Cheops pyramid sarcophagus. Who and when built the pyramid of Cheops

Even in ancient times, the Egyptians themselves called the pharaoh Cheops Khnum-Khufu. The ruler himself called himself "the second sun." Europeans learned about him thanks to Herodotus. The ancient historian devoted several stories to life. All his work is called "History". It was Herodotus who approved the Greek reading of the name of the pharaoh - Cheops. The scientist believed that the ruler was known as a tyrant and despot. But there are a number of lifetime sources that speak of Cheops as a far-sighted and wise ruler.

Rise of Ancient Egypt

The date of the reign of Pharaoh Cheops is presumably 2589-2566 BC. e. or 2551-2528 BC. e. He was the second representative of the fourth royal dynasty. The reign of Pharaoh Cheops is the heyday of the country. By this time, Lower and Upper Egypt had already united into one strong state. The king was considered a living god. That is why his power seemed absolutely limitless. The power of the Egyptian pharaohs directly influenced the development of the economy. The economic recovery contributed to the progress of political and cultural life.

Despite this, there is not much information about the pharaoh. The main sources are the works of the ancient historian Herodotus. However, this work is based, most likely, on legends, and not on historical facts. And so this work, in fact, has nothing to do with reality. However, several sources about the life of Cheops are quite reliable.

Photo of Pharaoh Cheops, unfortunately, could not be preserved. In the article you have the opportunity to see images of his tomb and sculptural creations.

Ruler activity

The reign of Pharaoh Cheops lasted more than two decades. He was considered the second sun and had a rather severe character. He had several wives and, accordingly, many children.

He was also known for the fact that during his reign new cities and settlements were constantly built on the banks of the Nile. So the pharaoh founded famous fortress in Buchen.

In addition, many religious objects appeared, among which, of course, the pyramid of Cheops. But we will return to this issue a little later.

By the way, according to Herodotus, the ruler closed the temples. He saved, and all the resources went to the construction of his pyramid. However, judging by Egyptian sources, the pharaoh donated with enviable generosity to religious objects and was still an active temple builder. In many ancient drawings, the pharaoh was depicted precisely as the creator of villages and cities.

As a statesman, Pharaoh Cheops was periodically forced to send his army to the Sinai Peninsula. His goal is the destruction of nomadic tribes who robbed local merchants.

Also in this territory, the ruler tried to control the deposits of copper and turquoise. It was he who first began to develop the deposits of alabaster, which are located in Khatnub.

In the south of the country, the pharaoh carefully monitored the extraction of Aswan pink granite, which was used for construction.

Tomb architect

In history, the name of this ruler is primarily associated with his pyramid. It is recognized as one of the seven wonders of the world. The tomb is in Giza. It is next to modern Cairo.

It is worth noting that Cheops was not at all the first pharaoh for whom the pyramid was erected. The ancestor of such constructions was still the ruler Djoser. Khnum-Khufu erected the largest tomb.

The pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops was built around the year 2540 BC. e. One of the relatives of the ruler was the head of construction work and the architect. His name was Hemiun. He served as a vizier. Another Egyptian official who participated in the process of erecting the pyramid is also known - Merrer. He kept diary entries, with the help of which modern scientists have learned that this figure often came to one of the limestone quarries. It was there that the blocks for the construction of the tomb were produced.

Construction progress

The preparatory work went on for several years, as the workers had to build the road first. Material for the construction was dragged along it. The construction of the pyramid lasted almost two decades. According to some sources, about one hundred thousand workers were involved in the construction process. But only 8,000 people could build the facility at the same time. Every 3 months the workers replaced each other.

The peasants also took part in the erection of the monumental structure. True, they could only do this when the Nile flooded. During this period, all agricultural work was curtailed.

The Egyptians who built the pyramid were given not only food and clothing, but also a salary.

Exterior view of the tomb

Initially, the height of the tomb was almost 147 meters. However, due to a series of earthquakes and the onset of sands, several blocks collapsed. Thus, today the height of the pyramid is 137.5 m. The length of one side of the tomb is 230 m.

The tomb is built of 2.3 million stone blocks. In this case, no binder solution was provided at all. The weight of each block varies from 2.5 to 15 tons.

Inside the tomb are burial chambers. One of them is called the "Queen's Chamber". At the same time, representatives of the weaker sex were traditionally buried in separate small tombs. In any case, at the foot of the pyramid are the tombs of the women of Cheops and the nobility.

solar boats

Near the tomb, archaeologists discovered the so-called "solar boats" - these are ceremonial boats. According to legend, the ruler makes his voyage to the afterlife on them.

In 1954, scientists found the first ship. As a material was used Construction did without nails at all. The length of the structure is almost 40 m, and the width is 6 m.

Surprisingly, the researchers were able to identify that there are traces of silt on the boat. Perhaps, during his lifetime, the ruler moved along it along the Nile and the coastal waters of the Mediterranean. Steering and rowing oars were found on the boat, and superstructures with cabins were placed on the deck.

The second ship of Cheops was discovered relatively recently. It was in the hiding place of the pyramid.

Empty sarcophagus

However, the body of the legendary pharaoh was not found. In the ninth century, one of the caliphs was able to enter the tomb. He was surprised that there were no signs of looting and breaking in. But there was no Cheops mummy, instead of it there was only an empty sarcophagus.

At the same time, the building was comprehended precisely as a tomb. Perhaps the ancient Egyptians deliberately erected a false tomb to deceive would-be robbers. The fact is that at one time the burial place of the mother of Cheops was robbed, and her mummy was stolen. The thieves took away the body, so that later in a calm atmosphere they could remove the jewelry.

At first, Cheops was not informed about the loss of the mummy. They told him only about the fact of looting. After that, the pharaoh was forced to order the reburial of her mother's body, but in fact the ceremony had to be performed with an empty sarcophagus.

There is a version that the ruler's mummy was buried in another, modest tomb. And the pyramid itself was the posthumous abode of the spirit of a powerful king.

Descendants of the pharaoh

When Pharaoh Cheops (reigned 2589-2566 BC or 2551-2528 BC) died, the son of the great ruler became the ruler of the state. His name was Jedefra. Very little is known about his reign. It is known that he reigned for only eight years. During this time, he managed to build the second highest tomb in this area. Unfortunately, even in those ancient times, the pyramid of Djedefra was also not only plundered, but also partially destroyed.

In addition, a number of historians believe that it was this offspring of Cheops who at one time was able to build the Great Sphinx. This statue was erected in memory of his father. Egyptologists believe that the body of a mythical creature was made of solid limestone. However, his head was made later. Note that many scientists argue that the face of the Sphinx looks very much like the appearance of Cheops.

Subsequent rulers of the dynasty also continued to build pyramids. But the last king of the fourth dynasty, named Shepeskaf, no longer built monumental tombs, since the heyday of Ancient Egypt came to naught. The state was in a state of decline. The descendants of Cheops no longer allowed themselves to spend resources on colossal structures. Thus, the time of the great pyramids remained in the distant past. But the great tomb of Cheops, which is considered one of them, has survived to this day.

) and Heliopolis millennia before the founding of Cairo. For more than three thousand years (before the construction of the cathedral in Lincoln, England, c. 1300)

The Great Pyramid was the tallest building on Earth. Since 1979, like many other pyramids of the complex " Memphis and its necropolises - the region of the pyramids from Giza to Dahshur”, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Pyramid age

The architect of the Great Pyramid is Hemiun, the vizier and nephew of Cheops. He also bore the title "Manager of all construction sites of the pharaoh." It is assumed that the construction, which lasted twenty years (the reign of Cheops), ended around 2540 BC. e.

unknown , Public Domain

The existing methods of dating the time of the beginning of the construction of the pyramid are divided into historical, astronomical and radiocarbon. In Egypt, it was officially established (2009) and the date of the start of the construction of the pyramid of Cheops is celebrated - August 23, 2560 BC. e. This date was obtained using the astronomical method of Kate Spence (University of Cambridge). However, this method and the dates derived from it have been criticized by many Egyptologists.

Dates according to other dating methods: 2720 BC. e. (Stephen Hack, University of Nebraska), 2577 B.C. e. (Juan Antonio Belmonte, University of Astrophysics in Canaris) and 2708 BC. e. (Pollux, Bauman University). The radiocarbon method gives a range from 2680 BC. e. until 2850 BC e. Therefore, there is no serious confirmation of the established “birthday” of the pyramid, since Egyptologists cannot agree on exactly what year the construction began.

The first mention of the pyramid

The complete absence of a mention of the pyramid in Egyptian papyri remains a mystery. The first descriptions are found in the Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BC) and in ancient Arabic legends. Herodotus reported (at least 2 millennia after the appearance of the Great Pyramid) that it was erected under a despot pharaoh named Cheops (Greek. Koufou), who ruled for 50 years, that 100 thousand people were employed in the construction. for twenty years, and that the pyramid is in honor of Cheops, but not his grave. The real grave is a burial near the pyramid. Herodotus gave erroneous information about the size of the pyramid, and also mentioned the middle pyramid of the Giza plateau, that it was erected by the daughter of Cheops, who sold herself, and that each building stone corresponded to the man to whom she was given.

Appearance

The pyramid is called "Akhet-Khufu" - "Horizon of Khufu" (or more precisely "Related to the sky - (this is) Khufu"). Consists of blocks of limestone and granite. It was built on a natural limestone hill. After the pyramid has lost several layers of lining, this hill is partially visible on the eastern, northern and southern sides of the pyramid.

Despite the fact that the Pyramid of Cheops is the tallest and most voluminous of all Egyptian pyramids, Pharaoh Snefru nevertheless built the pyramids in Meidum and Dahshut (Broken Pyramid and), the total mass of which is estimated at 8.4 million tons.

Rigelus, CC BY-SA 3.0

Initially, the pyramid was lined with white limestone, harder than the main blocks. The top of the pyramid was crowned with a gilded stone - a pyramidion (ancient Egyptian - "Benben"). The cladding shone in the sun with a peach color, as if "a shining miracle, to which the sun god Ra himself seemed to give all his rays."

In 1168, the Arabs sacked and burned Cairo. The inhabitants of Cairo removed the lining from the pyramid in order to build new houses.

Franck Monnier, Public Domain

Side concavity

When the sun moves around the pyramid, you can notice the unevenness of the walls - the concavity of the central part of the walls. Perhaps the reason for this is erosion or damage resulting from the fall of the stone cladding. It is also possible that this was deliberately done during construction.

Franck Monnier, Public Domain

As Vito Maragioglio and Celeste Rinaldi note, the pyramid of Menkaure no longer has such a concavity of the sides. I.E.S. Edwards explains this feature by saying that central part each side over time simply pressed inward from a large mass of stone blocks.

Vivant Denon, Dominique, Public Domain

As in the 18th century, when this phenomenon was discovered, today there is still no satisfactory explanation for this feature of architecture.

Tilt angle

It is not possible to accurately determine the original parameters of the pyramid, since its edges and surfaces are currently mostly dismantled and destroyed. This makes it difficult to calculate the exact angle of inclination. In addition, its symmetry itself is not perfect, so deviations in numbers are observed with different measurements.

In the literature on Egyptology, Peter Janoshi, Mark Lehner, Miroslav Werner, Zahi Hawass, Alberto Sigliotti came to the same results in measurements, who believe that the length of the sides can be from 230.33 to 230.37 m. Knowing the length of the side and the angle at the base, they calculated the height of the pyramid - from 146.59 to 146.60 m. The slope of the pyramid is 51 ° 50 ", which corresponds to a seked (an ancient Egyptian unit for measuring the slope, which is defined as the ratio of half the base to the height) of 5 ½ palms. Taking into account the fact that there are 7 palms in one cubit (cubit), it turns out that with such a chosen seked, the double ratio of the base to the height is 22/7, a well-known approximation of the number pi since ancient times, which, apparently, happened by chance, since other pyramids had chosen other values for seked.

Franck Monnier, Public Domain

The study of the geometry of the Great Pyramid does not give an unambiguous answer to the question of the original proportions of this structure. It is assumed that the Egyptians had an idea of \u200b\u200bthe "Golden Section" and the number pi, which were reflected in the proportions of the pyramid: for example, the ratio of height to half the perimeter of the base is 14/22 (height \u003d 280 cubits, and the base \u003d 220 cubits, half-perimeter of the base \u003d 2 ×220 cubits; 280/440 = 14/22). For the first time in world history, these values were used in the construction of the pyramid at Meidum. However, for pyramids of later eras, these proportions were not used anywhere else, as, for example, some have height-to-base ratios, such as 6/5 (Pink Pyramid), 4/3 (Chefren's Pyramid) or 7/5 (Broken Pyramid).

Some of the theories consider the pyramid astronomical observatory. It is alleged that the corridors of the pyramid accurately point towards the "polar star" of that time - Tuban, the ventilation corridors of the south side - to the star Sirius, and from the north side - to the star Alnitak.

Internal structure

The entrance to the pyramid is at a height of 15.63 meters on the north side. Entrance form stone slabs, laid in the form of an arch, but this is the structure that was inside the pyramid - the true entrance has not been preserved. The true entrance to the pyramid was most likely closed with a stone plug. A description of such a cork can be found in Strabo, and its appearance can also be imagined based on the surviving slab that closed the upper entrance to the Bent Pyramid of Snefru, the father of Cheops. Today, tourists enter the pyramid through a 17-meter gap, which was made in 820 by the Baghdad caliph Abdullah al-Mamun 10 meters lower. He hoped to find the pharaoh's untold treasures there, but found only a layer of dust half a cubit thick.

Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are three burial chambers located one above the other.

Yucatan, CC BY-SA 4.0

Funeral "pit"

A descending corridor 105 m long, inclined at 26° 26’46, leads to a horizontal corridor 8.9 m long leading to the chamber 5 . Located below ground level in a rocky limestone base, it was left unfinished. The dimensions of the chamber are 14 × 8.1 m, it is elongated from east to west. The height reaches 3.5 m, the ceiling has a large crack. At south wall chamber there is a well about 3 m deep, from which southbound a narrow manhole (0.7 × 0.7 m in cross section) stretches for 16 m, ending in a dead end.

john and edgar morton, Public Domain

Engineers John Shae Perring and Richard William Howard Vyse cleared the floor of the chamber in the early 19th century and dug a 11.6 m deep well in which they hoped to find a hidden burial chamber. They were based on the evidence of Herodotus, who claimed that the body of Cheops was on an island surrounded by a channel in a hidden underground chamber.

Their excavations turned up nothing. Later research showed that the chamber was left unfinished, and it was decided to arrange the burial chambers in the center of the pyramid itself.

Photos taken in 1910

john and edgar morton, Public Domain

Ascending Corridor and Queen's Chambers

From the first third of the descending passage (after 18 m from the main entrance) upwards at the same angle of 26.5 ° there is an ascending passage to the south ( 6 ) about 40 m long, ending at the bottom of the Great Gallery ( 9 ).

At its beginning, the ascending passage contains 3 large cubic granite “plugs”, which, from the outside, from the descending passage, were masked by a block of limestone that fell out during the work of al-Mamun. Thus, for the previous approximately 3 thousand years, it was believed that there were no other rooms in the Great Pyramid, except for the descending passage and the underground chamber. Al-Ma'mun failed to break through these plugs and simply hollowed out a bypass in the softer limestone to the right of them. This passage is still in use today. There are two main theories about plugs, one of them is that the ascending passage has plugs installed at the beginning of construction and thus this passage was sealed by them from the very beginning. The second asserts that the present narrowing of the walls was caused by an earthquake, and the plugs were previously located within the Great Gallery and were used to seal the passage only after the burial of the pharaoh.

Franck Monnier, GNU 1.2

An important mystery of this section of the ascending passage is that in the place where the traffic jams are now located, in a full-size, albeit shortened model of the pyramid passages - the so-called test corridors north of the Great Pyramid - there is a junction of not two, but three corridors at once, the third of which is the vertical tunnel. Since no one has been able to move the traffic jams so far, the question of whether there is a vertical hole above them remains open.

Jon Bodsworth, Green Copyright

In the middle of the ascending passage, the construction of the walls has a feature: in three places the so-called "frame stones" were installed - that is, a passage square along the entire length pierces through three monoliths. The purpose of these stones is unknown. In the area of the frame stones, the passage walls have several small niches.

john and edgar morton, Public Domain

A horizontal corridor 35 m long and 1.75 m high leads to the second burial chamber from the lower part of the Great Gallery in a southerly direction. . Behind the western wall of the passage there are cavities filled with sand.

The second chamber is traditionally called the "Queen's Chamber", although according to the rite, the wives of the pharaohs were buried in separate small pyramids. The "Queen's Chamber", lined with limestone, has 5.74 meters from east to west and 5.23 meters from north to south; its maximum height is 6.22 meters. There is a high niche in the eastern wall of the chamber.

Grotto, Grand Gallery and Pharaoh's Chambers

Jon Bodsworth, Green Copyright

Grotto ( 12 ) is located at the "junction" of the masonry of the pyramid and a small, about 9 meters high, hill on a limestone plateau lying at the base Great Pyramid. The walls of the Grotto are partially reinforced with ancient masonry, and since some of its stones are too large, there is an assumption that the Grotto existed on the Giza plateau as an independent structure long before the construction of the pyramids, and the evacuation shaft itself was built taking into account the location of the Grotto. However, taking into account the fact that the shaft was actually hollowed out in the already laid masonry, and not laid out, as evidenced by its irregular circular section, the question arises of how the builders managed to accurately reach the Grotto.

Jon Bodsworth, Green Copyright

The large gallery continues the ascending passage. Its height is 8.53 m, it is rectangular in cross section, with walls slightly tapering upwards (the so-called “false vault”), a high inclined tunnel 46.6 m long. 1 meter wide and 60 cm deep, and on both side protrusions there are 27 pairs of recesses of unclear purpose. The deepening ends with the so-called. The “Big Step” is a high horizontal ledge, a platform of 1 × 2 meters at the end of the Great Gallery, directly in front of the entrance to the “entrance hall” - the Anterior Chamber. The site has a pair of recesses similar to the ramp recesses, recesses at the corners near the wall (the 28th and last pair of BG recesses). Through the "entrance hall" the manhole leads to the burial chamber "King's Chamber" lined with black granite, where an empty granite sarcophagus is placed. The lid of the sarcophagus is missing. Ventilation shafts have mouths in the "King's Chamber" on the southern and northern walls at a height of about a meter from the floor level. The mouth of the southern ventilation shaft is badly damaged, the northern one appears undamaged. The floor, ceiling, walls of the chamber do not have any decorations or holes or fasteners of anything related to the time of the construction of the pyramid. The ceiling slabs have all burst along the southern wall and do not fall into the room only due to the pressure of the overlying blocks by the weight.

john and edgar morton, Public Domain

Above the "King's Chamber" there are five discharge cavities discovered in the 19th century with a total height of 17 m, between which lie monolithic granite slabs with a thickness of about 2 m, and above - a gable ceiling of limestone. It is believed that their purpose is to distribute the weight of the overlying layers of the pyramid (about a million tons) in order to protect the "King's Chamber" from pressure. In these voids, graffiti was found, probably left by workers.

ventilation ducts

From the “King’s Chamber” and the “Queen’s Chamber” in the north and south directions (at first horizontally, then obliquely upwards) the so-called “ventilation” channels 20-25 cm wide depart. At the same time, the channels of the “King’s Chamber”, known since the 17th century, through, they are open both from below and from above (on the faces of the pyramid), while the lower ends of the channels of the "Queen's Chamber" are separated from the surface of the wall by about 13 cm, they were discovered by tapping in 1872. The upper ends of these channels do not reach the surface of about 12 meters. The upper ends of the channels of the "Queen's Chamber" are closed with stone "Gantenbrink Doors", each with two copper handles. Copper handles were sealed with plaster seals (not preserved, but traces remained). In the southern ventilation shaft, the “door” was discovered in 1993 using the Upuaut II remote-controlled robot; the bend of the northern shaft did not allow this robot to detect the same "door" in it. In 2002, using a new modification of the robot, a hole was drilled in the southern "door", but a small cavity 18 centimeters long and another stone "door" were found behind it. What lies next is still unknown. This robot confirmed the presence of a similar "door" at the end of the northern channel, but they did not drill it. A new robot in 2010 was able to insert a serpentine television camera through a drilled hole in the southern “door” and found that the copper “handles” on the other side of the “door” were designed in the form of neat hinges, and separate badges were applied in red ocher on the floor of the “ventilation” shaft. Currently, the most common version is that the purpose of the "ventilation" ducts was of a religious nature and is associated with the Egyptians' ideas about the afterlife journey of the soul. And the “door” at the end of the channel is nothing more than a door to the afterlife. That is why it does not go to the surface of the pyramid. Pyramid of Queen Meritites (G1b)

Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)
Great Pyramid of Giza
Arab. الهرم الأكبر or هرم خوفو
English Great Pyramid of Giza, Pyramid of Khufu or Pyramid of Cheops

Statistical data

Altitude (today): ≈ 138.75 m
Sidewall Angle (Now): 51° 50"
Side rib length (original): 230.33 m (calculated) or about 440 royal cubits
Side rib length (now): about 225 m
The length of the sides of the base of the pyramid: south - 230.454 m; north - 230.253 m; west - 230.357 m; east - 230.394 m
Base area (originally): ≈ 53,000 m² (5.3 ha)
Side surface area of the pyramid (originally): ≈ 85,500 m²
Base perimeter: 922 m
The total volume of the pyramid without deducting the cavities inside the pyramid (initially): ≈ 2.58 million m³
Total volume of the pyramid minus all known cavities (originally): 2.50 million m³
Average volume of stone blocks: 1.147 m³
Average weight of stone blocks: 2.5 t
The heaviest stone block: about 35 tons - located above the entrance to the "King's Chamber".
The number of blocks of the average volume does not exceed 1.65 million (2.50 million m³ - 0.6 million m³ of rock base inside the pyramid = 1.9 million m³ / 1.147 m³ = 1.65 million blocks of the specified volume can physically fit in the pyramid, without taking into account the volume of the solution in the interblock seams); reference to a 20-year construction period * 300 working days per year * 10 working hours per day * 60 minutes per hour results in a laying (and delivery to the construction site) speed of about a block of two minutes.
According to estimates, the total weight of the pyramid is about 4 million tons (1.65 million blocks x 2.5 tons)
The base of the pyramid rests on a natural rocky elevation with a height in the center of about 12-14 m and, according to the latest data, occupies at least 23% of the original volume of the pyramid

Research History

Recent Research

There is a version that tries to explain the exact fit of individual blocks during the construction of the pyramid by the fact that the blocks were created from a concrete-like material by gradually raising the formwork and making blocks right on the spot - hence the accuracy of the fit. This version was proposed by a French chemist, Professor J. Davidovits. Professor Davidowitz in the middle of the twentieth century developed a method for creating the so-called geopolymer concrete. Davidowitz suggested that his discovery might have been known to the builders of the pyramids. Subsequent studies disproved this theory.

There are also non-scientific works on the pyramids by some researchers, such as Erich von Däniken and Christopher Dunn (The Enigma of the Ancient Egyptian Machines, 1984), based on the outdated information of Sir William Flinders Petrie from The Pyramids and Temples of Giza (1883).

Around the pyramid

pharaoh boats

Near the pyramids, seven pits were found with real ancient Egyptian boats disassembled into parts.

The first of these ships, called "" or "Solar Boats", was discovered in 1954 by the Egyptian architect Kamal el-Mallah and archaeologist Zaki Nur.

The boat was made of cedar and did not have a single trace of nails for attaching elements. The boat consisted of 1224 parts, they were assembled by the restorer Ahmed Youssef Mustafa only in 1968.

The dimensions of the boat are: length - 43.3 m, width - 5.6 m, and draft - 1.50 m. A museum of this boat is open on the south side of the Cheops pyramid.

The pyramid is called "Akhet-Khufu" - "Horizon of Khufu"(or more accurately " Pertaining to the sky - (this is) Khufu"). Consists of blocks of limestone, basalt and granite. It was built on a natural hill. Although the pyramid Cheops- the highest and most voluminous of all Egyptian pyramids, but still Pharaoh Snefru built the pyramids in Meidum and Dahshut (Broken Pyramid and Pink Pyramid), the total mass of which is estimated at 8.4 million tons. This means that 2.15 million tons were used to build these pyramids. or 25.6% more material than was required for the pyramid of Cheops.

The pyramid was originally lined with white limestone, harder than the main blocks. The top of the pyramid was crowned with a gilded stone - a pyramidion. The cladding shone peach in the Sun, as if " a shining miracle to which the sun god Ra himself seemed to give all his rays". In 1168 AD e. The Arabs sacked and burned Cairo. Residents of Cairo removed the lining from the pyramid in order to build new houses.

pyramid structure

Strabo Caliph Abu Ja'far al-Ma'mun. He hoped to find the innumerable treasures of the pharaoh there, but found there only a layer of dust half a cubit thick.

Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are three burial chambers located one above the other.

Rice. 2. Cross section of the pyramid of Cheops: 1. Main entrance, 2. The entrance that Al-Mamoun made, 3. Crossroads, “traffic jam” and Al-Mamun tunnel made “bypassing” traffic jams, 4. Descending corridor, 5. Unfinished underground chamber – ( funeral « pit ”), 6. Ascending corridor, 7. “ Queen's Chamber» with outgoing « air ducts ”, 8. Horizontal tunnel, 9. Large gallery, 10. pharaoh's chamber from " air ducts ”, 11. Prechamber, 12. Grotto.

The entrance to the pyramid is located at a height of 15.63 meters on the north side.. The entrance is formed by stone slabs laid in the form of an arch. This entrance to the pyramid was sealed with a granite plug.. A description of this plug can be found in Strabo. Today, tourists get inside the pyramid through a 17 m gap, which was made in 820 by Caliph Abu Jafar al-Ma'mun. He hoped to find the pharaoh's innumerable treasures there, but found there only a layer of dust half a cubit thick.. Inside the pyramid of Cheops are three burial chambers . They are located one below the other - King's Chamber(pharaoh)", " Queen's Chamber», Unfinished underground chamber – (funeral « pit »).

Grotto, Grand Gallery and Chambers (Chamber) of the Pharaoh with a sarcophagus

Rice. 3. View King's chambers ( Rice. 2. - p. 10) with an empty sarcophagus. You can clearly see exactly fitted flat blocks of granite, from which the walls, floor and ceiling of this room are made. The empty granite sarcophagus is located asymmetrically in relation to the dimensions of the room.

Rice. 4. Large inclined Gallery(Fig. 2. - p. 9), leading to " Chamber of the King (Pharaoh)» (Fig. 2. - p. 11 and p. 10). The walls of the gallery are made inclined with narrowing upwards and have symmetrical protruding ledges. On the right and left sides of the passage on rectangular ledges, rectangular grooves are also clearly visible, located at an equal distance from each other. There are 28 pairs of these grooves in total. Since there are grooves, it means that something was definitely inserted there and, probably, was removed. However, the grooves could perform another function, which, to our regret, is not yet known.

Another branch from the lower part of the Great Gallery is a narrow almost vertical shaft about 60 m high, leading to the lower part of the descending passage. There is an assumption that it was intended for the evacuation of workers or priests who completed " sealing » main passage to « King's chamber". Approximately in the middle of it there is a small, most likely natural extension - “ Grotto» ( Grotto) of irregular shape, in which several people could fit from strength. Grotto- (Fig. 2 - (12)) is located on " junction» masonry of the pyramid and a small, about 9 meters high, hill on a limestone plateau lying at the base of the Great Pyramid. The walls of the Grotto are partially reinforced with ancient masonry, and since some of its stones are too large, there is an assumption that the Grotto existed on the Giza plateau as an independent structure long before the construction of the pyramids, and the evacuation shaft itself was built taking into account the location of the Grotto. However, taking into account the fact that the shaft was actually hollowed out in the already laid masonry, and not laid out, as evidenced by its irregular circular section, the question arises of how the builders managed to accurately reach the Grotto.

Big Gallery

Rice. 5. Black and white shot of the beginning Great Gallery ( Rice. 2. - p. 9) with a high step, at which stands a fellah. On the right and left, rectangular grooves along the lower part of the side walls of the gallery are clearly visible. 1910

The large gallery continues the ascending passage. Its height is 8.53 m, it is rectangular in cross section, with walls slightly tapering upwards (the so-called “false vault”), a high inclined tunnel 46.6 m long. In the middle Grand Gallery almost along the entire length, there is a square recess, regular in section, with dimensions 1 meter wide and 60 cm deep, and on both side protrusions there are 27 pairs of recesses of an incomprehensible purpose. The deepening ends with the so-called. " big step"- a high horizontal ledge, a platform of 1x2 meters, at the end of the Great Gallery, directly in front of the manhole in" hallway » - Anterior chamber ( king) (Fig. 2. - p. 11). The site has a pair of recesses similar to the recesses of the ramp, recesses at the corners near the wall ( 28th and last pair of recesses BG.). Through the "entrance hall" the manhole leads to the burial "Chamber of the King", lined with black granite, where an empty granite sarcophagus is located.

Above the "King's Chamber" are discovered in the XIX century. five unloading cavities with a total height of 17 m, between which lie monolithic slabs with a thickness of about 2 m, and above - a gable ceiling. Their purpose is to distribute the weight of the overlying layers of the pyramid (about a million tons) in order to protect the "King's Chamber" from pressure. Graffiti has been found in these voids, probably left by workers.

Rice. 6. Isometric plan with cuts king's chamber. On the left, the upper end of the slope is visible. galleries with grooves on the sides, a rectangular step in front of the entrance and a hole into the King's chamber. Bottom right king's chamber granite sarcophagus on the right side of the chamber king. On the right, there is a rectangular shaft above the sarcophagus, which ends with an unloading gable " roof ”from granite blocks - “Above the“ King’s Chamber ”are discovered in the 19th century. five unloading cavities with a total height of 17 m, between which monolithic slabs with a thickness of about 2 m lie, and above - a gable ceiling.

Rice. 7. Black and white shot entrance and manhole from inside the King's Chamber. 1910

Ascending Corridor and Queen's Chambers

From the first third of the descending passage (after 18 m from the main entrance) upwards at the same angle of 26.5 ° there is an ascending passage to the south (Fig. 2. - p. 6 ) about 40 m long, ending in the lower part of the Great Gallery (Fig. 2. - p. 9 ).

Rice. 8. At its beginning, the ascending passage contains 3 large cubic granite “plugs”, which, from the outside, from the descending passage, were masked by a block of limestone that fell out accidentally during the work of Al-Mamun - (Fig. 2 - p. 3) Thus, the previous ones are approximately For 3 thousand years it was believed that in the Great Pyramid there were no other rooms, except for the descending passage and the underground chamber. Al-Ma'mun failed to break through these plugs, and he simply hollowed out a bypass in the softer limestone to the right of them. This passage is still in use today. There are two main theories about the plugs, one of them is that the ascending passage has plugs installed at the beginning of construction and thus this passage was sealed by them from the very beginning. The second asserts that the present narrowing of the walls was caused by an earthquake, and the plugs were previously located within the Great Gallery and were used to seal the passage only after the burial of the pharaoh. An important mystery of this section of the ascending passage is that in the place where the traffic jams are now located, in a full-sized, albeit shortened model of the pyramid's passages - the so-called. test corridors north of the Great Pyramid - there is a junction of not two, but three corridors at once, the third of which is a vertical tunnel. Since no one has been able to move the traffic jams so far, the question of whether there is a vertical hole above them remains open. In the middle of the ascending passage, the construction of the walls has a peculiarity: the so-called “frame stones” are installed in three places - that is, the passage, square along the entire length, pierces through three monoliths. The purpose of these stones is unknown..

A horizontal corridor 35 m long and 1.75 m high leads to the second burial chamber from the lower part of the Great Gallery in a southerly direction. The second chamber is traditionally called« Queen's Chamber”, although according to the rite, the wives of the pharaohs were buried in separate small pyramids. " Queen's Chamber”, lined with limestone, has 5.74 meters from east to west and 5.23 meters from north to south; its maximum height is 6.22 meters. There is a high niche in the eastern wall of the chamber.

Rice. 9. Plan in isometry with sections chambers of the Queen(Fig. 2 - item 7). Shown on the left stepped niche in the cell wall. Right horizontal entrance in the Queen's Chamber. Above the walls of the Chamber of the Queen there are stone blocks in the form of a gable roof to relieve pressure on the chamber. Schematically shows the channels "air ducts" coming out of the chamber.

Rice. 10. Type of entry into a stepped niche from chambers of the Queen(Fig. 2 - item 7).

Rice. 11. Black and white image of the entrance to the Queen's Chamber from the inclined Gallery (Fig. 2 - p. 8). 1910

ventilation ducts

From " King's chambers" (Fig. 2 - item 10) and " Queen's chambers"(Fig. 2 - item 7) in the northern and southern directions (first horizontally, then obliquely upwards) the so-called" ventilation » channels with a width in diameter - 20-25 cm. At the same time, the channels « King's chambers», known since the 17th century, through, they are open both from below and from above (on the faces of the pyramid), while the lower ends of the channels " Queen's chambers"separates about 13 cm from the surface of the wall, they were discovered by tapping in 1872. The upper ends of these channels do not reach the surface of the side faces of the Cheops pyramid.. The end of the southern channel is closed with stone " doors", discovered in 1993 using the remote-controlled robot "Upuaut II". In 2002, with the help of a new modification of the robot " door” was drilled, but a small cavity was discovered behind it and another “ door». What's next is still unknown.. Versions are currently being expressed that the purpose of " ventilation » channels is of a religious nature and is associated with the ideas of the Egyptians about the afterlife journey of the soul.

Funeral "pit"

A descending corridor 105 m long, going at an inclination of 26° 26'46, leads to a horizontal corridor (Fig. 2. - point 4) 8.9 m long leading to the chamber (Fig. 2. - point 5), named Funeral "pit". Located below ground level, in a rocky limestone base, it remained unfinished. The dimensions of the chamber are 14 × 8.1 m, it is elongated from east to west. The height of the chamber reaches 3.5 m. At the southern wall of the chamber there is a well about 3 m deep, from which a narrow manhole (0.7 × 0.7 m in cross section) stretches southward for 16 m, ending in a dead end. Engineers John Shae Perring and Howard Vyse in the early 19th century dismantled the floor in the cell and dug a deep well 11.6 m deep in which they hoped to find a hidden burial room. They were based on the evidence of Herodotus, who claimed that the body of Cheops was on an island surrounded by a channel in a hidden underground chamber. Their digs came up with nothing.. Later research showed that the chamber was abandoned unfinished, and burial chambers it was decided to arrange in the center of the pyramid itself.

Rice. 12. Black and white image of the interior " underground» cameras. 1910. Half of the fellah's body is visible on the left, leaning out of the passage into the cell.

A COMMENT:

Now we can show on the plan the Pyramid of Cheops in the matrix of the Universe the position " Libra in h ale Judgment of Maat over the hearts of Ab (Ab)Living creatures". Figure 13 shows a section of the Cheops pyramid according to Weiss. It is more accurate than the one shown in Figure 2 from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia.

Rice. 13. Section of the pyramid Cheops (Khufu, Khufu) in Giza. By Weiss.

Rice. 14. The figure shows the result of combining the section of the pyramid of Cheops (according to Weiss) in Giza with " energy matrix of the universe ”or simply the matrix of the Universe. This drawing is similar to Figure 8 from our work - Amon-Ra discovered the secret of the original plan of the premises in the pyramid of Cheops. All the main elements of the section of the pyramid of Cheops are located in the Lower World of the matrix of the Universe. The top of the vault above king's chamber» aligned with the third position from the left on the 7th level, the base « King's chambers» with the sarcophagus was combined with the 10th level. Foundation " Queen's chambers"- with the 12th level, the base of the pyramid - with the 14th level. Entrance to the gallery - with the 13th level, the passage to " lower horizon"in the rocky base of the pyramid - with the 14th level, and he" lower horizon” aligned with the 17th level of the Nether matrix. The remaining elements of combining the plan of the section of the pyramid with the matrix of the Universe are clearly visible in the figure. Side angles of the pyramid Khufu and matrix pyramids are clearly different. Right side of the pyramid section Khufu facing north and the left side facing south.

Now compatible with the matrix of the Universe Egyptian pattern of weighing the heart Ab (Ab) from our work - The Mystery of the Gravestone by the Italian sculptor Antonio Canova together with the plan of the section of the pyramid Khufu, which is shown in the previous figure 14.

In the well-known Egyptian The myth of Osiris « council of the gods» in the retinue of Osiris ( Asar) was called - " pout – Paut". Their total number was - 42. « council of the gods"helped Osiris analyze and evaluate the deeds of a deceased person for a lifetime. The number 42 exactly corresponds to the sum of the "positions" of 13, 14 and 15 levels – 13+14+15 = 42 - The lower world of the matrix of the Universe. In the same area of the matrix of the Universe was located " Hall Double » Maati (Goddess of Truth and Truth), where on the scales it was weighed " a heart » – Ab - Ab – (aspects of the creature's soul). Placed on one scale feather maati, and on the other scale was placed " a heart » Ab. If " a heart » Ab turned out to be harder Feather Maati ", or Maat herself with open arms on the scales, ( the creature sinned a lot), then this heart " ate " creature Ammit with the head and half of the body of a crocodile, and the back half of the body of a hippo.

Rice. 16. The figure shows the result of joint combination in the matrix of the Universe of the pyramid plan Khufu and an Egyptian drawing of a scene weighing the heart » « Ab". It is clearly seen that the vertical axis of the scales is aligned with the vertical axis of the matrix pyramid and the section of Khufu's pyramid, and the transverse crossbar of the scales is aligned with the 14th level of the Lower World of the Universe matrix, which is also the base of Khufu's pyramid on a rocky plateau. The remaining details of the combination are visible in the figure.

Now, on top of this drawing, we write the word in Egyptian hieroglyphs Paut (Paut), which will show us the location area in the matrix of 42 gods - advisers to Osiris.

Rice. 17. The figure shows the entry of the word POUT – PAUT Egyptian hieroglyphs into the Lower World of the matrix of the Universe, which " determine Osiris (Asar). The lower hieroglyph in the form of a "circle with a square inside" defines » in the matrix of the Universe, the location of 42 gods - advisers Osiris (Asar). Hieroglyph T(t) aligned with the Queen's chamber. Hieroglyph U(U) practically occupied the entire space from the base of the King's Chamber to the sharp top of a rectangular shaft above the sarcophagus in the King's Chamber. The shaft ends with an unloading gable " roof ”from granite blocks - “Above the“ King’s Chamber ”are discovered in the 19th century. five unloading cavities with a total height of 17 m, between which lie monolithic slabs with a thickness of about 2 m, and above - a gable ceiling. The position of the remaining hieroglyphs is clearly visible in the figure. Assuming that the word pout (Paut) was for the priests of Egypt one of the " prayer words » inside the pyramid of Cheops, such as when they were indoors king's chamber in front of the sarcophagus, which could simply be opened, then such a rite can be called an appeal to the council 42 gods - assistants of Osiris (Asar). Wherein Pyramid of Khufu, how " resonant device ” similarly translated the words of prayer into the matrix of the Universe. If an Egyptian word is added to the words of the prayer appeal of the priests Paauta meaning like " creature male» so and « creature woman”(Fig. 13) from our work - Who are you Russians, and we know who! , then you get the following meaningful prayer appeal, for example, - “ We pray to Osiris and his advice to the gods (pout) about sending forgiveness and blessings to the soul of the King - Pharaoh and/or to his close associates for future incarnation into a human being - (Paauta)". Wherein Pyramid of Khufu again, how " resonant device ” similarly translated the words of prayer into the matrix of the Universe. With the seeming fantasticness of our assumption, it may correspond to the true state of affairs, and determine the true purpose of construction pyramids of Khufu. Probably other Egyptian pyramids too. This is indicated by the surprisingly accurate results of combining the plan of the Khufu pyramid, Egyptian drawings and Egyptian words written in hieroglyphs into the matrix of the Universe. Additional " resonant devices ", which could be installed in the grooves of the inclined Gallery, strengthened" the effect » such a connection. Thus, all Pyramid of Khufu and its specific interior spaces constituted a single " resonant device » to contact « subtle worlds of the Universe and their inhabitants. Priests ancient egypt were wise scientists, possessed sacred knowledge, and, for sure, knew how to work with it even " hermetically sealed » « resonant device ". Today subject to availability a large number « destruction - changes in the parameters of the resonant device » its quality can be « broken or worsened ».

Figure 18 shows the result of writing the Egyptian hieroglyphs of the word Paauta (Paauta) - "being a man" into the matrix of the Universe and comparing it with the Sanskrit entry of the word Jiva Loka - " space jiv - shower» in the matrix of the Universe.

Rice. 18. This is how the Egyptian priests understood what “ Creature Man". On the right in the figure, an ancient hieroglyphic inscription is shown. Paut - Paauta – Paauta – « Creature Man". It was enough to change the last hieroglyph to the image of a woman and the hieroglyphic record would be read - “ Creature Woman", and it would also sound - Paut - Paauta – Paauta. On the left in the picture is written in Sanskrit the word - Jiva Loka- space Shower - Jiv in the matrix of the Universe. Comparing the hieroglyphic notation on the right and the Sanskrit notation on the left, we see that the top hieroglyph Pa (Pa) in the form of a bird with open wings means the possibility Souls - Jivas rise above the former space and rush further into the Upper world of the matrix of the Universe. Egyptian priests knew about this possibility for Souls - Jivas, which the Lord gave her, and reflected it in hieroglyphic text.

Pyramid of Cheops, Height 139 m.

The only surviving of the seven wonders of the world, the pyramid of Cheops, for almost three thousand years was the tallest building on Earth. Only built in England (1300) Cathedral moved it to second place. The authorship of the project belongs to the nephew of Pharaoh Cheops, the vizier Hemiun. The birthday of the pyramid is considered August 23. This date is calculated using the astronomical methods of Kate Spence, University of Cambridge. In Egypt, it is officially recognized as a holiday. Scholars disagree on when construction began. Existing methods for determining age give a result with a spread of 270 years. from 2577 to 2850. The construction of the pyramid lasted 30 years. For 10 years, several tens of thousands of slaves built a road for the delivery of stone blocks. The next 20 years took the construction process.
Time and people did not spare the great creation of the Egyptian builders. The base is covered with a solid layer of sand. Approximate depth of deposit is 15 - 17 meters. The wind and the sun carried away several meters of the height of the pyramid. The surface and edges are severely damaged by erosion. The decoration of the gilded stone on top of the building is missing. The facing tiles were removed and used in the reconstruction of the city after its destruction by the Arabs; today it has not been preserved. These factors greatly affect the measurement accuracy. The actual height today is 138.75 meters. Attempts to determine the height at the end of construction by the calculation method also have a certain error due to the non-ideal geometric shape. Most researchers agree on the following data:

The length of each of the four sides is 230.33 - 230.37 meters;

The slope of the pyramid is 51° 50":

Based on these data, the estimated minimum building height can be 146.59 meters, the maximum is 146.60 meters. These data presumably reflect the height of the pyramid at the end of construction. Egyptian builders did not use the metric system of measurement. An attempt to translate metric data into ancient Egyptian led to the following results:

The length of the sides is from 434 to 444 royal cubits (1 cubit is equal to 0.5235 m);

Angle of inclination (seked) - 5 1/2 palms

Height - 280 royal cubits;

In all cases of measurements and calculations, only results that are rounded with approximate accuracy are obtained. What is the height of the pyramid of Cheops at the end of construction? There seems to be no need for super-precise definitions. But many researchers are haunted by the idea that such a grandiose structure is intended for only one purpose - the burial of the ruler of the country. Various hypotheses have arisen about the information encoded in the design.

From the stories of Herodotus it is known that the shape and proportions of sizes were designed using mathematical methods. The area of the square on the given side, equal to the height of the pyramid, is equal to the area of each of the faces. Starting from this fact, inquisitive minds began to compare the size of the structure and their relationship with global astronomical and planetary data. The discovered coincidences gave rise to new hypotheses about the level of knowledge of the Egyptian priests, the extraterrestrial origin of the authors and executors of the project, about the builders from the missing Atlantis.
The main results of the calculations:
one billionth of the distance between the sun and the earth is equal to the height of the pyramid. In Europe, this distance was determined only in the eighteenth century. The assumption of the reality of this coincidence takes us into the realm of fantasy. The level of knowledge of the Egyptian priests for 5000 years surpassed earthly science.

The length of the side of the pyramid, divided by the duration of the annual period in days, gives a number corresponding to 10 millionth of the earth's semiaxis with enviable accuracy.

The sum of the lengths of all sides of the building (perimeter length), divided by twice the height, will give the number p (Pi), known to us as the ratio of the circumference to the diameter.

Most scientists do not take these hypotheses seriously and consider them to be a numbers game. The theory of approximate calculations says that if as a result of division it is necessary to obtain a result accurate to the sixth decimal place (3.14159), the dividend and divisor must have the appropriate number of decimal places. A measurement difference of several centimeters casts doubt on all subsequent calculation data. Modern science can neither convincingly confirm nor refute these hypotheses. Let's hope that future generations will be able, under the auspices of UNESCO or another organization, to carry out restoration work and solve these mysteries.

The most ancient wonder of the world that we can admire even now is the pyramid of Cheops. Shrouded in myths and legends Egyptian pyramid was the largest and tallest building for many millennia. Khufu (another name for the pyramid) is located in Giza - the popular place crowds of tourists.

History of the pyramids

The pyramids in Egypt are practically the main attraction of the country. There are many hypotheses related to their origin and construction. But they all agree on one important conclusion of the pyramids in Egypt - these are impressive tombs for the great inhabitants of the country (in those days they were pharaohs). The Egyptians believed in the afterlife and life after death. It was believed that only a few were worthy of continuing their life path after death - these are the pharaohs themselves of their families and the slaves who were constantly next to the lords. The images of slaves and servants were painted on the walls of the tombs so that after their death they could continue to serve their king. According to the ancient religion of the Egyptians, a person had two inner souls Ba and Ka. Ba - left the Egyptian after his death, and Ka always acted as a virtual double and waited for him in the world of the dead.

So that the pharaoh did not need anything in the afterlife, food, weapons, kitchen utensils, gold and much more were left in the tomb of the pyramid. In order for the body to remain unchanged and wait for the second soul of Ba, it was necessary to preserve it. This is how the birth of embalming the body and the need to create pyramids arose.

The emergence of the pyramids in Egypt originates from the construction of the pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser 5 thousand years ago. The outer walls of the first pyramid were in the form of steps, which symbolized the ascent to heaven. The height of the structure was 60 meters with many corridors and several tombs. Djoser's chamber was located in the underground part of the pyramid. From royal tomb several more moves were made leading to small chambers. They contained all the accessories for the further afterlife of the Egyptians. Closer to the east, chambers for the entire family of the pharaoh were found. The building itself was not so huge compared to the pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops, whose height is almost 3 times greater. But it is with the pyramid of Djoser that the history of the emergence of all Egyptian pyramids begins.

Very often in the photo of the pyramid of Cheops you can see two more adjacent pyramids. This famous pyramids Herfen and Mekerin. It is these three pyramids that are considered the most important assets of the country. The height of the pyramid of Cheops significantly distinguishes it from the rest of the standing and other pyramids of Egypt. Initially, the walls of the structure were smooth, but after a long period of years they began to crumble. If you look at modern photos pyramids of Cheops, you can see the relief of the facade and its unevenness, formed over millennia.

The birth of the pyramid of Cheops

The Pyramid of Cheops, according to the official version, was erected in the autumn of 2480 BC. date of origin of the first ancient miracle light, many historians and researchers dispute, arguing in favor of their arguments. The construction of the Great Pyramid lasted about 2-3 decades. More than one hundred thousand inhabitants of ancient Egypt and the best masters of that time participated in it. First of all, a large road was built for the delivery of building materials, then underground passages and mine. Most of the time was spent on the construction of the upper part of the pyramid - the walls and internal passages and tombs.

There are very interesting feature buildings: the height of the pyramid of Cheops in its original form and the width was 147 meters each. Due to the sands that covered the base of the building and the shedding of the facing part, it decreased by 10 meters and now it is now 137 meters in height. A giant tomb was built mainly from huge blocks of limestone and granite weighing about 2.5 tons, which were carefully polished so as not to lose the ideal shape of the structure. And in the tomb of the most ancient pharaoh, granite blocks were found, the weight of which reached almost 80 tons. According to Egyptologists' calculations, it took about 2,300,000 huge stones, which cannot but impress us all.

The doubts associated with the construction of the pyramid were that in those dark times there were no special machines and devices at all capable of lifting and ideally folding heavy blocks under a certain slope. Some believed that more than a million people took part in the construction, others that the blocks were lifted by a lifting mechanism. Everything was so thought out and as perfect as possible that without the use of concrete mortar and cement, the stones were laid in such a way that it was completely impossible to insert even thin paper between them! There is an assumption that the pyramid was created not at all by people, but by aliens or another force unknown to man.

We are based specifically on the fact that the pyramids are still the creation of people. In order to quickly extract a stone of the required size and shape from the rock, its outlines were made. The conditional form was carved, and a dry tree was inserted there. It was regularly watered with water, the tree grew from moisture, and under its pressure a crack formed in the rock. Now a large block was removed and betrayed to her the required shape and size. Stones for construction were redirected along the river by huge boats.

Massive wooden sleds were used to lift the heavy boulders up. On a gentle slope, the stones were lifted one by one by teams of their hundreds of slaves.

Pyramid device

The entrance to the pyramid was originally not where it is now. It had the shape of an arch and was located on the northern side of the building with a height of more than 15 meters. In an attempt to rob the great tomb in 820, a new entrance was made, already at a height of 17 meters. But Caliph Abu Jafar, who wanted to enrich himself with the loot, did not find any jewels and valuables and left with nothing. This passage is now open to tourists.

The pyramid consists of several long corridors leading to the tombs. Immediately after the entrance there is a common corridor that diverges into 2 tunnels leading to the central and lower parts of the pyramid. For some reason, the chamber below was not completed. There is also a narrow loophole, behind which there is only a dead end and a three-meter well. Climbing up the corridor, you will find yourself in Great Gallery. If you turn left at the first turn and walk a little, you will see the chamber of the bishop's wife. And along the corridor above there is the largest one - the tomb of the pharaoh himself.

The beginning of the gallery is interesting in that a long and narrow almost vertical grotto was built there. There is an assumption that he was there even before the foundation of the pyramid itself. From both tombs of the pharaoh and his wife, narrow passages about 20 centimeters wide were made. Presumably they were made to ventilate the wards. There is another version that these passages and corridors are pointers to the stars: Sirius, Alnitaki and Tuban, and that the pyramid served as a place for astronomical research. But there is another opinion - according to the belief in the afterlife, the Egyptians believed that the soul returns from heaven through the channels.

There is one important and interesting fact - the construction of the pyramid was carried out strictly at one angle of 26.5 degrees. There is every reason to believe that the inhabitants of antiquity were very well versed in geometry and the exact sciences. What are the proportional smooth corridors and ventilation ducts.

Not far from the pyramid itself, during the excavations, Egyptian, cedar boats were found. They were made of pure wood without a single nail. One of the boats of the ball is divided into 1224 parts. The restorer Ahamed Yussouf Mustafa managed to assemble it. For this, the architect had to spend as much as 14 years, such a high patience in the name of science can only be envied. The assembled boat can be admired today in the museum of a bizarre shape. It is located on the south side of the Great Pyramid.

Unfortunately, inside the pyramid itself, you can not shoot video and take pictures. But on the other hand, you can take many incredible pictures against the background of this creation. Various souvenirs are also sold here, in order to make an excursion to these charming places I could remember myself for a long time.

Photos of the Cheops pyramid, of course, do not reflect all the grandeur and uniqueness of this building.. With us you will plunge into history and look at the world with different eyes.!