The size of the Cheops pyramid stone. Pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops. History of the Egyptian pyramids. Pyramid of Cheops: along the corridors of one of the Wonders of the World
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Every year, articles appear in the press revealing secrets Great Pyramid. However, every time new questions arise to which scientists have no answer. Now everyone is hearing a new hypothesis, which, if not completely revealing, then comes close to this mystery.
The Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) took 20 years to build
It is known that the pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) was built over a period of 20 years. Basically, about 14 thousand people took part in its construction. However, at some stages up to 40 thousand took part in the construction.
Of course, experts have a very definite idea of how the Great Pyramids were built. However, scientific minds do not want to stop there. In their opinion, the simplest versions are not able to explain how the masterpiece was built ancient architecture in reality: too great impression he produces.
Thus, the French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin offers his own version of the construction technique. In 2006, he proposed an original hypothesis: the upper part of the pyramid (which is about 70% of the height) was built by the ancient Egyptians from the inside.
To understand why this hypothesis is relevant today, you should first take a short excursion into history.
IN last years There are so many versions that even simply listing them would take a lot of time. Of course, aliens with their anti-gravity technology occupy a special place. However, even in the 26th century BC there were many opportunities.
The most likely scheme is also the simplest. According to one hypothesis, workers dragged blocks of limestone using ropes and blocks along long embankments to the top. As an option, there is a spiral stone “path” laid out on the walls of the pyramid itself, along which the stones were delivered to the top. This scheme is characterized by a huge volume of earthworks.
Variant of the construction technique of the French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin
In both cases, quite a lot of wooden levers with ropes were used - lifting mechanisms, with the help of which the Egyptians installed multi-ton blocks in the right place and lifted them from tier to tier.
You can also find a description of these simple devices in Herodotus. True, he believed that the Egyptians used “cranes”, lifting blocks from level to level one by one. However, most Egyptologists believe that during construction they combined ramps with levers.
However, there are a number of alternative versions
It is possible that the pyramid was made of concrete (scientific experiments have proven that the ancients knew how to make it). Therefore, there was simply no problem with how to lift the stone. Unfortunately, this version does not take into account the granite monoliths located in the pyramid, many of which are incomparably heavier in weight than the limestone ones.
There was a hypothesis that the stone blocks were raised using wooden gateways, which were built on the growing walls. In addition, many of the described methods were built based on the “basic” laws of physics and mechanics.
However, weaknesses can be found in all hypotheses. For example, the construction of a straight embankment requires work comparable to the construction of the pyramid itself, and the length of such an ascent must exceed one and a half kilometers (at the end of construction), and it must also be based on stone blocks.
During the construction of the Cheops pyramid, ancient Egyptian engineers used a system of internal ramps and tunnels to construct the upper part of this structure...
According to Egyptologist Bob Brier, it's like building two pyramids. Moreover, the remains of such a ramp have not been found anywhere. Brier, by the way, is familiar to us from the recent discovery of construction defects in the Cheops pyramid.
Some traces of former ramps in the vicinity of the pyramid have long been discovered. But, according to calculations, they cannot be fully responsible for the construction of this grandiose monument. That is why “official” Egyptologists are inclined to the mentioned scheme of the combined use of ramps and lifting mechanisms built of wood.
As Bob explains, the spiral road running along the outer walls could hide during construction the corners and edges of the structure itself, constant measurements of which were necessary - without this it would not have been possible to achieve the accuracy of proportions and lines of the Great Pyramid, which still delights architects today. Consequently, "geodetic survey" would be impossible.
However, Jean-Pierre paints a different picture
The lower third of the pyramid, which contains most of its mass, was erected using the already discussed external ramp method, which, given the height of the structure, was not yet too bulky. But then the tactics were radically changed.
Houdin believes that the limestone blocks that formed the ramp for the lower third of the Cheops Pyramid were largely dismantled and reused to build the upper levels of the pyramid itself. Therefore, no traces of the original ramp have been found anywhere.
Construction of the Cheops pyramid
In addition, during the construction of new tiers, workers left a large corridor inside the walls, which spiraled upward. Along this corridor, new blocks were raised to the top of the structure. After the work was completed, the tunnel itself was completely hidden from view. Therefore, the road did not even have to be dismantled.
Houdin argues that the paradigm generally accepted hypotheses was wrong. The pyramid could not have been built from the outside.
Using computer simulations last year, Houdin visualized his method of building a pyramid and proved that it works. It is interesting that indirect evidence of Jean-Pierre’s correctness was also found in Egypt, directly in the most ancient monument.
At approximately 90 meters in height on the northeastern edge of the Khufu pyramid, near the corner, there is a hole discovered by archaeologists an umpteenth time ago. Of course, Egyptologists are well aware of it, but they cannot say anything specific about the purpose of the room located behind the hole.
Recently, Bob Brier, who has become a proponent of Houdin's hypothesis, climbed inside this hole with a National Geographic team (for the first time, taking detailed photographs). What he saw surprisingly fit into the pattern with an internal inclined corridor.
The fact is that in order to rotate the lifted blocks by 90 degrees, when moving from one side of the pyramid to another, the builders had to leave in the corners of the structure open spaces— where the secret ramps intersected.
Only after the construction of the pharaoh's tomb was completed would it be possible to sequentially fill these openings with new blocks drawn along the same corkscrew-shaped corridor.
The corner sections of the spiral corridor, which were open until the last moment, allowed workers, using simple levers and ropes, to turn the blocks raised along the slope 90 degrees in order to push them into the next tunnel. It's like a train depot with a turntable that helps diesel locomotives turn around in cramped conditions to go in a new direction.
The corner sections of the spiral corridor, which were open until the last moment, allowed workers to turn the blocks being lifted 90 degrees using simple levers and ropes.
Brier saw behind the hole an L-shaped hall - the remnant of one such turn. It is located in the very place that Houdin's computer model predicted.
There should be two walled portals located at an angle of 90 degrees to one another. Behind them could well be those same tunnels, running not so deep under the surface of the walls. According to the French architect, the secret of the entire structure is kept in the massive blocks that sealed the tunnels thousands of years ago.
However, for quite a long time this emptiness in the corner remained unnoticed. The fact is that the meaning of the building can only be deciphered by having a general plan in mind. If you simply climbed into this room without thinking about internal ramps and recesses, it will mean nothing to you.
This angular turn may well be the missing link in the Great Pyramid puzzle. Moreover, there is another trace in this story.
French archaeologists visited Giza in 1986 and 1998. They searched for hidden cavities in the Cheops pyramid using microgravimetry. Among other things, the researchers found a void under the queen’s chamber. This cavity, according to them, is the beginning of a corridor leading to the true burial place of Cheops. But in this case we are interested in another involuntary discovery of theirs.
This find did not fit into existing theories, so the researchers did not explain it in any way. But a few years ago, at a certain conference dedicated to the pyramids, Houdin approached one of the members of the gravimetric team, engineer Hui Don Bui. He showed him diagrams showing fluctuations in the density of the material inside the pyramid. One of the drawings showed a spiral-shaped structure running along the outer walls at some depth. Jean-Pierre immediately understood what it was.
According to Bob Brier, if he had not seen that diagram, he would have thought that construction using a twisted tunnel was just another theory. The information obtained by the French forced him to support Houdin's hypothesis.
And to find new hard evidence, says Jean-Pierre, you don’t need to drill into the pyramid or even get inside. To begin with, it will be enough to show these “phantom” corridors in thermal images of the pyramid.
Therefore, this article will present only the main general facts and figures relating to the Great Pyramid as a whole.
Date of construction and geometric dimensions
According to generally accepted opinion, the Great Pyramid was built in the 2560-2580s BC as a tomb for the reigning pharaoh of the IV dynasty Cheops (Khufu) at that time. Despite some difficulties in explaining the possibility of its construction in the required time frame using the technology available at that time, this version is nevertheless considered the main one and has quite numerous confirmations in the form of inscriptions discovered inside the Pyramid and the Pit of the Solar Boat with it.
The Pyramid of Cheops is the largest of the Egyptian pyramids.
- Height (today): ≈ 138.75 m
- Height (original): ≈ 146.5 m
- Angle: 51° 50"
- Side length (original): 230.33 m (calculated) or about 440 Royal cubits
- Side length (currently): about 225 m
- The length of the sides of the base of the pyramid: south - 230.454 m; north - 230.253 m; west - 230.357 m; east - 230.394 m.
- Foundation area (initially): ≈ 53,000 m² (5.3 ha)
- Area of the pyramid: (initially) ≈ 85,500 m²
- Perimeter: 922 m.
- Total volume of the pyramid without deducting the cavities inside the pyramid (initially): ≈ 2.58 million m³
- Total volume of the pyramid, after subtracting all known cavities (initially): 2.50 million m³
- The average size of the observed stone blocks of rough masonry: 1.27 m in width and depth, 71 cm in height (according to Petrie)
- Average weight of rough masonry stone blocks: 2.5 t
- The heaviest stone block of rough masonry: 15 t
- Heaviest stone block (known; granite; above the entrance to the King's Chamber): 90 t
- Number of blocks: about 2.5 million (provided that the pyramid is not a backfill type)
- Estimated total weight of the pyramid: about 6.25 million tons (possibly about 6 million tons according to microgravimetry)
- The base of the pyramid rests on a natural rocky elevation in the center (in the Grotto area) more than 9 m high.
- Materials used in construction (from known ones): limestone from the Giza Plateau - rough masonry, Tour white limestone - internal walls, ventilation shafts and external cladding, Aswan granite - Antechamber, King's Chamber, unloading chambers (partially), plugs; Sinai - sarcophagus. Quartz sand was also found inside.
- The pyramidion of the pyramid was not found, nor were its mounting stones.
- The True Entrance is located traditionally, i.e., on the north side. He is the only one known.
Difference in thickness of pyramid masonry layers
Despite the fact that the pyramid is built in layers, the thickness of the layers is different and varies from 60 cm to one and a half meters.
The reasons for this are not exactly known, there are several hypotheses, the simplest one says that large blocks were laid in eras when there was an excess amount of labor for laying layers of rough masonry. Which may be connected, for example, with its release after the completion of a certain labor-intensive stage in the construction of some complex internal infrastructure or a season for the procurement of blocks, etc. The scheme requires careful analysis.
Current state of affairs and appearance after the disappearance of the cladding
The Great Pyramid now has edges concave inwards. This often gives rise to various theories and speculations, but it should be remembered that the structure has lost several meters of cladding on each side, and the nature of its looting for stone does not give reason to believe that the original faces were not flat.
Perhaps the observed picture is simply a consequence of the most profitable extraction of stone.
Question about using the pyramid for its intended purpose
Since ancient times, the question has been acutely raised: was the Cheops pyramid used for its intended purpose? There is still no clear answer to this question. On the one hand, there is almost complete confidence that the pyramid was completely completed by the builders. On the other hand, what we see inside it, for example, is clearly not best quality a sarcophagus in the King's Chamber, an unfinished floor in the Queen's Chamber or a picture of complete incompleteness in the Underground Chamber - everything suggests that the pharaoh in these famous premises could hardly have been buried at all. Herodotus also claimed that Cheops was buried in another place, on an island surrounded on all sides by water. On the third hand, traces of obvious hacking of the plugs and dampers of the Antechamber indicate that the pyramid was for some reason carefully sealed. The official point of view of science on this matter suggests that the burglars visited the pyramid no later than the first 500-600 years from the moment of its construction. But what they found, who they were and whether they found anything at all is completely unknown. In the volume of the Great Pyramid, the volume of all known and explored rooms is less than 1 percent, and it is already known that in addition to the explored ones, there are several unknown sealed rooms in it.
Blocks and Quarries
Egyptologists believe that the Pyramids of Giza were built from natural stone, which was quarried from three quarries. The actual construction of the pyramids is made of nummulitic limestone of the Mokattam formation. The quarries were located in close proximity to the pyramids. The lower parts of the pyramids of Khafre and Mikerin were lined with granite from the Aswan quarry, which is located in Southern Egypt at a distance of 934 kilometers along the Nile (700 kilometers in a straight line). Several rows of granite cladding have been preserved at the pyramid of Mikerin. The middle and upper parts of the two large pyramids were lined with limestone from the Tursky quarry, which is located on east coast Nile south of Cairo at a distance of 13-17 kilometers from the pyramids. The number of pyramid facing blocks (granite and limestone) that have reached us is relatively small. Therefore, we can simply agree that stone from the Tours and Aswan quarries was used in the construction of the pyramids. The opinion that the pyramids were built from nummulitic limestone does not fully correspond to reality. The lower rows of the pyramids are made of hard limestone of the Moqattam formation. Higher up, blocks of soft limestone, which do not contain nummulites, predominate. It is fundamentally. That is, when describing the blocks of pyramids in specialized literature, it seems to remain “behind the scenes” that most of them are carved out of soft limestone.
The bottom rows of the pyramids (approximately 1-7/10 rows) are made of blocks cut from solid limestone. The first row of the Cheops pyramid (thickness 1.5 m) is carved from a layer of strong limestone, which has the greatest thickness - 1.5 m. The upper rows of the pyramids are dominated by blocks cut from soft limestone (or cast blocks indistinguishable from them - this statement requires evidence, Supervisor 03:05, 22 May 2011 (UTC)). When developing the quarry, it was necessary to fulfill one condition: the time elapsed from the opening of soft limestones to the cutting of building blocks from them should be minimal. That is, soft limestones had to be cut into blocks before they hardened from contact with air. In addition, after cutting the soft limestone blocks, it took some time for them to harden and not crumble during transportation. The cyclical nature of quarry development meets these requirements. Its site was being developed, the area of which was approximately 1.5 times larger than the area of the row of blocks where the construction of the pyramid was stopped. The blocks were cut from layers of hard and soft limestone and stored “layer by layer,” that is, according to their vertical dimensions. After all the limestone had been removed from the area, its laying into the body of the pyramid began. The order of laying blocks of different thicknesses (and, accordingly, different weights) was determined by the ratio of labor costs for lifting them. This ensured that the rows of blocks were ranked according to their thickness.
Base of the pyramid
The rocky base of the Cheops pyramid, according to modern calculations, occupies 23% of the volume of the pyramid, or about 600,000 cubic meters. The minimum figures were obtained by determining the height of the rock in terms of an average level of 12.5 meters. But the authors of the study do not exclude the possibility of using medium height 20 meters. In any case, new geological exploration work is required to clarify these data. A revision of most old works with calculations of the stone used during construction is also required. In addition, there are estimates of 10-12% of the volume of the pyramid, which is occupied by the mortar holding the blocks together.
The directions to the north of the side faces were kept so precisely that due to the sphericity of the Earth and the colossal size of the Pyramid, its northern side turned out to be 20 cm shorter than the southern one. (the exact dimensions of the pyramid are known from the preserved pits of the supporting corner stones)
Sources
[http://supernovum.ru/public/index.php?doc=171 | Mining and geological aspect of the technology of construction of the pyramids of Giza]
[http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/31/95/86/PDF/PyramidsSR.pdf Geological and Geomorphological study of the original hill at the base of Fourth Dynasty Egyptian monuments.]
Media files on Wikimedia Commons
Age of the pyramid
The architect of the Great Pyramid is considered to be Hemiun, the vizier and nephew of Cheops. He also bore the title "Manager of all Pharaoh's construction projects." It is assumed that the construction, which lasted twenty years (during the reign of Cheops), ended around 2540 BC. e. .
Existing methods for dating the time when construction of the pyramid began are divided into historical, astronomical and radiocarbon. In Egypt, the date for the start of construction of the Cheops Pyramid was officially established (2009) and celebrated - August 23, 2560 BC. e. This date was obtained using the astronomical method of Kate Spence (University of Cambridge). However, this method and the dates obtained with it have been criticized by many Egyptologists. Dates according to other dating methods: 2720 BC. e. (Stephen Hack, University of Nebraska), 2577 BC. e. (Juan Antonio Belmonte, University of Astrophysics in Canaris) and 2708 BC. e. (Pollux, Bauman University). Radiocarbon dating gives a range from 2680 BC. e. to 2850 BC e. Therefore, there is no serious confirmation of the established “birthday” of the pyramid, since Egyptologists cannot agree on exactly what year construction began.
First mention of the pyramid
The complete absence of mention of the pyramid in Egyptian papyri remains a mystery. The first descriptions are found in the Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BC) and in ancient Arab legends [ ] . Herodotus reported (at least 2 millennia after the appearance of the Great Pyramid) that it was built under a despot pharaoh named Cheops (Greek: Cheops). Koufou), who ruled for 50 years, that 100 thousand people were employed in construction. for twenty years, and that the pyramid is in honor of Cheops, but not his grave. The real grave is a burial near the pyramid. Herodotus gave erroneous information about the size of the pyramid, and also mentioned about the middle pyramid of the Giza plateau that it was built by the daughter of Cheops, who sold herself, and that each building stone corresponded to the man to whom she was given. According to Herodotus, if you “lift the stone, a long winding path to the grave opens up,” without specifying which pyramid we're talking about; however, the pyramids of the Giza plateau did not have “winding” paths to the tomb at the time Herodotus visited them; on the contrary, the Descending Passage of BP Cheops is distinguished by careful straightforwardness. At that time, no other premises were known in the BP.
Appearance
Surviving fragments of the pyramid's cladding and the remains of the pavement surrounding the building
The pyramid is called "Akhet-Khufu" - "Horizon of Khufu" (or more accurately "Related to the firmament - (it is) Khufu"). Consists of limestone and granite blocks. It was built on a natural limestone hill. After the pyramid has lost several layers of cladding, this hill is partially visible on the eastern, northern and southern sides of the pyramid. Despite the fact that the Cheops pyramid is the tallest and most voluminous of all the Egyptian pyramids, Pharaoh Sneferu built the pyramids in Meidum and Dahshur (Broken Pyramid and Pink Pyramid), the total mass of which is estimated at 8.4 million tons.
Initially, the pyramid was lined with white limestone, which was harder than the main blocks. The top of the pyramid was crowned with a gilded stone - pyramidion (ancient Egyptian - “Benben”). The cladding shone in the sun with a peach color, like “a shining miracle to which the Sun God Ra himself seemed to give all his rays.” In 1168, the Arabs sacked and burned Cairo. Residents of Cairo removed the cladding from the pyramid in order to build new houses.
Statistical data
Pyramid of Cheops in the 19th century
Map of the necropolis near the Cheops pyramid
- Height (today): ≈ 136.5 m
- Side angle (current): 51° 50"
- Side rib length (original): 230.33 m (calculated) or about 440 royal cubits
- Side fin length (current): approx. 225 m
- The length of the sides of the base of the pyramid: south - 230.454 m; north - 230.253 m; west - 230.357 m; east - 230.394 m
- Foundation area (initially): ≈ 53,000 m2 (5.3 ha)
- Lateral surface area of the pyramid (initially): ≈ 85,500 m2
- Base perimeter: 922 meters
- Total volume of the pyramid without deducting the cavities inside the pyramid (initially): ≈ 2.58 million m 3
- Total volume of the pyramid minus all known cavities (initially): 2.50 million m 3
- Average volume of stone blocks: 1,147 m3
- Average weight of stone blocks: 2.5 tons
- The heaviest stone block: about 35 tons - is located above the entrance to the “King’s Chamber”.
- The number of blocks of average volume does not exceed 1.65 million (2.50 million m³ - 0.6 million m³ of rock base inside the pyramid = 1.9 million m 3 /1.147 m 3 = 1.65 million blocks of the specified volume can physically fit in the pyramid , without taking into account the volume of mortar in interblock joints); referring to a 20-year construction period * 300 working days per year * 10 working hours per day * 60 minutes per hour leads to a speed of laying (and delivery to the construction site) of about a block of two minutes.
- According to estimates, the total weight of the pyramid is about 4 million tons (1.65 million blocks x 2.5 tons)
- The base of the pyramid rests on a natural rocky elevation about 12-14 m high in the center and, according to the latest data, occupies at least 23% of the original volume of the pyramid
- The number of layers (tiers) of stone blocks is 210 (at the time of construction). Now there are 203 layers.
Concavity of the sides
Concavity of the sides of the Cheops pyramid
When the sun moves around the pyramid, you can notice an unevenness - a concavity in the central part of the walls. This may be due to erosion or damage from falling stone cladding. It is also possible that this was specially done during construction. As Vito Maragioglio and Celeste Rinaldi note, the pyramid of Mycerinus no longer has such concave sides. I.E.S. Edwards explains this feature by saying that the central part of each side was simply pressed inward over time by the large mass of stone blocks. [ ]
As in the 18th century, when this phenomenon was discovered, today there is still no satisfactory explanation for this architectural feature.
Observation of the concavity of the sides in late XIX V., Description of Egypt
Tilt angle
It is not possible to accurately determine the initial parameters of the pyramid, since its edges and surfaces are currently for the most part dismantled and destroyed. This makes it difficult to calculate the exact angle of inclination. In addition, its symmetry itself is not ideal, so deviations in the numbers are observed with different measurements.
Geometric study of ventilation tunnels
A study of the geometry of the Great Pyramid does not provide a clear answer to the question of the original proportions of this structure. It is assumed that the Egyptians had an idea about the “Golden ratio" and the number pi, which were reflected in the proportions of the pyramid: thus, the ratio of height to base is 14/22 (height = 280 cubits, and base = 440 cubits, 280/440 = 14/ 22). For the first time in world history, these quantities were used in the construction of the pyramid at Meidum. However, for pyramids of later eras, these proportions were not used anywhere else, as, for example, some have height-to-base ratios, such as 6/5 (Pink Pyramid), 4/3 (Pyramid of Khafre) or 7/5 (Broken Pyramid).
Some of the theories consider the pyramid to be an astronomical observatory. It is argued that the corridors of the pyramid accurately point towards the “pole star” of that time - Thuban, the ventilation corridors on the south side point to the star Sirius, and on the north side to the star Alnitak.
Internal structure
Cross section of the Cheops pyramid:
The entrance to the pyramid is at an altitude of 15.63 meters on the north side. The entrance is formed by stone slabs laid in the form of an arch, but this is the structure that was inside the pyramid - the true entrance has not been preserved. The true entrance to the pyramid was most likely closed with a stone plug. A description of such a plug can be found in Strabo, and its appearance can also be imagined based on the preserved slab that covered the upper entrance to the Bent Pyramid of Snefru, the father of Cheops. Today, tourists get inside the pyramid through a 17-meter gap, which was made 10 meters lower by the Baghdad caliph Abdullah al-Mamun in 820. He hoped to find the pharaoh's countless treasures there, but found there only a layer of dust half a cubit thick.
Inside the Cheops pyramid there are three burial chambers, located one above the other.
Funeral "pit"
Underground Chamber Maps
A 105 m long descending corridor running at an inclination of 26° 26'46 leads to an 8.9 m long horizontal corridor leading to the chamber 5 . Situated below ground level in a rocky limestone bedrock, it remained unfinished. The dimensions of the chamber are 14x8.1 m, it extends from east to west. The height reaches 3.5 m, the ceiling has a large crack. At the southern wall of the chamber there is a well about 3 m deep, from which a narrow manhole (0.7 × 0.7 m in cross-section) stretches in a southern direction for 16 m, ending in a dead end. At the beginning of the 19th century, engineers John Shae Perring and Richard William Howard Vyse cleared the floor of the chamber and dug a well 11.6 m deep, in which they hoped to discover a hidden burial chamber. They were based on the testimony of Herodotus, who claimed that the body of Cheops was on an island surrounded by a canal in a hidden underground chamber. Their excavations came to nothing. Later studies showed that the chamber was abandoned unfinished, and it was decided to build the burial chambers in the center of the pyramid itself.
Ascending Corridor and Queen's Chambers
From the first third of the descending passage (18 m from the main entrance), an ascending passage goes south at the same angle of 26.5° ( 6 ) about 40 m long, ending at the bottom of the Great Gallery ( 9 ).
At its beginning, the ascending passage contains 3 large cubic granite “plugs”, which from the outside, from the descending passage, were masked by a block of limestone that fell out during the work of al-Mamun. Thus, for the first 3000 years from the construction of the pyramid (including during the era of its active visits in Antiquity), it was believed that there were no other rooms in the Great Pyramid other than the descending passage and the underground chamber. Al-Mamun was unable to break through these plugs and simply hollowed out a bypass to the right of them in the softer limestone. This passage is still in use today. There are two main theories about the traffic jams, one of them is based on the fact that the ascending passage has traffic jams installed at the beginning of construction and thus this passage was sealed by them from the very beginning. The second argues that the current narrowing of the walls was caused by an earthquake, and the plugs were previously located within the Great Gallery and were used to seal the passage only after the funeral of the pharaoh.
An important mystery of this section of the ascending passage is that in the place where the traffic jams are now located, in the full-size, albeit shortened model of the pyramid passages - the so-called test corridors north of the Great Pyramid - there is a junction of not two, but three corridors at once, the third of which is a vertical tunnel. Since no one has yet been able to move the plugs, the question of whether there is a vertical hole above them remains open.
In the middle of the ascending passage, the design of the walls has a peculiarity: in three places the so-called “frame stones” are installed - that is, the passage, square along its entire length, pierces through three monoliths. The purpose of these stones is unknown. In the area of the frame stones, the walls of the passage have several small niches.
In the second burial chamber from the lower part of the Great Gallery, a horizontal corridor 35 m long and 1.75 m high leads in a southerly direction. The walls of this horizontal corridor are made of very large limestone blocks, on which false “seams” are applied, imitating masonry from smaller blocks. Behind the western wall of the passage there are cavities filled with sand. The second chamber is traditionally 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, lined with limestone, measures 5.74 meters from east to west and 5.23 meters from north to south; her maximum height 6.22 meters. There is a high niche in the eastern wall of the chamber.
Drawing of the Queen's Chamber ( 7 )
Niche in the wall of the Queen's Chamber
Corridor at the entrance to the queen's hall (1910)
Entrance to the Queen's Chamber (1910)
Niche in the Queen's Chamber (1910)
Ventilation duct in the queen's chamber (1910)
Corridor to the ascending tunnel ( 12 )
Granite plug (1910)
Corridor to the ascending tunnel (on the left are closing blocks)
Grotto, Grand Gallery and Pharaoh's Chambers
Another branch from the lower part of the Great Gallery is a narrow, almost vertical shaft about 60 m high, leading to the lower part of the descending passage. There is an assumption that it was intended to evacuate workers or priests who were completing the “sealing” of the main passage to the “King’s Chamber.” Approximately in the middle of it there is a small, most likely natural extension - the “Grotto” (Grotto) of irregular shape, in which several people could fit at most. Grotto ( 12 ) is located at the “junction” of the masonry of the pyramid and a small, about 9 meters high, hill on the limestone plateau lying at the base of the Great Pyramid. The walls of the Grotto are partially reinforced by ancient masonry, and since some of its stones are too large, there is an assumption that the Grotto existed on the Giza plateau as an independent structure long before the construction of the pyramids, and the evacuation shaft itself was built taking into account the location of the Grotto. However, taking into account the fact that the shaft was hollowed out in the already laid masonry, and not laid out, as evidenced by its irregular circular cross-section, the question arises of how the builders managed to accurately reach the Grotto.
The large gallery continues the ascending passage. Its height is 8.53 m, it is rectangular in cross-section, with walls slightly tapering upward (the so-called “false vault”), a high inclined tunnel 46.6 m long. In the middle of the Great Gallery along almost the entire length there is a square recess with a regular cross-section measuring 1 meter wide and 60 cm deep, and on both side protrusions there are 27 pairs of recesses of unknown purpose. The recess ends with the so-called. “Big step” - a high horizontal ledge, a 1x2 meter platform at the end of the Great Gallery, immediately before the hole into the “hallway” - the Antechamber. The platform has a pair of ramp recesses similar to those in the corners near the wall (the 28th and last pair of BG recesses). Through the “hallway” a hole leads into the funeral “Tsar’s Chamber” lined with black granite, where an empty granite sarcophagus is located. The sarcophagus lid is missing. Ventilation shafts have mouths in the “King’s Chamber” on the southern and northern walls at a height of about a meter from the floor level. The mouth of the southern ventilation shaft is severely damaged, the northern one appears intact. The floor, ceiling, and walls of the chamber do not have any decorations or holes or fastening elements of anything dating back to the construction of the pyramid. The ceiling slabs have all burst along the southern wall and are not falling into the room only due to the pressure from the weight of the overlying blocks.
Above the “Tsar’s Chamber” there are five unloading cavities with a total height of 17 m discovered in the 19th century, between which lie monolithic granite slabs about 2 m thick, and above there is a gable roof made of limestone. It is believed that their purpose is to distribute the weight of the overlying layers of the pyramid (about a million tons) to protect the “King's Chamber” from pressure. In these voids, graffiti was discovered, probably left by workers.
Interior of the Grotto (1910)
Drawing of a Grotto (1910)
Drawing of the connection of the Grotto with the Grand Gallery (1910)
Entrance to the Tunnel (1910)
View of the Great Gallery from the entrance to the room
Large gallery
Grand Gallery (1910)
Drawing of the Pharaoh's Chamber
Pharaoh's chamber
Pharaoh's Chamber (1910)
Interior of the vestibule in front of the Tsar's chamber (1910)
"Ventilation" channel at the southern wall of the king's room (1910)
Ventilation ducts
From the "King's Chamber" and "Queen's Chamber" in the northern and south directions(first horizontally, then obliquely upward) the so-called “ventilation” channels 20-25 cm wide extend off. At the same time, the channels of the “Tsar’s Chamber”, known since the 17th century, are end-to-end, they are open both below and above (on the edges of the pyramid), then As the lower ends of the channels of the “Queen's Chamber” are separated from the surface of the wall by about 13 cm, they were discovered by tapping in 1872. The upper ends of the Queen's Chamber shafts do not reach the surface by about 12 meters, and are closed by stone Gantenbrink Doors, each with two copper handles. The copper handles were sealed with plaster seals (not preserved, but traces remain). In the southern ventilation shaft, the “door” was discovered in 1993 with the help of the remote-controlled robot “Upout II”; the bend of the northern shaft did not allow Then detect the same “door” in it by this robot. In 2002, using a new modification of the robot, a hole was drilled in the southern “door,” but behind it a small cavity 18 centimeters long and another stone “door” were discovered. What lies next is still unknown. This robot confirmed the presence of a similar “door” at the end of the northern channel, but they did not drill it. In 2010, a new robot was able to insert a serpentine television camera into a drilled hole in the southern “door” and discovered that the copper “handles” on that side of the “door” were designed in the form of neat hinges, and individual red ocher icons were painted on the floor of the “ventilation” shaft. Currently, the most common version is that the purpose of the “ventilation” ducts was of a religious nature and is associated with the Egyptians’ ideas about afterlife journey souls. And the “door” at the end of the channel is nothing more than a door to the afterlife. That is why it does not reach the surface of the pyramid. At the same time, the shafts of the upper burial chamber have through exits to the outside and inside the room; it is unclear whether this is due to some change in ritual; Since the outer few meters of the pyramid's lining have been destroyed, it is unclear whether there were "Gantenbrink Doors" in the upper shafts. (could have been in a place where the mine was not preserved). In the southern upper shaft there is a so-called “Cheops niches” are strange extensions and grooves that may have contained a “door”. There are no “niches” at all in the northern upper one.
History of research
Recent ResearchThere are pyramids dedicated to them
The most ancient wonder of the world, which we can still admire now, is the Pyramid of Cheops. Shrouded in myths and legends, the Egyptian pyramid was the largest and tallest structure for many millennia. Khufu (another name for the pyramid) is located in Giza - the popular place crowds of tourists.
History of the pyramids
The pyramids in Egypt are practically the main attraction of the country. There are many hypotheses related to their origin and construction. But they all converge on one important conclusion: the pyramids in Egypt are impressive tombs for the great inhabitants of the country (in those days these were the pharaohs). The Egyptians believed in the afterlife and life after death. It was believed that only a few were worthy of continuing the path of life after death - these were the pharaohs themselves, their families and the slaves who were constantly close to the rulers. Images of slaves and servants were painted on the walls of the tombs so that after their death they could continue to serve their king. According to the ancient religion of the Egyptians, man had two inner souls, Ba and Ka. Ba left the Egyptian after his death, and Ka always acted as a virtual double and waited for him in the world of the dead.
To ensure that the pharaoh did not need anything in the afterlife, food, weapons, kitchen utensils, gold and much more were left in the pyramid tomb. In order for the body to remain unchanged and wait for the second soul of Ba, it was necessary to preserve it. This is how the birth of body embalming and the need to create pyramids arose.
The emergence of pyramids in Egypt dates back to the construction of the pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser 5 thousand years ago. The outer walls of the first pyramid were in the form of steps, which symbolized the ascent to heaven. The height of the structure was 60 meters with many corridors and several tombs. Djoser's chamber was located in the underground part of the pyramid. From the royal tomb, several more passages were made leading to small chambers. They contained all the accessories for the further afterlife of the Egyptians. Closer to the east, chambers for the entire family of the pharaoh were found. The structure itself was not so huge compared to the pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops, whose height was almost 3 times greater. But it is with the pyramid of Djoser that the history of the emergence of all Egyptian pyramids begins.
Very often in the photo of the Cheops pyramid you can see two more pyramids standing nearby. This famous pyramids Herfen and Mekerin. It is these three pyramids that are considered the most important assets of the country. The height of the Cheops pyramid significantly distinguishes it from the others located nearby and other pyramids in Egypt. Initially, the walls of the structure were smooth, but after a long period of years they began to crumble. If you look at modern photos pyramids of Cheops, you can see the relief of the facade and its unevenness, formed over millennia.
Birth of the Cheops Pyramid
Pyramid of Cheops official version was erected in the fall of 2480 BC. Date of first occurrence ancient miracle light, many historians and researchers dispute, giving arguments in favor of their arguments. The construction of the Great Pyramid lasted about 2-3 decades. More than one hundred thousand inhabitants of ancient Egypt and the best craftsmen of that time took part in it. The first step was to build a large road for delivery building materials, Then underground passages and a mine. Most of the time was spent building the upper part of the pyramid - the walls and internal passages and tombs.
There are very interesting feature buildings: the height of the Cheops pyramid in its original form and the width were 147 meters. Due to the sands filling the base of the building and sprinkling of the facing part, it decreased by 10 meters and is now 137 meters in height. The giant tomb was built mainly from huge blocks of limestone and granite, weighing about 2.5 tons, which were carefully polished so as not to lose the ideal shape of the structure. And in the tomb of the most ancient pharaoh, granite blocks were found, the weight of which reached almost 80 tons. According to Egyptologists, about 2,300,000 huge stones were needed, which cannot but impress us all.
Doubts associated with the construction of the pyramid lay in the fact that in those dark times there were no special machines or devices capable of lifting and ideally stacking heavy blocks at a certain slope. Some believed that more than a million people took part in the construction, others that the blocks were lifted by a lifting mechanism. Everything was so thought out and as perfect as possible that without the use of concrete mortar and cement, the stones were laid in such a way that it was completely impossible to insert even thin paper between them! There is an assumption that the pyramid was created not by people at all, but by aliens or another force unknown to man.
We are based specifically on the fact that the pyramids are still the creation of people. In order to quickly remove a stone of the required size and shape from the rock, its outlines were made. A conventional shape was carved out, and dry wood was inserted there. It was regularly watered, the moisture made the tree grow larger, and under its pressure a crack formed in the rock. Now a large block was removed and given the required shape and size. The stones for construction were redirected along the river by huge boats.
To lift heavy boulders to the top, massive sleds made of wood were used. Along the gentle slope, the stones were lifted one after another by teams of hundreds of slaves.
Pyramid device
The entrance to the pyramid was not originally where it is now. It had the shape of an arch and was located on the northern side of the building with a height of more than 15 meters. In an attempt to rob the great tomb in 820, new entrance, already at a height of 17 meters. But Caliph Abu Jafar, who wanted to enrich himself with the loot, did not find any jewelry or valuable things and left with nothing. It is this passage that is now open to tourists.
The pyramid consists of several long corridors leading to the tombs. Immediately after the entrance there is a common corridor that diverges into 2 tunnels leading to the central and lower part of the pyramid. For some reason, the chamber below was not completed. There is also a narrow loophole, behind which there is only a dead end and a three-meter well. Climbing up the corridor, you will find yourself in the Great Gallery. If you take the first left and walk a little, you will see the chamber of the ruler's wife. And along the corridor above is the largest one - the tomb of the pharaoh himself.
The beginning of the gallery is interesting because there is a long and narrow almost vertical Grotto built there. There is an assumption that he was there even before the foundation of the pyramid itself. Narrow passages about 20 centimeters wide were made from both tombs of the pharaoh and his wife. Presumably they were made for ventilation of the wards. There is another version that these passages and corridors are indicators of the stars: Sirius, Alnitaki and Thuban and that the pyramid served as a place for astronomical research. But there is another opinion - according to the belief in the afterlife, the Egyptians believed that the soul returned from heaven through channels.
There is one important interesting fact- the construction of the pyramid was carried out strictly at one angle of 26.5 degrees. There is every reason to assume that the inhabitants of antiquity were very well versed in geometry and the exact sciences. Just look at the proportional, even corridors and ventilation ducts.
Not far from the pyramid itself, Egyptian cedar boats were found during excavations. They were made of pure wood without a single nail. One of the ball's boats is divided into 1224 parts. The restorer Ahamed Yussuf Mustafa managed to assemble it. To achieve this, the architect had to spend 14 years; such high patience in the name of science can only be envied. Today the assembled boat can be admired in the bizarrely shaped museum. It is located on the south side of the Great Pyramid.
Unfortunately, you cannot shoot video or take photographs inside the pyramid itself. But you can take many incredible pictures against the backdrop of this creation. Various souvenirs are also sold here so that an excursion to these enchanting places can remind you of itself for a long time.
Photos of the Cheops pyramid, of course, do not reflect all the greatness and uniqueness of this structure. With us you will plunge into history and look at the world with different eyes!
The only one of the 7 wonders of the world that has 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.
To fully understand how far from us are those times when the Cheops Pyramid was built, one only has to think that for contemporaries of the other six wonders of the world, the Great Pyramid of Giza was so old that they no longer knew the answer to its secret.
Despite the fact that the largest pyramid in the world is more than four thousand years old, it has been quite well preserved to this day. Today, excursions to the Egyptian pyramids can be booked from almost any hotel in Cairo.
History and construction of the Great Pyramid of Cheops
It is believed that a certain Hemion, the pharaoh’s nephew and vizier, and, by extension, also a court architect, was involved in bringing the royal ambitions to life. 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 structure weighing 6.4 million tons, so that it does not sink underground under its own weight, strong rocky soil was chosen. Granite blocks were delivered from a quarry that was located 1000 km away. Scientists still cannot find the 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 really the tomb of Cheops (the second pharaoh of the IV dynasty of rulers) and members of his family. But nevertheless, discussions around the mystery of the pyramid do not subside. For example, from the point of view of some astronomers, some kind of observatory was equipped here, since the ventilation ducts and corridors point with amazing accuracy to the stars Sirius, Thuban, and Alnitak. It is also interesting that during the construction of the Cheops pyramid, the coordinates of the Earth’s magnetic poles were also taken into account.
Geometry and description of the pyramid of Khufu
The size of the Cheops pyramid surprises even modern people. Its base occupies a huge area of 53 thousand square meters, which is equivalent to ten football fields. Other parameters are no less striking: the length of the base is 230 m, the length of the side edge 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 to a fifty-story skyscraper. The years have left their mark on the safety of the pyramid. Numerous earthquakes over thousands of years collapsed the stone top of the structure, and the smooth stone with which the outer walls were lined crumbled. And yet, the interior of the attraction, despite many robberies and vandals, remained virtually unchanged.
The entrance to the pyramid, located on 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 treasures supposedly hidden here.
Inside the Cheops pyramid 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 pharaoh, to which the rising Great Gallery leads. Those who built the pyramid created a complex system of corridors and shafts, the plan of which is still being studied by scientists. Egyptologists have put forward a whole theory of understanding the afterlife of 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, has been 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 of 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 officially celebrated - August 23, 2560 BC.
- The latest excavations, carried out at the beginning of the 21st century, indicate that the work of the pyramid builders was difficult, but at the same time they were well cared for. 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 of 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.
- There are no decorative paintings or historical inscriptions inside the Cheops pyramid, except for a small portrait in the passage to the queen's chamber. There is not even any evidence that the pyramid even belonged to Pharaoh Khufu.
- For three millennia before 1300, the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure on the planet, until a taller one was built. 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.
- Before the Vandal Arab invasion of Egypt, the outer slabs of the Cairo pyramid were so carefully polished that in the light of the moon they emitted a mysterious shimmer, and in the rays of the sun their cladding shone with a soft peach light.
- To explore rooms that are difficult for humans to reach, scientists used a special robot.
- From 6 to 10 thousand tourists visit the pyramids every day, and about 3 million per year.
Useful information for tourists
Currently, in the museum on the south side of the pyramid you can get acquainted with exhibits that were found during excavations and in the pyramid itself. There is an opportunity to see the restored unique cedar boat (Solar Boat), which was built by the ancient Egyptians. You can also buy souvenirs here. And the next viewing point on the territory will be the Great Sphinx.
In the evenings, a sound and light show is shown in Giza: alternating spotlight illumination of local attractions is accompanied by a fascinating story, including in Russian and English.
Opening hours of the Giza Museum complex
- 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 Cheops pyramid – $16;
- inspection of the Solar Boat – $7.
For children and students, prices are usually two times lower.
- To visit the Cheops Pyramid, 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 to grab a ticket and protect yourself from the midday heat.
- The entrance to the pyramid is very low, you will have to walk 100 meters bent over, and it is also very dry, hot and slightly dusty inside. Water is not recommended for people suffering from claustrophobia, diseases of the respiratory tract and heart.
- Photo and video shooting is prohibited inside. As for photographs against the backdrop of the Great Pyramid, 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 evening, when the sun is not shining too brightly, otherwise the image will turn out 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 to buy something. Therefore, think carefully about whether you need certain offers, and in any case, be sure to bargain. Give tips only to those who truly deserve them.
- Be careful: there are a lot of pickpockets around.
How to get to the Cheops pyramid
Address: Egypt, Cairo, El Giza district, El Haram street
Getting there from Cairo:
- By metro (line No. 2) - to Giza station. Then transfer to bus No. 900 or No. 997 and drive along Al-Haram avenue for 15–20 minutes.
- By bus No. 355 and No. 357 from the airport and Heliopolis. It runs every 20 minutes.
- Take a taxi to Al-Haram.
From Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh: on tourist bus or taxi.