then there will be no problems, he will be aware of this phonetic difference. But if you communicate with local residents or tourists from other countries, we recommend using the name “Khufu”.
Although Pharaoh Khufu is one of the, it is impossible to write much about him. We know very little about him.
In addition to the fact of the construction of this pyramid, we know that Khufu organized expeditions to develop useful resources in the Sinai Peninsula. That's all. To this day, only two artifacts have survived from Khufu - a giant pyramid 137 meters high and a small figurine from Ivory only 7.5 centimeters high (pictured on the right).
Pharaoh Cheops remained in people's memory as a tyrant ruler who forced people to work on grandiose construction. We can read about this in the works of the Greek historian Herodotus, who visited Egypt and recorded the stories of the priests.
Surprisingly, his father, Pharaoh Snofru, remained in people's memory as a very kind ruler, although he built as many as three pyramids (and) and overexerted the country twice as much as Cheops.
The most ancient wonder of the world, which we can still admire now, is the Pyramid of Cheops. Shrouded in myths and legends, the Egyptian pyramid was the largest and tallest structure for many millennia. Khufu (another name for the pyramid) is located in Giza - the popular place crowds of tourists.
History of the pyramids
The pyramids in Egypt are practically the main attraction of the country. There are many hypotheses related to their origin and construction. But they all converge on one important conclusion: the pyramids in Egypt are impressive tombs for the great inhabitants of the country (in those days these were the pharaohs). The Egyptians believed in the afterlife and life after death. It was believed that only a few were worthy of continuing the path of life after death - these were the pharaohs themselves, their families and the slaves who were constantly close to the rulers. Images of slaves and servants were painted on the walls of tombs so that after their death they could continue to serve their king. According to the ancient religion of the Egyptians, man had two inner souls, Ba and Ka. Ba left the Egyptian after his death, and Ka always acted as a virtual double and waited for him in the world of the dead.
To ensure that the pharaoh did not need anything in the afterlife, food, weapons, kitchen utensils, gold and much more were left in the pyramid tomb. In order for the body to remain unchanged and wait for the second soul of Ba, it was necessary to preserve it. This is how the birth of body embalming and the need to create pyramids arose.
The emergence of pyramids in Egypt dates back to the construction of the pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser 5 thousand years ago. The outer walls of the first pyramid were in the form of steps, which symbolized the ascent to heaven. The height of the structure was 60 meters with many corridors and several tombs. Djoser's chamber was located in the underground part of the pyramid. From royal tomb several more passages were made leading to small chambers. They contained all the accessories for the further afterlife of the Egyptians. Closer to the east, chambers for the entire family of the pharaoh were found. The structure itself was not so huge compared to the pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops, whose height was almost 3 times greater. But it is with the pyramid of Djoser that the history of the emergence of all Egyptian pyramids begins.
Very often in the photo of the Cheops pyramid you can see two more pyramids standing nearby. This famous pyramids Herfen and Mekerin. It is these three pyramids that are considered the most important assets of the country. The height of the Cheops pyramid significantly distinguishes it from the others located nearby and other pyramids in Egypt. Initially, the walls of the structure were smooth, but after a long period of years they began to crumble. If you look at modern photos pyramids of Cheops, you can see the relief of the facade and its unevenness, formed over millennia.
Birth of the Cheops Pyramid
Pyramid of Cheops official version was erected in the fall of 2480 BC. Date of first occurrence ancient miracle light, many historians and researchers dispute, giving arguments in favor of their arguments. The construction of the Great Pyramid lasted about 2-3 decades. More than one hundred thousand residents took part in it ancient egypt and the best masters of that time. First of all, a large road was built for the delivery of building materials, then underground passages and a mine. Most of time was spent on the construction of the upper part of the pyramid - the walls and internal passages and tombs.
There are very interesting feature buildings: the height of the Cheops pyramid in its original form and the width were 147 meters. Due to the sands filling the base of the building and sprinkling of the facing part, it decreased by 10 meters and is now 137 meters in height. The giant tomb was built mainly from huge blocks of limestone and granite, weighing about 2.5 tons, which were carefully polished so as not to lose the ideal shape of the structure. And in the tomb of the most ancient pharaoh, granite blocks were found, the weight of which reached almost 80 tons. According to Egyptologists huge stones it took about 2,300,000, which cannot but impress us all.
Doubts associated with the construction of the pyramid lay in the fact that in those dark times there were no special machines or devices capable of lifting and ideally stacking heavy blocks at a certain slope. Some believed that more than a million people took part in the construction, others that the blocks were lifted by a lifting mechanism. Everything was so thought out and as perfect as possible that without the use of concrete mortar and cement, the stones were laid in such a way that it was completely impossible to insert even thin paper between them! There is an assumption that the pyramid was created not by people at all, but by aliens or another force unknown to man.
We are based specifically on the fact that the pyramids are still the creation of people. In order to quickly remove a stone of the required size and shape from the rock, its outlines were made. A conventional shape was carved out, and dry wood was inserted there. It was regularly watered, the moisture made the tree grow larger, and under its pressure a crack formed in the rock. Now a large block was removed and given the required shape and size. The stones for construction were redirected along the river by huge boats.
To lift heavy boulders to the top, massive sleds made of wood were used. Along the gentle slope, the stones were lifted one after another by teams of hundreds of slaves.
Pyramid device
The entrance to the pyramid was not originally where it is now. It had the shape of an arch and was located on the northern side of the building with a height of more than 15 meters. In an attempt to rob the great tomb in 820, a new entrance was made, already at a height of 17 meters. But Caliph Abu Jafar, who wanted to enrich himself with the loot, did not find any jewelry or valuable things and left with nothing. It is this passage that is now open to tourists.
The pyramid consists of several long corridors leading to the tombs. Immediately after the entrance there is a common corridor that diverges into 2 tunnels leading to the central and lower part of the pyramid. For some reason, the chamber below was not completed. There is also a narrow loophole, behind which there is only a dead end and a three-meter well. Climbing up the corridor, you will find yourself in the Great Gallery. If you take the first left and walk a little, you will see the chamber of the ruler's wife. And along the corridor above is the largest one - the tomb of the pharaoh himself.
The beginning of the gallery is interesting because there is a long and narrow almost vertical Grotto built there. There is an assumption that he was there even before the foundation of the pyramid itself. Narrow passages about 20 centimeters wide were made from both tombs of the pharaoh and his wife. Presumably they were made for ventilation of the wards. There is another version that these passages and corridors are indicators of the stars: Sirius, Alnitaki and Thuban and that the pyramid served as a place for astronomical research. But there is another opinion - according to the belief in the afterlife, the Egyptians believed that the soul returned from heaven through channels.
There is one important and interesting fact - the construction of the pyramid was carried out strictly at one angle of 26.5 degrees. There is every reason to assume that the inhabitants of antiquity were very well versed in geometry and the exact sciences. Just look at the proportional, even corridors and ventilation ducts.
Not far from the pyramid itself, Egyptian cedar boats were found during excavations. They were made of pure wood without a single nail. One of the ball's boats is divided into 1224 parts. The restorer Ahamed Yussuf Mustafa managed to assemble it. To achieve this, the architect had to spend 14 years; such high patience in the name of science can only be envied. Today the assembled boat can be admired in the bizarrely shaped museum. It is located on the south side of the Great Pyramid.
Unfortunately, you cannot shoot video or take photographs inside the pyramid itself. But you can take many incredible pictures against the backdrop of this creation. Various souvenirs are also sold here so that an excursion to these enchanting places can remind you of itself for a long time.
Photos of the Cheops pyramid, of course, do not reflect all the greatness and uniqueness of this structure. With us you will plunge into history and look at the world with different eyes!
