Cairo - Pyramids and Sphinx

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Well today was our visit to the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx amongst other things. We had seen the pyramids from our hotel but nothing prepares you for their size. Our Egyptologist Hassan explained and showed us the cuts on the bedrock and the process of how they were built. The Great Pyramid believed to have been built as a tomb for the pharaoh Khufu is the only remaining one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still intact. It was the tallest building in the world for over 3800 years and took over 20 years to build. There are an estimated 2.3 million blocks, some weighing 800 tonnes. It was originally covered in limestone casing stones some of which can be seen at the base.

The changed topography of the surrounding land due to the building of the dams makes it difficult to imagine the river being high enough for the stones to be floated from the quarry and be set in place. We had our photo taken at the corner of the Great Pyramid at the spot where the iconic photo of the Aussie servicemen had theirs taken during WWI.

Drove to a couple of other spots for photo ops to try and get all the Pyramids in. The smaller pyramids were built by the son and grandson of Khufu.

We then went to see the Khufu Boat museum to see the solar barge which was discovered intact buried in the mud around 2500 BC. It was intended for use in the afterlife as there would have been no room for paddling and actually used it like other grave goods. It does bear signs of having been used in the water and so may have been a funerary barge carrying the king’s embalmed body from Memphis to Giza. It was built mainly from cedar from Lebanon. Amazingly preserved and reconstructed from 1224 pieces. Even the ropes are well preserved and look like they could have been made yesterday.

Then it was our opportunity to see the Sphinx. It is currently under renovation and fenced off but still imposing and an iconic figure.

Visited Memphis, home of a giant statue of Ramses II (over 30 feet tall). It was the seat of power of the old kingdom (2686-2181 BC) and it was home to the pharaohs that raised the Pyramids. It was strategically positioned at the mouth of the Nile housing factories, workshops and warehouses that distributed food and merchandise throughout the ancient kingdom. It became less important due to the rise of coastal Alexandria. It is now just ruins and an open air museum. The giant statue marks the southern axis of the Great Temple of Ptah, once the most important Temple in Memphis. There was once a huge walled compound and it is also the town where Alexander was crowned as a pharaoh.

A great day. our heads are swimming with information.

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Photos

The pit where the solar boat was found
The museum is built over the top