choose by name
Ahmose I in Abydos
Ahmose I or Kamose in Dra Abu el-Naga
Ai I in South Saqqara
Amenemhat I in el-Lisht
Amenemhat II in Dahshur
Amenemhat III in Dahshur
Amenemhat III in Hawara
Amenemhat IV in Dahshur
Amenemhat IV in Mazghuna (South)
Ameny-Kemau in South Dahshur
Ankhesenpepi II in Saqqara
Ankhesenpepi III in Saqqara
Baka in Zawyjet el-Aryan
Behenu in Saqqara
Djedefre in Abu Roash
Djedkare in Saqqara
Djoser in Saqqara
Henutsen in Giza
Hetepheres I in Giza
Horneterierkhet in Saqqara
Huni in Edfu
Huni on Elephantine
Huni in el-Kuhla
Huni in Naqada
Huni in Sinka
Huni in Zawyet el-Mayitin
Inenek-Inti in Saqqara
Iput I in Saqqara
Iput II in Saqqara
Itakaiet in el-Lisht
Kakare Ibi in Saqqara
Khaba in Zawyet el-Aryan
Khafre in Giza
Khemerernebti II in Giza
Khendjer in South Saqqara
Khentkawes I in Giza
Khentkawes II in Abusir
Khufu in Giza (Great Pyramid)
Khuit in Saqqara
'Lepsius No.1' in Abu Roash
'Lepsius No.24' in Abusir
'Lepsius No.25' in Abusir
Menkauhor in Dahshur
Menkauhor in Saqqara (Headless)
Menkaure in Giza
Mentuhotep II Nebhepetre - Terraced Tomb in Deir el-Bahari
Meritit in Giza
Meritit in Saqqara
'Monumental Tomb' in Dara
Nebwenet in Saqqara
Neferefre in Abusir
Neferhetepes in Saqqara
Neferirkare in Abusir
Neferkare Neby in Saqqara
Neferu I in el-Lisht
Neith in Saqqara
Nemtiemsaf I in Saqqara
Niuserre in Abusir
Pepi I in Saqqara
Pepi II in Saqqara
Reherishefnakht in Saqqara
Sahure in Abusir
Sekhemkhet in Saqqara
Senweseret I in el-Lisht
Senweseret II in el-Lahun
Senweseret III in Dahshur
Shepseskaf in South Saqqara
Shepseskare in Abusir (unfinished)
Snefru (or Huni) w Medum
Snefru in Dahshur (Red)
Snefru in Dahshur (Bent)
Snefru in Seila
Sobeknefrure in Mazghuna (north)
Teti in Saqqara
Tetisheri in Dra Abu el-Naga
'Unknown Queen' in South Saqqara
Wedjebten in Saqqara
Wenis in Saqqara
Weserkaf in Saqqara
'West' in Saqqara
choose by place
Abu Rawash - Djedefre
Abu Rawash - 'Lepsius No.1'
Abusir - Queen Khentkawes II
Abusir - 'Lepsius No.24'
Abusir - 'Lepsius No.25'
Abusir - Neferefre
Abusir - Neferirkare
Abusir - Niuserre
Abusir - Sahure
Abusir - Shepseskare (Unfinished Pyramid)
Abydos - Ahmose I
Dahshur - Amenemhat II
Dahshur - Amenemhat III
Dahshur - Amenemhat IV
Dahshur - Ameny-Kemau
Dahshur - Menkauhor
Dahshur - Senweseret III
Dahshur - Snefru (Red Pyramid)
Dahshur - Snefru (Bent Pyramid)
Dara - 'Monumental Tomb'
Deir el-Bahari - Mentuhotep II Nebhepetre (Terraced Tomb)
Dra Abu el-Naga - Ahmose I or Kamose
Dra Abu el-Naga - Queen Tetisheri
Edfu - Huni
Elephantine - Edfu
Giza - Queen Henutsen
Giza - Queen Hetepheres I
Giza - Khafre
Giza - Queen Khemerernebti II
Giza - Queen Khentkawes I
Giza - Khufu (Great Pyramid)
Giza - Menkaure
Giza - Queen Meritit
Hawara - Amenemhat III
Kuhla - Huni
Lisht - Amenemhat I
Lisht - Queen Itakaiet
Lisht - Queen Neferu I
Lisht - Senweseret I
Lahun - Senweseret II
Meidum - Snefru (or Huni)
Mazghuna - Amenemhat IV (South Pyramid)
Mazghuna - Queen Sobeknefrure (North Pyramid)
Naqada - Huni
Saqqara - Queen Ankhesenpepi II
Saqqara - Queen Ankhesenpepi III
Saqqara - Queen Behenu
Saqqara - Djedkare
Saqqara - Djoser
Saqqara - Prince Horneterierkhet
Saqqara - Queen Inenek-Inti
Saqqara - Queen Iput I
Saqqara - Queen Iput II
Saqqara - Kakare Ibi
Saqqara - Queen Khuit
Saqqara - Menkauhor (Headless)
Saqqara - Queen Meritit
Saqqara - Queen Nebwenet (cult)
Saqqara - Queen Neferhetepes
Saqqara - Queen Neith
Saqqara - Neferkare Neby
Saqqara - Nemtiemsaf I
Saqqara - Pepi I
Saqqara - Pepi II
Saqqara - Prince Reherishefnakht
Saqqara - Sekhemkhet
Saqqara - Teti
Saqqara - Queen Wedjebten
Saqqara - Wenis
Saqqara - Weserkaf
Saqqara - 'West Pyramid'
Saqqara South - Ai I
Saqqara South - Khendjer
Saqqara South - Shepseskaf
Saqqara South - 'Unknown Queen'
Seila - Snefru
Sinka - Huni
Zawyjet el-Aryan - Baka
Zawyet el-Aryan - Khaba
Zawyet el-Mayitin - Huni
“…Behind the
pyramid’s wall,
There is a tomb, kneel down and enter it through a hole.
An Arab with torch first got in, disappeared. I crept
After him, devoted to mercies of the sons of steppes.
Two kept me harnessed, my hands clasped in their own,
- Third one crawled with light, while the fourth pushed me on -
And they buried me in this tomb completely dark -
And through slippery passages, no steps, no rungs
We climbed up, and I returned to life, as it could seem,
When I was able to lift head facing chamber of queen
Again we crawled in causeways of this bee-hive of death
Until in chamber of the king’s corpse I found myself;
The light of candle and dark shade slightly mingled -
Sarcophagus was empty: I hit with palm – tingled
Like a thing void…”
Juliusz Sl owacki
"P y ramid s ", 1836
translated by Dana Cieslak
The Great Pyramid of
Khufu in Giza
AHt- x wfw
( Khufu's Horizon )
A -
King's Chamber with relieving chambers above
B - Queen's Chamber
C - subterranean chamber
D - air shafts
E - Grand Gallery
F - horizontal passage
G - ascending passage
H - descending passage
I - entrance
J - enclosure wall
K - two southern boat pits
L - boat pits
M - eastern boat pits
N - mortuary temple
O - cult pyramid
P - Queen's pyramids
Q - causeway
T he
Great Pyramid has been an object of many both essential scientific
elaborates and pyramidal rubbish, inspired by a magic of numbers and
fantasy of pseudo-explorers or simply those smart people who thus found
their way to earn heaps of money thank to ignorance or naiveté of others.
I will cite after T. Schneider the short characteristic of this structure,
maybe not as magnificent as described by poets and not as thrilling as the
followers of parascientific speculations wish it to be, but still true,
unstrained and conformable with the present state of knowledge.
B uilding
of the proper pyramid around the natural core of rock was managed by Hemon
(Hemiunu) an d
An k hhaf
. Originally it was composed of 210 layers of stone blocks and was 146,6 m
high. Length of sides was 230 m, angle of slope 51,5 o .
Interior of the monument is made of locally gained stone while outer and
upper layers of limestone of Tura. Totally the structure was composed of
2 500 000 blocks of stone, weighing together 7 000 000 tons. The passage
(H) leading from the northern entrance (I) to rock chamber (C) located
about 30m beneath the ground level is initially descending at the length
of 105 m, next runs 9 m horizontally. From the chamber leads another16,4 m
long corridor, however its function remains unknown. At the length of 28,2
m of descending passage begins ascending corridor (G) which ends after 38
m in the 2,1 m wide, 46,7 m long and 8,5 m high.
G rand Gallery (E). From
the
Grand Gallery runs 38,2 m long horizontal passage (F) to the so called
“Queen’s Chamber” ( B ) with two-side slopped roof, niche and so called “air
tunnels” (D). As the horizontal passage branches out there is a shaft 58,4
m deep which meets the descending corridor near the rock chamber. Next to
the gallery there is a short passage leading through granite chamber with
a dropped down stone block and one more passage entering the proper one
funerary chamber (A), cased with pink granite, with 5 cavities above
alleviating the two-side slopped roof. There is a granite sarcophagus in
this chamber, however no traces of burial have been stated.
O n
the east side of the pyramid there was located (did not survive until now)
mortuary temple (N), access to which was from a covered ramp 825 m long
and decorated with reliefs. The ramp was leading from the lower temple,
recently discovered in the village of Nazlat es-Samman. On both sides of
the mortuary temple there are shafts (M) entering chamber for two funerary
boats (morning and evening boat). One of the two shafts, which survived in
untouched state since Khufu’s burial, was uncovered in 1954. Remarkably
well preserved dismantled shift, originally 43,3 m long, was subsequently
subject to conservation and finally restored.
M any
times plundered since antiquity the pyramid laid opened already in
Strabo’s times, 20 years BC. Ca. 820 caliph Al-Mamun broke into the
pyramid, and next, under the sultan Hassan in XIV century external layout
had been demolished and used for building the sultan’s mosques
"Queen" Chamber
granite sarcophagus in the "King Chaber"
Copyright © 2000-2023
Dariusz Sitek , Czestochowa - Chicago - Ann Arbor