We made it to the pyramids!

We started out our morning at Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. This is 20 miles south of Cairo on the Nile. It historically marked the boundary of Upper and Lower Egypt. The site of the ruins of the ancient city is an open air museum. Memphis was founded prior to the 31st century BC and declined after 1500 BC. It appears to have a bit of a revival during the reign of Ramesses II. It was abandoned by the 7th century AD. The area has had multiple earthquakes, so much of what is here has been damaged.

colossus of Ramesses II: 36 foot tall, 3200 year old granite statue. This is so heavy (83 tons) that they have left it on the ground. It is also incomplete. There is a 2nd one that has been restored and is in the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza.

Our first pyramid was at the Saqqara site with the Pyramid of Djoser. This is a step pyramid, basically 6 boxes stacked on top of each other. Djoser was a pharaoh from the 3rd dynasty and this pyramid dates from 2670-2650 BC. This was a very innovative precursor to the Pyramids of Giza. This originally stood 205 feet tall. There is a temple complex at the site along with other pyramids and pharaoh burial sites that are not as well preserved. 

We went to the Giza pyramid complex, which is only 8 miles SW of the city center of Cairo. There are 3 main pyramids, the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre (these 2 are the largest 2 pyramids in Egypt), and the Pyramid of Menkaure. These each have their own associated pyramid complexes. There also is the Sphinx and the Tomb of Queen Khentkaus I.

The Great Pyramid is also know as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was built in the 26th century BC for the pharaoh Khufu. The funerary complex consists of 2 mortuary temples and 3 smaller pyramids for Khufu’s wives. There is an even smaller satellite pyramid and 5 buried solar barges. The Great Pyramid initially stood 481 feet tall and was the tallest man-made structure in the world for more than 3,800 years. This was built by quarrying an estimated 6 tons of granite from near the site. The largest stones are near the bottom and they stones get smaller towards the top. This was covered in white limestone, making it bright and shiny. The corners of the pyramid are nearly precisely on the cardinal directions (N-S-E-W). There was a funeral complex around the pyramid that consisted to two mortuary temples, tombs for immediate family, a smaller satellite pyramid, and 5 buried solar barges. It was believed these boats would take the pharaoh to the afterlife.

Nearby is the Pyramid of Khafre. Khafre was the son of Khufu. His pyramid appears to be taller than the Great Pyramid, but it is an illusion, it is 448 feet tall, but built on a slightly higher site than the Great Pyramid, making it look taller. It is made of limestone blocks with the base of pick granite placed on bedrock. 

The Pyramid of Menkaure is the smallest of the Giza pyramids and was built for Pharaoh Menkaure, the son of Khafre. This pyramid is 215 feet tall and has 3 smaller pyramids for his favorite wives. In 1196 AD, the Sultan of Egypt attempted to demolish the Pyramid of Menkaure, but it was very labor intensive and they only managed to cause some damage to the northern face before giving up.

We also went to the Great Sphinx of Giza, commonly known as the Sphinx. The face of the Sphinx possibly represents the face of Pharaoh Khafre. It is cut from bedrock and is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt, likely dating to 2558-2532 BC.