Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the last remaining artefact in the seven wonders of the ancient world, a fascinating emblem of the ancient civilization that once ruled over Egypt. Along with the surrounding pyramids in the Giza complex, the Great Pyramid is remarkably well preserved, and has become a UNESCO World Heritage site which is under extensive protection. 

Built over 4,000 years ago, it is the largest pyramid in the world, and remained the tallest structure made by human hands for over 3,000 years, until the Eiffel Tower was constructed in Paris in 1889.

How, exactly, such a colossal structure was built has been a subject of fascination for centuries. The purpose of the Great Pyramid of Giza has also been a source of extensive study and research. Below we outline some of the most widely accepted purposes of the Great Pyramid that attracts millions of tourists every year.

Historians believe the primary role of the Great Pyramid of Giza was to act as a tomb for the great Egyptian King Khufu. Egyptians believed that their pharaohs would go on to become gods in the afterlife, but in order to prepare for a safe transition into the next world, they had to have the right burial chamber. 

King Khufu spent 27 years planning the construction of his pyramid with his cousin and vizier, the architect Hemiunu.

In its day it was the most impressive structure in the world, unlike anything anyone had seen, and its sheer scale and ingenuity seemed to represent the almighty power of the man who once ruled over the ancient kingdom, although it was more likely a demonstration of his kingdom’s wealth, which waned in subsequent generations. 

When Khufu died, his sarcophagus was placed inside the king’s chamber, deep inside the pyramid, although his remains were never found. However, his pyramid was surrounded by several satellite pyramids built for his wife and family.              TO READ MORE...

Stone Blocks at Heliopolis

A joint German/Egyptian archaeological mission has discovered stone blocks from the reign of King Khufu in Heliopolis, Egypt.

Khufu or Cheops was an ancient Egyptian monarch, the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty in the first half of the Old Kingdom period (26th century BC). Khufu is generally accepted for commissioning the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The mission was excavating in the ancient city of Heliopolis, the capital of the 13th or Heliopolite Nome of Lower Egypt and a major religious centre. Archaeologists uncovered large blocks of granite in the ruins of the Sun Temple near the obelisk of Senusret I, representing the first discovery from the period of King Khufu in the Ain Shams region.

Mustafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Archaeology announced the discovery in a press release, suggesting that the stone may have been part of a building once situated at the Pyramids of Giza and later moved and repurposed during the Ramesside era (19th and 20th Dynasty).

Excavations also revealed the sarcophagi and altars from the era of Amenemhat IV, Sobekhotep IV, Ay, Seti I, Osorkon I, Takelot I, and Psamtik I, in addition to a sculptural model of quartz in the form of the Sphinx of King Amenhotep II, the base of a statue of King Amasis (Ahmose II), and the base of a colossal monkey statue of pink granite of a baboon.  READ MORE...