When did the construction of the Cheops pyramid begin? Height of the Cheops pyramid

Why did the ancient Egyptians build pyramids, how were these grandiose and mysterious creations of human hands created. Many secrets have not yet been revealed; there are more questions than answers. Perhaps the rulers of those times wanted to emphasize the majesty of the era, confirm the constancy of their power, and show their closeness to the gods.

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First buildings

From the end of the 4th millennium BC. Pharaohs were buried in truncated structures - small stone buildings (mastabas), which were held together with clay mortar. Today, such structures look like shapeless piles of stones that do not carry any architectural value.

The history of the pyramids - the most unusual buildings of ancient Egypt - began in 2780-2760 BC, during the reign of Pharaoh Djoser, who completely changed the architectural style of the tombs. His new tomb consisted of as many as 6 mastabas built on top of each other. The narrowest one was at the top, the widest one was at the bottom. This type of building was a stepped structure. Its height was just over 60 meters, and its perimeter was 115 by 125 m.

Construction of the pyramids in ancient Egypt was conducted in a special architectural style, who reigned for two hundred years. Its developer and designer was the famous vizier Imhotep. The pyramids were built in a different form. For example, the reign of Pharaoh Snefru was marked by the creation of two unique pyramids ancient Egypt - broken and pink:

1. In the first, the angle of inclination of the walls from the base of the building to its middle is 54° 31′, and then it changes to 43° 21′. There are many versions explaining this strange form of construction. The main one is that the pharaoh's death was sudden, so the workers made the slope steeper to speed up the construction process. There are other opinions on this matter. For example, that it was a trial version created for the sake of an “experiment.”
2. The second got its name due to the color of the blocks that were used for construction. The stone was a pale pink shade, and at sunset it became bright pink. Initially, the outer cladding was white, but over time the coating gradually peeled off, revealing pink limestone - the material from which the structure was laid.

But still, the most famous are those structures that proudly rise on the Giza plateau. These three majestic pyramids of impressive size are famous all over the world.

The largest pyramid

Its other name is the pyramid of Khufu. This is one of the most famous and largest buildings in the whole world. Let's make it short description. When was the Cheops pyramid built? It was built near the city of Giza (on this moment- suburb of Cairo). Construction of the largest pyramid began on August 23, 2480 BC. For its construction, 100 thousand people were used. The first 10 years were required to build the road along which the giant blocks of stones were delivered. It took another 20 years to build the structure itself.

Attention! The Pyramid of Cheops amazes with its scale. Today its height is 137 meters, but this was not always the case, since over time the lining was worn away and part of the base was covered with sand. Initially it was 10 meters higher.

147 meters is equal to the length of the side of the base, made in the shape of a square. According to research, more than 2 million lime blocks were used for construction, the average weight of one of them is 2.5 tons. Each block fits perfectly to the next one and is raised to a certain height. The entrance can be found on the north side of the building, at a height of just over 15 meters. There are stone slabs laid out around it, reminiscent of an arch.

It is still unknown how exactly the Egyptians managed not only to lift the blocks, but also to fit them perfectly together.

There are no even the slightest gaps between the blocks. Some are sure that they did not lift the blocks - people simply pushed the limestone, brought it to a powdery state, after which they removed the moisture, and so it turned into cement, which was poured into pre-created formwork. After this, water, crushed stone and stone were added - in this way monolithic blocks arose.

The stepped structure served several purposes: it was used as a sundial, a seasonal calendar and a reference point for geodetic measurements. The architect was the vizier of the pharaoh named Cheops Hemiun. He was involved in design and was the supervisor of the work, but did not have time to see his brainchild, as he died shortly before the completion of construction.

Attention! Today there is no exact information that the tomb of Cheops is located inside. However, it is believed that such buildings were part of ritual burial complexes.

Chamber inside Khufu's pyramid

There are three chambers inside: the top one is the royal burial chamber and is lined with granite blocks, each weighing 60 tons. This chamber is located at a height of 43 meters from the base. There is also an ascending corridor and the queen's chambers. In the burial pit at the beginning of the 20th century, two engineers dug a well where, in their opinion, there should have been a hidden burial chamber.

However, their efforts were in vain: it later turned out that the construction of the chamber was not completed. Instead, the burial chambers were arranged in the center, they are located one above the other.

More recently, using muon radiography technology, it was possible to find a previously unknown room. It was calculated that its length is 30 meters and its width is 2 meters, and it is located right in the center of the building. Scientists are aiming to drill a small 3-centimeter hole to launch a mini-robot inside and explore the found room, since it is not yet known what is in it and what purposes it serves.

Today there is almost nothing left of the cladding - the residents of Cairo decided that it would be “more necessary” for the construction of their houses, and stole it from their homes. However, there are remains of white limestone on the nearby Pyramid of Khafre, which is slightly smaller in size.

Second largest building

Its height is 143.5 meters. If you believe the legends, then it was crowned with a granite pyramidion decorated with gold. There is no information about why it is no longer there and where it is now. Khafre spent 40 years creating the tomb for himself. It was built using the same technology as the previous one, but is located on a higher hill, and its slope is steeper, which makes the structure inaccessible and difficult even for professional climbers. At the moment, climbing to the top is prohibited in order to preserve the remains of the old cladding.

The protective material granite was used inside and outside the pyramid, but it was not used in the burial chamber. At the moment, the condition of the building is assessed as good, despite the fact that its size has decreased slightly. The blocks, made of limestone and weighing a couple of tons each, are attached to each other so tightly that not a sheet of paper or even a hair can be inserted between them.

The youngest of the three, the height is 62 meters. At the same time, in some photographs, tourists manage to choose an angle so that she looks the tallest. The ancient building has been preserved in good condition and is open to the public. Starting from this building, large tombs were no longer built. Scientists believe that by that time the decline of the era of great structures had begun.

Attention! An interesting feature of the Mykerinus pyramid is that the largest stone block in it weighs at least 200 tons.

Other architectural elements

Later, the pharaohs stopped creating grandiose structures. Thus, Pharaoh Userkaf ordered the construction of a building in Saqqara, the height of which is 44.5 meters. At the moment it looks like a pile of stones that has nothing in common with an architectural structure. The same applies to other buildings. In total, about 100 pyramids were built in Egypt. Their appearance is the same - only the height and volume change.

Great Sphinx

Monolithic limestone rock was used to make this famous sculpture. The Great Sphinx is considered one of the elements architectural complex in Giza. The length of the sphinx is 73 meters, and it “stretched” up to 20 meters in height. During its entire existence, the sculpture was almost completely covered with sand. It was cleared only in 1925 - then they learned about the actual dimensions of the architectural object.

Conclusion

Some believe that the multi-level pyramids in ancient Egypt were born as a result of the actions of a mysterious and powerful civilization or alien beings. The different concepts about how the ancient Egyptians built their structures are attractive and have more than once formed the basis of works of literature and cinema.

The ancient Egyptian pyramids are the most mysterious and unusual buildings in the entire history of mankind. How they were built and why, their external and internal descriptions are questions that have worried scientists for many years. The Pyramid of Cheops is the largest of all the pyramids, an architectural monument.

Today there is no clear and proven version of how these huge giants were built. But there are a lot of hypotheses and assumptions, each of which has both evidence and contradictions.

Preparation for construction

Pyramids were built from stone blocks. Some believed that all the blocks were the same size. But the theory was refuted. Preparations for construction included the extraction of such stone blocks from the rocks. To do this, they drew the shape of the future block on the rock, hollowed out the edges of the boundary with chisels and picks, and inserted wood into them.

Later, the tree was filled with water, as a result of which it swelled, and the rock cracked along a given boundary due to stress. The block was then separated.

Also, during preparation, they marked the ground with the designation of the four sides of the pyramid. We tried to outline them so that they were oriented to the cardinal points. Then the area under the base was leveled.

For this purpose, a square-shaped shaft was erected from sand and stones. Next, we divided this square into equal parts and filled it with water. The stones that were under water were removed, and the trenches were filled with a new layer of stones, which served as the foundation of the tomb.

Working with stone

The resulting blocks were carefully processed to obtain the required shape. Further along the river the blocks were transported to the construction site. Research has shown that the stones had a mass suitable for movement. Then construction began, starting from the lower tier. Having laid the blocks, the problem arose of lifting the blocks to the next levels.

The Pyramid of Cheops was built with enormous effort using minimal available technology at that time.

There are many theories about how the Egyptians lifted stones. Some scientists believe that 4 specially built brick ramps were used for the ascent. Some have suggested that the ramp was 1. Opponents of the theory argue that such devices cannot exist and suggest that there were lifting mechanisms. Although this version has not found evidence.

Drawings on the pyramid

Numerous drawings and diagrams on stone blocks also leave a lot of questions. In addition to the depicted figures of people and Gods, pictures of unknown technical structures and devices of unknown purpose were discovered. There are examples that resemble a modern helicopter. There are whole huge portraits.

The technology of painting also remains a mystery. After all, some parts of the drawings are darker, and some are lighter: unknown methods were used to lighten or darken the surface of the stone. Many unsolved paintings and recordings still exist today. Most researchers tend to assume that the drawings are a secret message for modern man.

Where is the Cheops pyramid located on the map?

The Pyramid of Cheops, the description of which is fascinating, is the only one of the “Seven Wonders of the World” that has survived to this day. It is located in the city of Giza in Egypt.

Today, on the map Giza is designated as a suburb of Cairo. It is located 30 km from the capital.

History of the pyramid and its age

The Cheops Pyramid is the oldest and largest of the 3 pyramids located on the Giza Plateau. Pyramids, as you know, were built as tombs of pharaohs in order to ensure a good and comfortable life for rulers in the afterlife.

The construction of the pyramid took several decades. Scientists are still debating exactly how much.

Some believe that construction took about 20 years. But the scale of the pyramid and the reign of Pharaoh Cheops (he himself supervised the construction) give reason to assume that the work took all of 40 years. Herodotus and his associates believed that the main builders were slaves, a large number of who died at a construction site.

Modern researchers, on the contrary, believe that free Egyptians made up the majority of the workforce. After all, Cheops provided them with housing and food during their work. And the main reason was the spiritual component: everyone sought to show their involvement in the shrine of the immortal ruler, because only the pharaoh and his entourage had the right to immortality and life after death.

And by participating in the construction of the tomb, people hoped for the favor of the Gods or the pharaoh himself, wanting to be part of the retinue.

The architect is considered to be Cheops's nephew, Khemion, who meticulously worked on the project, calculating everything down to the smallest detail. Perhaps this explains the longevity of the pyramid.

The age of the pyramid is about 4500 years. And the start date of construction is considered to be August 23, 2560 BC. This day is considered a national holiday in Egypt.

The overall dimensions of the pyramid are striking in their scale: the base area is 53 thousand square meters. m. Height - 138.8 m, although initially the building was another 9 m higher, but after many hundreds of years, earthquakes and sandstorms contributed to the partial destruction of the top of the pyramid. Base - 230 m, rib length - 230 m. Volume - 2.58 million cubic meters. m.

The Pyramid of Cheops is adjacent to 2 others: the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaure. Also nearby is another architectural monument - the Great Sphinx, the description of which also contains inexplicable facts.

Data for the 3 pyramids of Giza are given in the table:

Name of the pyramid	Construction time	Pyramid height
Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)	XXVI century BC	138.8 m
Pyramid of Khafre	Mid-26th century BC	143.9 m
Pyramid of Menkaure (Mykerinus)	2540-2520 BC	66 m

The body of the pyramid is built from limestone and granite blocks. On top it was covered with sparkling cladding, and the top was decorated with a golden stone. At present, neither the facing nor the decoration of the top has been preserved.

What is inside the Cheops pyramid

Pyramid of Cheops, description appearance which is given above, also has a complex internal structure with rooms and corridors.

It contains:

• Underground burial pit.
• The king's chamber.
• Queen's Chamber.
• Large gallery.
• Ventilation ducts.
• Unloading chambers.
• The entrance is original.
• Entrance for tourists.
• Passages or corridors.

Entrance to the pyramid

All ancient Egyptian tombs have an entrance on the north side. The Cheops Pyramid is no exception. The entrance is located at a height of 16-17 m and has a non-random angle of inclination: it was at this inclination that the Egyptians could observe the North Star.

This original entrance to the tomb is unused and sealed with a stone plug.

Tourists today enter through an entrance located 10 m below, made by Abdullah al-Mamun, who wanted to enrich himself with the treasures of the pharaoh. For the convenience of tourists, the main passage was equipped with railings, steps, and lighting.

Burial pit

At the intersection of both entrances, the ascending and descending corridors begin. The descendant makes his way to the tomb, which is located underground and is a room measuring 14 by 8 m.

Engineers carried out further excavations from this room and dug a well and another narrow passage, hoping to discover the body of Cheops. However, their attempts failed. The burial pit was not completed and abandoned. It was decided to install the main burial chamber in the center of the pyramid.

Ascending Corridor and Queen's Chambers

The ascending passage is laid to the south and its length is 40 m. It flows into the Great Gallery. At the very beginning, the passage is blocked by three large stone blocks. Al-Mamun, having encountered them, dug a bypass line, which is still in use today. The purpose of these blocks is unknown.

It has not yet been possible to move them from their place.

The lower part of the Great Gallery gives rise to a corridor 35 m long and 1.75 m high. It leads to the 2nd tomb, which is often called the Queen’s Chamber. This is a room measuring 5.74 m by 5.23 m. Height is 6.22 m. A large depression is hollowed out in the east of the Chamber.

Grotto, Grand Gallery and Pharaoh's Chambers

The next branch of the lower part of the Great Gallery is a vertical passage 60 m long, leading to a descending passage, which contains 1 single extension - the Grotto. The nature of its origin is not completely clear, but most likely it is a natural formation. The ascending passage leads to the Great Gallery - an inclined high corridor. Height - 8.53 m. Length - 46 m.

On the sides of both walls there is a square recess with 27 pairs of holes of unknown purpose. At the end of the gallery there is a ledge - a step in front of the entrance to the Antechamber, through which the entrance to the Pharaoh's Chamber itself opens. The burial room is lined with black granite. It contains a stone sarcophagus without a lid. There are ventilation holes on the walls.

The ceiling is almost destroyed, the condition of the slabs is worn out. Several empty cavities were found above the burial room, separated from each other by monolithic slabs. It is assumed that their purpose is to distribute the weight load to avoid excessive pressure from the overlying plates on the pharaoh's chamber.

Ventilation ducts

The chambers of the king and queen contain ventilation openings - narrow channels of small width. These channels are through only in the King's Chamber. In the Queen's Chamber, the ends of the channels do not reach either the wall of the room on one side or the edges of the pyramid on the other. In the upper part they are closed with doors with copper handles.

The canal studies were carried out by a special robot, which was able to detect these details.

Such a strange arrangement of ventilation ducts may indicate that the ancient Egyptians were very religious people and believed that the soul went to the afterlife. These doors at the ends symbolize a kind of entrance to the Kingdom of the Dead.

What can you see around the pyramid?

The Pyramid of Cheops, the description of which includes many secrets, contains amazing finds around itself.

Pharaoh's boats

In the immediate vicinity of the pyramid, 7 recesses were found with parts of real Egyptian boats, one of which was the “Solar Boat”. Its peculiarity is the lack of fasteners.

On this cedar boat, according to legend, Cheops was supposed to begin his journey to the Kingdom of the Dead. On one side of the pyramid a museum dedicated to this boat was opened.

Pyramids of the Queens of Cheops

In the east there are 3 small pyramids for the close circle of Pharaoh Cheops. They are located in descending order of size towards the south.

The length of the base of each is 50 cm longer than the base of the previous one. Currently their condition is satisfactory.

Opening hours of the Giza Museum complex

The Giza Museum Complex, covering all the pyramids, is open for tourists daily from 8.00 to 17.00. IN winter time works on a shortened working day - until 16.30. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan - until 15.00.

Ticket prices

Cost of visits:

• Entrance to the museum complex - 7.5 USD.
• Entrance to the Solar Boat Museum - 3 USD.
• Entrance to the Cheops pyramid - 11 USD.
• Entrance to the Pyramid of Khafre - 2 USD.

When going on an excursion to explore the pyramids of Egypt, it is advisable to use a number of useful tips:

Secrets of the Cheops Pyramid

Main secret The pyramids of Cheops mean that the mummy of Pharaoh Cheops was not found either inside the pyramid or anywhere else. Many theories have been developed about the place of his burial. When discovered, the sarcophagus was empty. The lid was also missing. In general, scientists believe that the construction of the sarcophagus was not completed.

And modern researchers have even put forward the hypothesis that this pyramid was not built for Cheops. This confirms the absence of any decorations in the burial room. Typically, the tombs of the pharaohs were real treasuries full of jewelry and riches.

The ventilation ducts of the tombs are another unexplained item. Why they were built is still unknown. In the King's Chamber, outside air enters through them. There is no answer to the question of why the buried pharaoh needs air. The construction of such a mass also leaves many questions. The dimensions of the pyramid can be compared to a skyscraper with 50 floors.

And the base area could accommodate a dozen football fields. There is no definite answer as to how and with what help people raised stone blocks to a height. Another mystery is how the stones were joined. The surfaces fit so tightly that there is no way to even insert a thin blade between them.

Transporting the blocks to the base of the building also contains mysteries.

In 2017, evidence was found indicating that the Nile was drained and artificial canals leading to the pyramid were created to move heavy granite stones. Construction materials were transported along them on boats. The Pyramid of Cheops (the description of the interior will not convey the entire atmosphere inside) contains a very small number of rooms inside.

It has often been suggested that the largest pyramid contains more secret or simply undetected rooms. The guesses were confirmed: studies based on the study of the temperature difference between the surfaces of the blocks showed the presence of additional voids inside.

However Egyptian authorities imposed a ban on further excavations. Although the opening of such new rooms will become a world sensation, which will lead to an even greater influx of tourists to Giza. This is a tempting alternative for Egypt as a whole, so the issue is not completely closed. The presence of 3 tomb rooms in the pyramid is a strange fact from the point of view of the history and life of the pharaohs.

In other pyramids, each ruler prepared 1 burial room for himself, putting all his efforts into the construction of this particular main part. Controversies and disputes over 3 such chambers in the Cheops pyramid led to the conclusion: there were 3 pharaohs who owned the pyramid. And Cheops, apparently, was the last.

There is evidence that Cheops did not build from the foundation, but rebuilt the existing pyramid of previous rulers.

The ventilation ducts of the Chamber of Queens do not communicate with the atomosphere. This is strange and suggests that the pyramid was covered with a new layer of blocks, while bricking up the ventilation outlets.

Despite the huge amount of unclear and mysterious things, there are also skeptics who believe that there are no secret messages, and not a single pyramid carries any hidden meaning. To confirm this, they propose to compare all the pyramids found. It is clear that they all differ from each other in many ways.

There is no symmetry or similarity either in orientation relative to the cardinal directions or in the internal structure. If some kind of riddle was encrypted, all of them, or at least several, would be identical in cross-section.

Interesting facts about the Cheops pyramid

This is interesting to know: The mystery of the Cheops pyramid will be unraveled for centuries to come. Description of appearance and internal structure

The pyramids are not yet perfect and are fraught with many mysteries. Article format:

Lozinsky Oleg

Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt description:

The Pyramid of Cheops is a monumental structure fraught with many facts and mysteries. Here are fifteen of them, most of which you've probably never heard of. We will not touch upon myths and legends - the most interesting facts about the Cheops pyramid based on real research

1. For about three thousand years, the Cheops pyramid was the tallest creation of human hands in the world. It was not until 1311 that Lincoln was built Cathedral, this building became the second tallest.
2. The construction of the pyramid took 20 years. It remains a mystery how such a monumental structure was erected so quickly with an archaic level of construction knowledge and disgusting logistics. The construction of other burial structures took much longer - from 50 to 200 years.
3. Pyramid of Cheops - an accurate compass. The edges of the Cheops pyramid are oriented to the cardinal points. The error is only 5 degrees. Such compliance is not easy to achieve even with the modern level of construction development. At first the fit was perfect, and only constant movement north pole The earth allowed a slight deviation to appear.

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4. The Pyramids of Cheops were visible from space. The construction of the structure took more than 2.2 million blocks of limestone. This loose building material would certainly have deteriorated over time if it had not been covered with granite cladding. There are no gaps between the cladding slabs; they are perfectly polished. When the lining was in place, the sunlight reflected from it was so bright that the structure of Cheops was probably visible from space.

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5. Constant temperature inside the building - 20⁰С. The Cheops Pyramid is a gigantic isothermal chamber - when the air temperature outside reaches 50⁰С, in this structure it does not rise above 20⁰С.

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6. There was never a pharaoh's burial in the Cheops pyramid. Many consider the Cheops pyramid to be the burial place of the pharaoh. In fact, the remains of the rulers were buried in the Valley of the Kings. And inside the thick walls were stored necessary things, which, according to the ancient Egyptians, helped the ruler in the afterlife.

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7. Delivery of building materials was carried out in a way unknown to science. The methods used to build stone monsters can be explained by the high level of construction organization. Huge stones were carved from quarries located on Mediterranean coast. It remains a mystery how they were transported hundreds of kilometers from the quarry to the construction site - the condition of the horse-drawn and water transport did not allow moving heavy stones over significant distances.

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8. The Pyramid of Cheops was built by free people. This structure was built by free architects and masons who came to the construction site from all over the Egyptian state. Perhaps slaves were used as work force, but there is information that most of the workers were free and built for money. By the way, this ancient temple about 100,000 people died.
9. The composition of the solution that fastened the blocks of the pyramid has not yet been solved. Lime and granite slabs are held together with a mysterious mortar that has no modern analogues. Grasping material was developed in the early Predynastic period. After cooling, the solution became stronger than stone and was not afraid of heat, dry winds, or time. Scientists do not know how and from what it was prepared.

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10. Even a blade cannot be inserted between the cladding of the pyramid.. The skill of the builders is admirable, who were able to fit the cladding so tightly that it is impossible to even insert a knife blade between the cladding slabs. Few modern facilities can boast of this quality of laying building materials.

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11. Pi and other oddities. The existence of the pyramid is confirmed by the fact that the Egyptians knew about the “golden ratio”, the number π and other constants used in geometry and architecture. Scientific evidence These formulas were developed by ancient Greek mathematicians a thousand years later.

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12. The inside walls of the Cheops pyramid are not covered with drawings or hieroglyphs. The walls of the corridors of the Cheops pyramid are empty - there are no numerous inscriptions and drawings on them. Egyptologists have found several dozen cartouches and inscriptions indicating the names of the builders who took part in the construction of the tomb. There were inscriptions of a technical nature that shed light on the technology of construction of this religious building.

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13. The ancient Greeks and Arabs knew about the Cheops pyramid. The first researchers of Egyptian antiquities were the Greeks. The mathematician Thales knew very well about the existence of the Cheops structure, and even measured the length of its shadow. The Arab scientist Abdullah Al Mamun attempted to penetrate the forbidden walls. He managed to do this, but did not discover any treasures or secret knowledge.
14. Napoleon was interested in ancient structures and during the Egyptian campaign he wished to visit the tomb of Cheops. But after the first minutes spent inside ancient building, Napoleon felt so bad that he never returned to the issue of visiting ancient tombs. But he kept scientists interested in discovering Egyptian secrets and subsidized several scientific expeditions.

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15. Birthday of the Cheops Pyramid – National holiday Egypt. Modern Egyptians receive a good income from tourists visiting ancient monuments. They even approved the birthday of the Cheops pyramid - it is celebrated on August 23. Despite the fact that this date is very controversial, on this day the Egyptians celebrate the beginning of the construction of the tomb of Cheops.

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- Oh Osiris, I don’t want to die!

-Who wants it? - Osiris shrugged.

“But I... I’m still a pharaoh!.. Listen,” Cheops whispered, “I will sacrifice one hundred thousand slaves to you.”

1. Just allow me to immortalize my life alone!
- One hundred thousand? And are you sure that they will all die during construction?
- Rest assured. Such a pyramid as I conceived... - Well, if so... Perpetuate it, I don’t mind. The Pyramid of Cheops Nobody remembers Cheops alive. Everyone only remembers him when he is dead. He was dead a hundred, a thousand, and three thousand years ago and always, always will be dead - the pyramid immortalized his death.
What is called the first wonder of the world?
The Pyramid of Mikerin, which is even smaller, is located 200 meters from the Pyramid of Khafre. Its height is 62 meters, and the length of the sides is 108 meters. But the most famous Egyptian monument in the world after the Pyramid of Cheops is the figure of the Sphinx, vigilantly guarding the city of the dead.
The three pyramids are part of a complex that also consists of several temples, small pyramids, and tombs of priests and officials.
The smaller pyramids further south were probably intended for the wives of rulers and were left unfinished.

2. How was the Cheops pyramid built?

Its height is 146.6 m, which approximately corresponds to a fifty-story skyscraper. The base area is 230x230 m. In such a space, five of the largest cathedrals in the world could easily fit simultaneously: St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey in London, as well as the Florence and Milan cathedrals. From the building stone used for the construction of the Cheops pyramid, it would be possible to build all the churches in Germany created in our millennium. The young pharaoh Cheops gave the order to build the pyramid immediately after the death of his father Snofru. Like all previous pharaohs since the time of Djoser (approximately 2609 -2590 BC), Cheops wanted to be buried after his death in a pyramid.
Statue of Pharaoh Cheops from Ivory- the only surviving image of the pharaoh. On the head of Cheops is the crown of the Ancient Egyptian kingdom, in his hand is a ceremonial fan.
Like his predecessors, he believed that his pyramid should surpass all other pyramids in size, splendor and luxury. But before the first of the more than two million blocks that made up the pyramid was cut from a quarry at east coast Nila, complex preparatory work was carried out. First, it was necessary to find a suitable site for the construction of the pyramid. The weight of the huge structure is 6,400,000 tons, so the soil had to be strong enough so that the pyramid would not sink into the ground under its own weight. The construction site was chosen south of the modern Egyptian capital Cairo, on a ledge of a plateau in the desert seven kilometers west of the village of Giza. This strong rocky platform was able to support the weight of the pyramid.
First, the surface of the site was leveled. To do this, a waterproof rampart of sand and stones was built around it. In the resulting square, a dense network of small channels was cut out, intersecting at right angles, so that the site looked like a huge chessboard. The channels were filled with water, the height of the water level was marked on the side walls, and then the water was drained. The stonemasons cut down everything that protruded above the surface of the water, and the channels were again filled with stone. The base of the pyramid was ready.
Over 4,000 people - artists, architects, stonemasons and other artisans - carried out these preparatory work for about ten years. Only after this could the construction of the pyramid itself begin. According to the Greek historian Herodotus (490 - 425 BC), construction continued for another twenty years, about 100,000 people worked on the construction of the huge tomb of Cheops. Only on radishes, onions and garlic, which were added to the food of construction workers, 1600 talents were spent, i.e. approximately $20 million. Data on the number of workers are questioned by many modern researchers. In their opinion, there would simply not be enough space on the construction site for so many people: more than 8,000 people would not be able to work productively without interfering with each other.
Herodotus, who visited Egypt in 425 BC, wrote: “The method used was to build in steps, or as some call it, in rows or terraces. When the foundation was completed, the blocks for the next row above the foundation were raised from the main level with devices made from short wooden levers; on this first row there was another one that raised the blocks one level higher, so step by step the blocks were raised more and more. Higher and higher. Each row or level had its own set of mechanisms of the same type, which easily moved loads from level to level. The completion of the pyramid began at the top with the highest level, continued down, and ended with the lowest levels closest to the ground."
During the construction of the pyramid, Egypt was rich country. Every year from the end of June to November, the Nile overflowed its banks and flooded the adjacent fields with its waters, leaving on them a thick layer of silt that turned the dry desert sand into fertile soil. Therefore, in favorable years it was possible to harvest up to three harvests a year - grain, fruits and vegetables. So, from June to November, the peasants could not work in their fields. And they were glad when every year in mid-June the pharaoh’s scribe appeared in their village, compiling lists of those willing to work on the construction of the pyramid.

3. Who worked on the construction of the pyramid?
Almost everyone wanted this work, which means it was not forced labor, but voluntary labor. This was explained by two reasons: each participant in construction received housing, clothing, food and a modest salary during work. Four months later, when the waters of the Nile receded from the fields, the peasants returned to their villages.

In addition, every Egyptian considered it his natural duty and a matter of honor to participate in the construction of the pyramid for the pharaoh. After all, everyone who contributed to the accomplishment of this grandiose task hoped that a piece of the immortality of the god-like pharaoh would touch him too. Therefore, at the end of June, endless streams of peasants flocked to Giza. There they were housed in temporary barracks and grouped into groups of eight. Work could begin. Having sailed on boats to the other side of the Nile, the men headed to the quarry. There they cut down a block of stone, trimmed it using sledgehammers, wedges, saws and drills and obtained a block of the required dimensions - with sides from 80 cm to 1.45 m. Using ropes and levers, each group installed its block on wooden runners and on them she dragged him along the log flooring to the bank of the Nile. The sailboat transported workers and a block weighing up to 7.5 tons to the other side.

4. What job was the most dangerous?
The stone was dragged along roads lined with logs to the construction site. Here came the hardest work, since cranes and other lifting devices had not yet been invented. Along an inclined entrance 20 m wide, built of bricks from Nile silt, runners with a stone block were pulled with the help of ropes and levers to the upper platform of the pyramid under construction. There, workers laid the block in the place indicated by the architect with millimeter precision. The higher the pyramid rose, the longer and steeper the entrance became and the more and more the upper working platform became smaller. Therefore, the work became more and more difficult.
Then came the turn of the most dangerous work: laying the “pyramidon” - an upper block nine meters high, dragged upward along an inclined entrance. We don’t know how many people died doing just this work. So, twenty years later, the construction of the pyramid body was completed, which consists of 128 layers of stone and is four meters higher than Strasbourg Cathedral. By this time, the pyramid looked much the same as it looks now: it was a stepped mountain. However, the work did not end there: the steps were filled with stones, so that the surface of the pyramid became, although not completely smooth, but without protrusions. To complete the work, the four triangular outer faces of the pyramid were lined with slabs of dazzling white limestone. The edges of the slabs were fitted so precisely that it was impossible to insert even a knife blade between them. Even from a distance of several meters, the pyramid gave the impression of a giant monolith. The outer slabs were polished to a mirror finish using the hardest grinding stones. According to eyewitnesses, in the sun or moonlight, the tomb of Cheops sparkled mysteriously, like a huge crystal glowing from within.

5. What's inside the Cheops pyramid?
The Cheops Pyramid is not made entirely of stone. Inside it there is an extensive system of passages, which through a large passage 47 m long, the so-called large gallery, leads to the Pharaoh's chamber - a room 10.5 m long, 5.3 m wide and 5.8 m high. It is entirely lined with granite, but is not decorated with any ornament. There is a large empty granite sarcophagus without a lid. The sarcophagus was brought here during construction, since it does not go into any of the passages of the pyramid. There are such chambers of the pharaohs in almost all Egyptian pyramids oh, they served as the last refuge of the pharaoh.
There are no inscriptions or decorations inside the Cheops pyramid, with the exception of a small portrait in the passage leading to the Queen's chamber. This image resembles a photograph on a stone. On the outer walls of the pyramid there are numerous curvilinear grooves of large and small sizes, in which, at a certain lighting angle, one can discern an image 150 meters high - a portrait of a man, apparently one of the deities of Ancient Egypt. This image is surrounded by other images (the trident of the Atlanteans and Scythians, a bird-plane, plans of stone buildings, pyramid rooms), texts, individual letters, large signs resembling a flower bud, etc. On the northern side of the pyramid there is a portrait of a man and a woman with their heads bowed towards each other. These huge images were painted just a few years before the main pyramid was completed and installed in 2630 BC. top stone.
Inside the Cheops pyramid there are three burial chambers, located one above the other. The construction of the first chamber was not completed. It is carved into the bedrock. To get into it, you need to overcome 120 m of a narrow descending corridor. The first burial chamber is connected to the second by a horizontal corridor 35 m long and 1.75 m high. The second chamber is 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 is surrounded by legends. A legend is associated with it, according to which the pyramid was the main temple of a certain Supreme Deity, a place where ancient secret religious rites were held. Somewhere in the depths of the pyramid lives an unknown creature with the face of a lion, who holds in his hands the seven keys of Eternity. No one can see it except those who have undergone special rites of preparation and purification. Only to them did the Great Priest reveal the secret Divine Name. A person who owns the secret of the name became equal in magical power to the pyramid itself. The main sacrament of initiation took place in the royal chamber. There, the candidate, tied to a special cross, was placed in a huge sarcophagus. The person accepting initiation was, as it were, in the gap between the material world and the divine world, inaccessible to human consciousness.
From the beginning of the horizontal corridor, another one goes up, about 50 m long and more than 8 m high. At the end of it there is a horizontal passage leading to the pharaoh’s burial chamber, trimmed with granite, in which the sarcophagus is placed. In addition to the burial chambers, voids and ventilation shafts were discovered in the pyramid. However, the purpose of many rooms and various void channels is not fully understood. One of these rooms is a room where on a table there is an open book about the history and achievements of the country during the period of completion of the pyramid.
The purpose of the underground structures at the foot of the Cheops pyramid is also unclear. Some of them were opened at different times. In one of the underground structures in 1954, archaeologists found the oldest ship on Earth - a wooden boat called solar, 43.6 m long, disassembled into 1224 parts. It was built of cedar without a single nail and, as evidenced by the traces of silt preserved on it, before the death of Cheops it was still floating on the Nile.

6. How was the pharaoh buried?
After death, the carefully embalmed body of the ruler was placed in the burial chamber of the pyramid. Internal organs the deceased was placed in special hermetic vessels, the so-called canopies, which were placed next to the sarcophagus in the burial chamber. So, the mortal remains of the pharaoh found their last earthly refuge in the pyramid, and the “ka” of the deceased left the tomb. “Ka,” according to Egyptian ideas, was considered something like a person’s double, his “second self,” which left the body at the moment of death and could move freely between the earthly and the afterlife. Having left the burial chamber, the “ka” rushed to the top of the pyramid along its outer lining, which was so smooth that no mortal could move on it. The father of the pharaohs, the sun god Ra, was already there in his solar boat, in which the deceased pharaoh began his journey into immortality.
Recently, some scientists have expressed doubts that Great Pyramid really was the tomb of Pharaoh Cheops. They put forward three arguments in favor of this assumption:
The burial chamber, contrary to the customs of that time, does not have any decorations.
The sarcophagus in which the body of the deceased pharaoh was supposed to rest was only roughly hewn, i.e. not completely ready; the cover is missing.
And finally, two narrow passages through which air from outside penetrates into the burial chamber through small holes in the body of the pyramid. But the dead do not need air - here is another weighty argument in favor of the fact that the Cheops pyramid was not a burial place.
7. Who was the first to penetrate the Cheops pyramid?
The entrance to the Cheops pyramid was originally located on the north side, at the level of the 13th row of granite slabs. It is now closed. You can get inside the pyramid through a hole left by ancient robbers.
Over 3500 years old interior Great Pyramid was not disturbed by anyone: all the entrances to it were carefully walled up, and the tomb itself, according to the Egyptians, was guarded by spirits ready to kill anyone who tried to penetrate it.
That is why the robbers appeared here much later. The first person to penetrate inside the Cheops pyramid was Caliph Abdallah al-Mamun (813-833 AD), son of Harun al-Rashid. He dug a tunnel to the burial chamber in the hope of finding treasure there, as in other tombs of the pharaohs. But he found nothing except the droppings of the bats that lived there, the layer of which on the floor and walls reached 28 cm. After this, the interest of robbers and treasure hunters in the Cheops pyramid disappeared. But they were replaced by other robbers. In 1168 after R. Chr. part of Cairo was burned and completely destroyed by the Arabs, who did not want it to fall into the hands of the crusaders. When the Egyptians later began rebuilding their city, they removed the shiny white slabs that covered the outside of the pyramid and used them to build new houses. Even now these slabs can be seen in many mosques in the old part of the city. All that remains of the former pyramid is the stepped building - this is how it now appears before the admiring eyes of tourists. Along with the cladding, the pyramid also lost its top, the pyramidon, and the upper layers of masonry. Therefore, now its height is no longer 144.6 m, but 137.2 m. Today, the top of the pyramid is a square with sides of approximately 10 m. This site in 1842 became the venue for unusual festivities. The Prussian king Frederick William IV, known for his love of art, sent an expedition to the Nile Valley under the leadership of archaeologist Richard Lepsius in order to acquire ancient Egyptian art objects and other exhibits for the project being created in Berlin. Egyptian Museum(it was opened in 1855).

Powerful, surrounded by mystery... - this is how the Cheops pyramid stood for 4500 years

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Books

• Pyramid of Secrets
• Pyramid of Secrets, Alan Alford. The Cheops Pyramid has been the subject of endless debate for hundreds of years on three main questions: who built it, how and why. A book by the famous English writer Alan Alford...