The Great Pyramids of Giza

The Great Pyramids of Giza is the only one object which still exists in our world and is included in the list of the Seven Wonders of the World. In the ancient time, the place, where the pyramids were, called ‘imentet’ (west), then it was called ‘kher neter’ (cemetery). In the VII century, the city Giza was established near the pyramids. And since that time we call these pyramids – The Pyramids of Giza.

The Great Pyramids of Giza consist the Pyramid of Cheops (or Khufu), the Pyramid of Khafre (or Chephren), and the Pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinos).

The Pyramid of Cheops is the biggest one. The initial height of this pyramid was 146.6 meters. After an earthquake in XIII century, the pyramid became shorter for 8 meters. This pyramid was the highest construction in the world more than for 3 000 years until Lincoln Cathedral was built in 1311 in London. The length of a base side of the pyramid is 230 meters. The Pyramid of Cheops was built for Pharaoh Khufu, a son of the founder of the Fourth Dynasty of the rulers of ancient Egypt, Pharaoh Snofru. Perfect work amuses everyone who looks at this pyramid as well as its perfect proportions and location by the four cardinal directions.

The second pyramid is the Pyramid of Khafre. The height of this pyramid is 143.5 meters. When you look at this pyramid, it seems the highest one because of the hill where the pyramid was built. The length of a base side of the pyramid is 215 meters. The pyramid was built for the Cheops’ son.

The smallest pyramid is the Pyramid of Menkaure. The initial height of this pyramid was 66.5 meters. The length of a base side of the pyramid is about 108 meters. This pyramid was built for Cheops’ grandson. In 1196 one of the Egypt rulers tried to destroy this pyramid. But after 8 months of hard work, there was only a gap on the north side of the pyramid.

Until now no one certainly knows why these pyramids were built. The traditional version is that the pyramids were built as the tombs of the pharaohs. There is a suggestion that they were built for astronomical observations or for the worshipers of the cult of the sun.