Tomb of the Birds
This one is interesting because it was recently closed to the public by the Egyptian government. Though you cannot venture inside, you can peek past the locked door at the labyrinth of corridors leading you beneath the Great Pyramid complex. Have you ever heard about the catacombs below Paris? This is similar, up until 10 or so years ago tourists could venture down inside and get see many hallways leading you below the Earth's surface finding what used to be storage rooms for Egyptian Pharaohs. When archeologists first discovered the Tomb of the Birds they found millions of mummified birds in different ares of the caverns. The historical significance of the Tomb of the Birds is that we were able to see how the kings of Egypt would stash away their valuables. According to researchers the reasoning behind the mummified birds is "the ibis was considered [to represent] the god Thoth, the god of wisdom, the god of magic, the god of judgement, writing all sorts of things." (1) They would use these as offerings and place them in there hoping the god Thoth would accept them.
Mastaba of Hemiunu
Our first stop on our tour will begin with the Mastaba (or tomb) of Hemiunu. Hemiunu was the nephew of the first builder of the pyramids Khufu. Not many people outside of the immediate rulers usually got their own mastaba, so what was so special about Hemiunu? He was the architect behind building the first Great Pyramid for his uncle Khufu! Khufu had the idea in head that he wanted to build a pyramid and he enlisted his Hemiunu to design the buildings and get it erected. When modern day archeologists opened his tomb they found that it had already been ransacked and a life size statue of Hemiunu had the right arm and head broken off, but today it is put back together and sitting at a museum in Germany. The historical relevance of this stop is because had he not been around to design the pyramids, they may not have ever been built or might look different than they do. The way he designed the first one for Khufu set the standard for the way to build the subsequent ones.
Khufu Ship
Next stop on our tour will be at the Khufu ship. This ship was found sealed in the Great Pyramid of Khufu and was used during the pharaoh's burial. The idea behind the burial was that the would mummify the king and in the afterlife the ship would take his soul to the sun god Ra. To place the ships actually into the pyramid, they would carve out places inside for them to fit and place them in. When they discovered the ship inside, there was actually another in there with it. It is interesting that the oldest ship in the world belongs to a place that is in the desert. It is a historically significant site because it is the oldest known boat in existence and was the burial ship for the first of the Great Pyramid builders. It is also quite amazing that given the grave robbing that went on in the other temples and pyramids, that the ships made it out in tact. The place the ship sits at is actually an entire museum dedicated to the Great Pyramids and the ships that were found inside.
Pyramid of Khafre
Next stop will be the Pyramid of Khafre. This pyramid was the second built and the second tallest as well measuring in at 448 feet (136 meters) and was built by the son of Khufu. Unlike the Great Pyramid of Khufu, this pyramid was built with simplicity in mind "the interior is much simpler than that of Khufu’s pyramid, with a single burial chamber, one small subsidiary chamber, and two passageways. The mortuary temple at the pyramid base was more complex than that of Khufu and was filled with statuary of the king–over 52 life-size or larger images originally filled the structure."(2) In addition to the pyramid he built, he also constucted a valley temple just outside the pyramid using monolithic blocks that is also still standing today. This pyramid is historically significant because it was built by the original pyramid builders son and housed his remains for centuries. You are able to go inside and explore the architecture of people from thousands of years ago.
Pyramid of Menkaure
The next stop on our tour will be to the final pyramid to be constructed and also the smallest which is also the tomb of Menkaure. It stands around 204 feet (61 meters) but when it was originally built was a little taller at 215 feet (65.5 meters). It was also the first one to utilize Aswan granite as well as limestone for the blocks. On the inside it is more complex than that of Khafre having a chamber carved decorative panels and a burial chamber with massive granite blocks. His body was discovered but not in what he was buried in, having been found in a makeshift box with his name inscribed on it. The historical significance of this pyramid is that we can see the difference in how Khafre decorated his tomb compared to Menkaure. We can also see the lengths grave robbers have gone through to take his resting place away and leave him in a coffin. The damage you see on the side comes from around the 12th century when Saladin, who was sultan of Egypt at the time ordered all of the pyramids be demolished. However, it did not take long for him to realize the financial strain it would put on them to do so and stopped.
Wall of the Crow
Your next stop on your tour will be the Wall of the Crow. This spot is usually glossed over on most peoples site seeing tours to Giza but features some magnificent workmanship on the building of it. The wall is 656 feet (200 meters) long 32.8 feet (10 meters) tall and 10 meters thick at the base of it. Though we do not know why the wall was built historians come up with various ideas regarding its usage. Speculation has been that it could have been a gateway marking sacred land from that which is not sacred, the pyramid complex on one side the other meant for people to live and work. Another theory is that the Egyptians used this as flood control for the complex. They wanted to make sure their sacred pyramids did not get harmed by the Nile flooding. The historical significance of this site is because we really do not know why the Egyptians built it. There really is no writing about what it could have been we are just left with our best guesses which to me is a even more awesome we likely will never know what their purpose for it was.
Valley Temple of Menkaure
The Valley Temple of Menkaure was built around the same time Menkaure built his pyramid and at one point had a causeway leading from his valley temple to the pyramid. There are a few other valley temples around the complex but I picked this one because it was by itself and sort of set apart from the pyramid behind it. Valley temples were used at the time of death of the kings, which is why there are multiple, each king built their own. When the king is deceased the Egyptians would take the body to the valley temples.Experts debate the use of the temples, they have said they have been used during the mummification process. Others suggest that it was used during the "opening of the mouth" ceramony, which is when the Ka enteres the deceased body and the person enters into the afterlife. On the inside, used to lay a long corridor lined with pillars and limestone and granite walls, not much of the pillars remain today however. This site is significant because it shows us more about the process of death in ancient Egypt. You can walk around inside and see how the former kings were fitted for their final resting place.
The Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the largest sculptures in the world sizing in at 240 feet (73 meters) long and 66 feet (20 meters) tall. The sculpture depicts a lions body with a human face wearing a royal headdress. Scholars have not been able to pinpoint an exact date to know who it belongs to, but they do agree that the face being depicted is that Khufu the original pyramid builder. According to Britannica "The statue was carved from a single piece of limestone, and pigment residue suggests that the entire Great Sphinx was painted. According to some estimates, it would have taken about three years for 100 workers, using stone hammers and copper chisels, to finish the statue."(3) This site is historically significant because it was built sometime around 2575 BC and still today towers as one of the largest sculptures in the world.
Pyramid of Queen Hetepheres I and Eastern Cemetery
The next stop on the tour will be to the eastern cometary and the pyramid built for Queen Hetepheres I. Hetepheres I was the Queen of Egypt at the time being married to Snefru having born a son Khufu the great pyramid builder himself. When he took over as pharaoh of Egypt he erected the pyramid that would be used as the tomb for his mother. This tomb was a major discovery when it was finally found in 1925. What they found was interesting because unlike the other pyramids they discovered, this one was largely in tact! Most of the other places in the complex had been looted by grave robbers trying to get rich; while this one had been robbed in ancient times it was largely left untouched and many artifacts were able to come out of it.Another oddity about this pyramid is that though there were many treasures to be found, there was no body. When researchers finally made their way to the burial chamber and opened the sarcophagus her body was missing from it. The many treasures found inside help us get a glimpse into the lives of Egyptians living at this time including their feelings on death and the afterlife as well as what they considered to be valuable objects and filling the tomb with them.
Pyramid of Khufu
The final stop on our tour will bring you full circle from the man who physically designed the pyramids to the one who ordered them be erected in the first place. This is the first Great Pyramid of Giza and the resting place of King Khufu. This is of course the first and largest of all of the pyramids on the complex standing at 481 feet tall. The reason he built it was the reason the others after him did, they wanted a great tomb to put their worldly bodies in when they leave this earth. It was constructed over a 20 year period and over 100,000 men to complete the structure when it was finally finished it was th tallest manmade structure for thousands of years. The Great Pyramid and the surrounding ones are known as one of the wonders of the world and it makes sense I could not imagine being in the desert helping pull those stones up and place them where they needed to go. I hope you enjoyed your tour of Ancient Giza and learned something along the way.
