Information about the pyramid of Cheops. What's inside the great pyramids of Giza When the pyramid of Cheops was built

The only 7 wonders of the world that have survived to this day is the pyramid of Cheops, or the pyramid of Khufu, as the Egyptians themselves call it, unlike the rest of the world, which uses the Greek pronunciation of the name of the pharaoh.

In order to fully realize how far from us those times when the Cheops pyramid was built, one has only to think that for the contemporaries of the other six wonders of the world, the Great Pyramid at Giza was so old that they no longer knew the solution to its secret.

Despite the fact that the most great pyramid in the world has an age of more than four thousand years, it is quite well preserved to our times. Today, excursions to the Egyptian pyramids can be ordered from almost any hotel in Cairo.

History and construction of the Great Pyramid of Cheops

It is believed that a certain Hemion, the nephew and vizier of the pharaoh, and, by compatibility, also a court architect, was engaged in the embodiment of royal ambitions. The pyramid of Cheops was built around 2540 BC, and its construction began twenty years earlier - somewhere in 2560 BC.

More than two million huge stones were needed to build the Great Pyramid of Giza. The largest blocks weighed several tens of tons. For the construction weighing 6.4 million tons, so that it does not go underground under its own weight, solid rocky soil was chosen. Granite blocks were delivered from a quarry, which was located at a distance of 1000 km. Scientists still cannot find an answer to the question of how these stones were transported and how the Cheops pyramid was built.

The purpose of the tallest pyramid in ancient Egypt also causes a lot of controversy. According to the most common opinion, this is indeed the tomb of Cheops (the second pharaoh of the IV dynasty of rulers) and members of his family. Nevertheless, discussions around the riddle of the pyramid do not subside. For example, from the point of view of some astronomers, a kind of observatory was equipped here, since the ventilation ducts and corridors point to the stars Sirius, Tuban, and Alnitak with amazing accuracy. It is also interesting that during the construction of the pyramid of Cheops, the coordinates of the Earth's magnetic poles were also taken into account.

Geometry and description of Khufu's pyramid

The dimensions of the Cheops pyramid surprise even modern man. Its base occupies a huge area of ​​53 thousand square meters, which is proportional to ten football fields. Other parameters are no less striking: the length of the base is 230 m, the length of the side rib is the same, and the area of ​​the side surface is 85.5 thousand square meters.

Now the height of the Cheops pyramid is 138 meters, but initially it reached 147 meters, which can be compared with a fifty-story skyscraper. The years have left their mark on the safety of the pyramid. Numerous earthquakes over thousands of years brought down the stone top of the structure, and the smooth stone that lined the outer walls crumbled. Nevertheless, the interior of the attraction, despite the many robbery and vandal invasions, remained almost unchanged.

The entrance to the pyramid, located from the north, was originally at a height of almost 16 meters and was sealed with a granite plug. Now tourists get inside through a huge gap made ten meters below, left in 1820 by the Arabs, led by Caliph Abdullah al-Mamun, who attempted to find the treasures supposedly hidden here.

Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are three tombs located one above the other. The lowest, unfinished underground chamber is located at the base of the rock. Above it are the burial chambers of the queen and the pharaoh, to which the ascending Grand Gallery. Those who built the pyramid created a complex system of corridors and shafts, the plan of which is still being studied by scientists. Egyptologists put forward a whole theory of understanding afterlife people of that time. These arguments explain the secret doors and other design features.

For many years now, the Pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops in Giza, like the Great Sphinx, is in no hurry to reveal all its secrets. For tourists, it remains the most striking attraction of Egypt. It is impossible to fully comprehend the secrets of its corridors, shafts and ventilation ducts. Only one thing is clear: the Great Pyramid is the fruit of a brilliant design idea.

• There are many opinions about when the Cheops pyramid was built and who did it. The most original assumptions are various versions about the construction completed long before the Flood by civilizations that did not survive it, as well as hypotheses about alien creators.
• Despite the fact that no one knows the exact time when the Cheops pyramid was built, in Egypt, the date of the start of its construction is celebrated at the official level - August 23, 2560 BC.
• Recent excavations carried out at the beginning of the 21st century show that the work of the pyramid builders was hard, but at the same time they were well taken care of. They had a high-calorie diet of meat and fish and comfortable sleeping places. Many Egyptologists are of the opinion that they were not even slaves.
• Studying the ideal proportions of the Great Pyramid at Giza, scientists came to the conclusion that already in those days the ancient Egyptians knew very well what the golden ratio was, and actively used its principle when creating a drawing.

• Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are no decorative paintings and historical inscriptions, except for a small portrait in the passage to the queen's chamber. There is not even any evidence that the pyramid belonged to Pharaoh Khufu at all.
• Until 1300, for three millennia, the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure on the planet, until they built one that exceeded it. Cathedral in Lincoln.
• The heaviest stone block used in the construction of the pyramid weighs 35 tons and is placed above the entrance to the pharaoh's burial chamber.
• The outer slabs of the Cairo pyramid, before the vandal invasion of Egypt by the Arabs, were so carefully polished that they radiated a mysterious shimmer in the moonlight, and in the rays of the sun their lining shone with a soft peach light.
• To study rooms that are difficult for a person to reach, scientists used a special robot.
• From 6 to 10 thousand tourists visit the pyramids daily, and about 3 million a year.

Useful information for tourists

Currently, in the museum on the south side of the pyramid, you can get acquainted with the exhibits that were found during excavations and in the pyramid itself. There is an opportunity to see the restored unique cedar boat (Sun Boat), which was built by the ancient Egyptians. You can also buy souvenirs here. And the next point of view on the territory will be the Great Sphinx.

In the evenings, a light and sound show is shown in Giza: alternate floodlighting of local attractions is accompanied by a fascinating story, including in Russian and in English.

Opening hours of the museum complex in Giza

• daily from 8.00 to 17.00;
• in winter - until 16.30;
• during Ramadan - until 15.00.

Ticket prices

• entrance ticket to the Giza zone for foreigners - $ 8;
• entrance to the pyramid of Cheops - $16;
• inspection of the Solar Boat - $ 7.

For children and students, prices are usually two times lower.

• To visit the pyramid of Cheops, only 300 tickets are sold per day: 150 at 8.00 and 150 at 13.00.
• It is best to go to the pyramids in the morning in order to grab a ticket and protect yourself from the midday heat.
• The entrance to the pyramid is very low, you have to walk 100 meters bent over, besides, it is very dry, hot and slightly dusty inside. People suffering from claustrophobia, diseases of the respiratory tract and heart of the waters are undesirable.
• Photo and video shooting is prohibited inside. As for photographs with the Great Pyramid in the background, it is better not to give your camera into the wrong hands, as there are frequent cases of theft.
• It is better to take a photo of the Cheops pyramid (as well as other pyramids) in the morning or in the evening, when the sun does not shine too brightly, otherwise the image will turn out to be flat.
• Climbing the pyramid is strictly prohibited.
• For local residents tourists are the main and often the only source of income, so you will constantly be offered something to buy. Therefore, think carefully whether you need certain offers, and in any case, be sure to bargain. Tipping is given only to those who really deserve it.
• Be careful: there are a lot of pickpockets around.

How to get to the pyramid of Cheops

Address: Egypt, Cairo, El Giza District, El Haram Street

Arriving from Cairo:

• By metro (line number 2) - to Giza station. Then transfer to bus number 900 or number 997 and drive along Al-Haram avenue for 15–20 minutes.
• By bus number 355 and number 357 from the airport and Heliopolis. Runs every 20 minutes.
• By taxi to Al Haram.

From Hurghada or Sharm El Sheikh: on the tourist bus or taxi.

One of the greatest buildings ancient world located in Egypt. This building, since the completion of the construction, strikes with its grandeur and impeccable geometry. No wonder the ancient Greeks included the pyramid of Cheops in their list of the seven wonders of the world. This is the only miracle that has survived to this day.

The Pyramid of Cheops has become a real masterpiece. Modern researchers are amazed at the severity of proportions and the accuracy of geometric dimensions, with which the ancient Egyptians coped brilliantly. Some Egyptologists seriously believe that the builders of the 26th century BC could not have built such a structure in 22 years. They adhere to the theory of extraterrestrial origin of the pyramids.

The point of view of these researchers has the right to exist, especially since the arguments they present sometimes baffle opponents. The location of the pyramid and its proportions are so precise that in order to arrange them in accordance with the cardinal points, modern builders would require the use of the most accurate geodetic instruments. If the exact location of the pyramid of Cheops along the cardinal points is an accident, then the accident is very happy.

The current proportions of the pyramid of Cheops, or Khufu, are not what they were originally. Scientists were able to determine that the maximum height of the pyramid in 2568 BC was 146.6 meters. The ratio of height and base, therefore, is 3.14 ...., that is, the number "Pi" from geometry. The point is the accuracy in which the ratio repeats the number "Pi". This precision is six decimal places. Archimedes did not know this meaning, he would have envied such accuracy, no doubt.

On the day the construction was completed, the pyramid of Cheops was 146.6 meters high. However, now, its height is much less than the original. There are two reasons for this decrease. One natural character is erosion. The second reason is artificial. Her name is man...

In 1301 Cairo experienced an earthquake. Most of the houses turned into piles of garbage. The same fate befell the mosques with skillful minarets. After the first shock, the Cairo authorities turned to a real storehouse of building materials - the pyramids of the pagans. They were seduced by the polished limestone slabs with which the pyramids were laid out. Following the path of least resistance, by reducing overhead costs, the Arabs began to remove the outer lining of the pyramids. Now only part of the facing on the upper tiers of the Khafre pyramid has been preserved. On the pyramid of Cheops, there is no outer lining left.

As a result of the barbaric dismantling, the height of the tallest pyramid in Egypt decreased by more than eight meters. Today's sources, speaking about the height of the pyramid of Cheops, do not shine with uniformity. The difference is 10-20 centimeters. On the one hand, such a discrepancy in data outrages pedants, lovers of accuracy. On the other hand, 10-20 centimeters now do not determine anything. After all, the original proportions are violated irrevocably and forever.

The Arabs who dismantled the pyramids did not ask subtle scientific questions. They were not interested in the theories put forward by modern scientists. They were interested in the momentary solution of domestic problems. They did not hesitate to cause damage to one of the seven wonders of the world. We can complain for a long time about the Arabs of the early 14th century. We can complain about inaccuracies in determining the true height of the pyramid. We can hypothesize about the creators of the pyramids. But the pyramids don't care. They continue to exist and outlive us with our emotions. They will continue to delight and thrill visitors who will disturb their centuries-old peace.

Everything that arises must have some reason for its occurrence, for it is absolutely impossible to arise without a cause. (4th century BC, Plato, "Timaeus").

So, let's start with the facts.
First, there are three burial chambers in the pyramid. - Three! It does not occur to any living person to prepare a tomb for himself in three "copies". In addition, as can be seen from the size of the pyramids, it was a very troublesome and time-consuming business. Egyptian archaeologists found that the pharaohs built separate pyramids of a much smaller size for their wives and “family” in the burials of the pharaohs was not established. It follows from this that the pyramid in different time there were three masters (three pharaohs) and therefore each in the pyramid had its own burial chamber.

To confirm this conclusion, consider the pyramid in the context (what is).

Egyptian historians have established that long before the construction of the pyramids in ancient Egypt in the 4th millennium BC. and even earlier, the pharaohs were buried in deep underground halls - “mastabas”, where the mummy was located. In the ground part, at the top above the hall, a low, flat, truncated pyramid was built, in the interior of which there was a prayer room with a statue, into which, after death (according to faith), the soul of the pharaoh moved. The halls of the premises could be isolated from each other.

Looking at the section plan, we can say that the upper prayer room of the first mastaba (no more than 15 meters high) that has not been discovered today is located in the center of the pyramid, just below the middle burial chamber (7). If, of course, by the beginning of the time of construction by the second pharaoh of his pyramid over the mastaba, the latter was not destroyed (plundered) or crushed, and survived.

A narrow inclined-vertical shaft (12) for raising the soul from the underground burial pit (5) should have risen to the above-ground prayer room of the mastaba. At the exit of the shaft to the surface level of the plateau under the base of the pyramid there is a small grotto (expansion up to 5 meters), the walls of which are partially reinforced with more ancient masonry that does not belong to the pyramid. This ancient masonry is nothing more than an accessory to the first mastaba. From the grotto (12) to the center of the pyramid there should be a continuation into the mastaba, which is closed or was later filled up.

According to archaeologists, the underground burial "pit" (5) for some reason remained unfinished. Perhaps for the same reason, the upper above-ground part of the mastaba with a prayer room was not completed (the latter remains to be seen). The unfinished construction of the burial structure, located in the most advantageous place, on the top stone plateau served as a pretext and moral basis (for the pharaoh preceding Cheops) to take the mastaba as the basis for building his pyramid over it.

The fact that the age of the Sphinx is estimated to be much older than the pyramids (about 5-10 thousand years) speaks in favor of the fact that the plateau in Giza was previously "settled" by ancient mastabas.

By the beginning of the III millennium BC. in Egypt, burials in mastabas were replaced by more majestic structures - the pyramids. The Egyptians also had another later worldview about the place of residence of the soul after death. - "The one who lives the time measured out to him properly will return to the abode of the star of his name." (Plato, Timaeus).

The burial chamber (7) belonging to the second inner pyramid (according to the plan of the cross section) is presumably located above the prayer part of the first mastaba. The corridor ascending to the chamber (6) is laid along the wall, and the horizontal one (8) along the roof of the mastaba. Thus, one can “see” the approximate boundaries of the first ancient inner truncated mastaba pyramid.

The second inner pyramid is ten meters on each side smaller than the current outer third pyramid of Cheops. This can be judged by the length of the two outgoing from the chamber (7), the so-called ventilation ducts (20 by 25 cm in cross section), which, by about ten meters (according to the pyramid drawing), do not reach the plane of the current outer walls. Of course, these are not ventilation ducts, which the deceased pharaoh did not need. This is a path directed to the sky, oriented with great accuracy (up to a degree) to those stars where, according to the ideas of the ancient Egyptians, the soul of the pharaoh will settle after death. When the second pyramid was being built, the channels from the burial room (7) reached the edges of the outer walls and were open to the sky.

The Sphinx is a lion (a symbol of royal power) with a human head and the face of a pharaoh. Presumably, the face of the pharaoh (after the plastic restoration of the mummy's skull) will be similar to the face of the Sphinx. The veil over the secret pyramid of Cheops and the Sphinx has been lifted, now you need to “enter”.

The Egyptian pyramids are one of the biggest attractions in the world. They, according to archaeologists, are the tombs of the pharaohs, members of their families and court nobles. This version is generally accepted and its confirmation is the presence of mummies inside. But is it? What secrets do these structures hold? Who built them and how? What for? What is inside? You will find answers to questions in this article.

Pyramids in Egypt: why were they built?

During the period of the Old Kingdom (c. 2707 - 2150 BC, III-VI dynasties), structures began to be created for burials, symbolizing sacred mountain- the desire of mankind to reach heaven.

The Pink Pyramid at Dahshur. CC BY-SA 3.0 , Link

Scientists suggest that the belief of the Egyptians in the ascension of the spirit to the gods is fundamental the purpose of their construction. In their opinion, even today, these structures personify the dream of man to achieve the Higher Consciousness. There are other opinions on this subject, which are given below.

Some occult investigators of the mystery Egyptian pyramids spent the night in inner cells. They wrote books about their mystical experiences.
"Secrets of the Pyramids (The Secret of Orion)" by R. Bauval, E. Gilbert offers a version about the stellar orientation of buildings.
The American prophet and medium Edgar Cayce spoke about the significance of the pyramids for the lost civilization of Atlantis. Information is available on the Internet.

Egyptian pyramids: about the secret of construction

Several theories try to explain the technology of their construction, but no one knows exactly how and why these famous architectural monuments were built. There are only versions and assumptions.

One of the greatest mysteries: how did people move such massive stone blocks using primitive tools? The Egyptians left behind thousands of illustrations depicting daily life in the Old Kingdom. It is curious that none shows their construction.