Great Pyramid of Giza Complex (Khufu's Pyramid Complex)

Great Pyramid of Giza Complex is an archaeological site in Giza Pyramid Complex. It includes the Great Pyramid of Khufu or Cheops, funerary temple, boat pits, mastabas, cause way, tomb of queen mother Hetepheres I, queens' pyramids among a few other structures.

Overview

The Great Pyramid is surrounded by a complex of several buildings including small pyramids. The Pyramid Temple, which stood on the east side of the pyramid and measured 52.2 metres (171 ft) north to south and 40 metres (130 ft) east to west, has almost entirely disappeared apart from the black basalt paving. There are only a few remnants of the causeway which linked the pyramid with the valley and the Valley Temple.

Pyramid of Khufu

Circa 2570 BCE

The Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex bordering what is now el Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact. Some Egyptologists believe that the pyramid was thus built as a tomb over a 10-20-year period concluding around 2560 BCE. Initially standing at 146.5 metres (481 feet), the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for more than 3,800.

Mortuary Temple

Circa 2570 BCE

The Mortuary Temple, which stood on the east side of the pyramid and measured 52.2 metres (171 ft) north to south and 40 metres (130 ft) east to west, has almost entirely disappeared apart from the black basalt paving. All that could be seen of the Mortuary Temple of the Great Pyramid were the blocks of basalt paving, and there was no doubt that the temple itself, as well as the walls of the causeway, had been destroyed at the time when the casing of the Pyramid was removed, if not long before.

Subsidiary Pyramids

Circa 2570 BCE

Three remaining standing subsidiary pyramids known as the Queens' Pyramids are located on south side. Three remain standing to nearly full height but the fourth was so ruined that its existence was not suspected until the recent discovery of the first course of stones and the remains of the capstone. Hidden beneath the paving around the pyramid was the tomb of Queen Hetepheres I, sister-wife of Sneferu and mother of Khufu. Discovered by accident by the Reisner expedition, the burial was intact, though the carefully sealed coffin proved to be empty.

Khufu Ship

Circa 2570 BCE

The Khufu ship, now in Solar Boat Museum, is an intact full-size vessel from Ancient Egypt that was sealed into a pit in the Giza pyramid complex at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza around 2500 BCE. It was apparently part of the extensive grave goods intended for use in the afterlife.

Boat Pits

Circa 2570 BCE

There are either three or five boat pits found around the Khufu's pyramid complex. In May 1954, the Egyptian archaeologist Kamal el-Mallakh discovered a pit still covered with slabs of stone weighing up to 15 tons. Inside were 1,224 pieces of wood for a ship, the longest 23 metres long, the shortest 10 centimetres. The size and shape suggest these pits to have held complete boats, though so shallow that any superstructure, if there ever was one, must have been removed or disassembled. In May 1954, the Egyptian archaeologist Kamal el-Mallakh discovered a fourth pit, a long, narrow rectangle, still covered with slabs of stone weighing up to 15 tons. Inside were 1,224 pieces of wood, the longest 23 metres (75 ft) long, the shortest 10 centimetres (0.33 ft).

Eastern Cemetery

Circa 2570 BCE

The East Field is located to the east of Khufu’s pyramid and was a burial place for some of the family members of Khufu. The cemetery also includes mastabas from tenants and priests of the pyramids dated to the 5th dynasty and 6th dynasty. The East Field consists of the three Queen's pyramids and a number of mastabas labeled Cemetery G 7000. The rest of the eastern field was built around this group of eight twin mastabas.

See Also

• Pyramid Complex of Khafra
• Senedjemib Tomb Complex
• Giza Pyramid Complex

References

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