Pyramids of Egypt

Egypt is a place any one would like to go for a vacation. Tourism is such a great money earner for Egypt. And when somebody travels, one of the most preferred place to visit would be the Cairo and the Giza city.

This is one of the largest pyramids in the world and considered to be one of the great among the seven wonders of the world. There are actually 3 Pyramids located in this place along with a Sphinx. The biggest of all is The Great Pyramid of Khufu and this is the only one among the seven wonders of world.

Location:

These architectural marvels are found in Giza City which is located at the northern edge of the Giza Plateau, about 10 miles west of present day Cairo. Cairo is the largest city in Africa and the 5th largest in the world. Giza city was the necropolis of Memphis (of old Egypt). This whole Giza Plateau is situated west of the Nile, bordering Sahara Desert.

Hotels and accommodations can be found very easily in side the city of Cairo very easily.

Details:
This place is a haven for 3 pyramids and a sphinx. The pyramids are

1. Great Pyramid of Khufu - One of the seven wonders of world
2. Great pyramid of Khafre
3. Great Pyramid of Menkaure

If any body plans a vacation travel to Egypt, they must make sure to visit all the 3 Pyramids. A journey to Egypt would be incomplete without visiting them.

Great Pyramid of Khufu:

This pyramid was built by King Khufu around 2560 BC. Khufu is the second Pharaoh of the fourth dynasty of rulers in Egypt. He was also known as "Cheops". Among all the 3 pyramids listed above, the Great Pyramid of Khufu is the only one pyramid in the list of seven wonders of the world.

This pyramid is believed to have been built over 20 years. When it was built its height was around 146 m. But now it is only 137 m. This was one of the tallest structures in the world till 19th century. It was covered with casings of stones to smoothen its surface. It probably is considered to be one among the seven wonders of world because of its sheer size.

The apex of the pyramid is missing and looks like it was never installed. The casings of the pyramids were removed by the Arabs during 14th century. The sloping angle of the sides is 51 degrees and 51 minutes. Each side is oriented towards one of the cardinal points of the compass that is north, south, east and west. This deserves a place among one of the seven wonders of world for its precision.

On the north face, is the pyramid's entrance. The King Khufu's chamber is located at the heart of the pyramid. The king's coffin is made of red granite, as like the interior walls of his chamber. 5 boat pits surround Khufu's Pyramid on the south and the east. Two of these are believed to be used by the Pharaoh during his life time. One boat is made into a Boat Museum.
This is the only one existing wonder, among all the seven wonders of world.

Great pyramid of Khafre:

Khafre is the son of Khufu and is also known as Rakhaef or chefren and is the second largest Pyramid on the Giza site. He ruled from 2520 - 2494 BC. He built the Khafre pyramid, the sphinx, the mortuary temple and the valley temple. This pyramid is the only one on the top of which the casing still remains.

The burial chamber underground contains a red granite sarcophagus with its lid. Next to this, a square cavity which is believed to have held the canopy chest containing the Pharaoh's viscera.

This pyramid was built approximately during the period 2558 - 2532 BC. Its base is 702 ft square and the height originally was around 143.4 m and now is 136.1 m. This is not one among the seven wonders of world.

Great Pyramid of Menkaure:

Menkaure, also known as Mycerinus, ruled from 2490 - 2472 B.C. He built the smallest of the three pyramids at Giza, and is believed to be Khufu's grandson.

The height of this pyramid now is 62 m. To the south of this Menkaure pyramid, there are 3 small, minor and incomplete pyramids/tombs. One of them (the largest among the three), is supposedly built by Menkaure's principal wife. A coffin with bones of a young woman was found in the central tomb. This also is not part of the seven wonders of world.

Great Sphinx:

This Sphinx is attached to Khafre's complex, north of Khafre's valley temple and with a separate temple of its own. This is a figure with a lion's body and a man's face, which is supposed to be the guardian of the necropolis. This is believed to be a manifestation of sun god.