What you must do in Thailand. What to do in Thailand? Money and bank cards

Age of the pyramid

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

Existing methods for dating the time when construction of the pyramid began are divided into historical, astronomical and radiocarbon. In Egypt, the date of the start of construction of the Cheops Pyramid is officially established (2009) and 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 obtained with it have been criticized by many Egyptologists. Dates according to other dating methods: 2720 BC. e. (Stephen Hack, University of Nebraska), 2577 BC. e. (Juan Antonio Belmonte, University of Astrophysics in Canaris) and 2708 BC. e. (Pollux, Bauman University). Radiocarbon method gives a range from 2680 BC. e. to 2850 BC e. Therefore, there is no serious confirmation of the established “birthday” of the pyramid, since Egyptologists cannot agree on exactly what year construction began.

First mention of the pyramid

The mystery remains the complete absence of mention of the pyramid in Egyptian papyri. The first descriptions are found in the Greek historian Herodotus(V century BC) and in ancient Arabic legends [ ] . Herodotus reported (at least 2 millennia after the appearance of the Great Pyramid) that it was built under a despot pharaoh named Cheops ( Greek Koufou), who ruled for 50 years, that 100 thousand people were employed in 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 average pyramid 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 gave herself. According to Herodotus, if “to lift the stone, a long winding path to the grave was revealed,” without specifying which pyramid he was talking about; however, the pyramids of the Giza plateau did not have “winding” paths to the tomb at the time Herodotus visited them; on the contrary, the Descending Passage of BP Cheops is distinguished by careful straightforwardness. At that time, no other premises were known in the BP.

Appearance

Surviving fragments of the pyramid's cladding and the remains of the pavement surrounding the building

The pyramid is called "Akhet-Khufu" - "Horizon of Khufu" (or more accurately "Related to the firmament - (it is) Khufu"). Consists of limestone and granite blocks. It was built on a natural limestone hill. After the pyramid has lost several layers of cladding, this hill is partially visible on the eastern, northern and southern sides of the pyramid. Despite the fact that the Cheops pyramid is the tallest and most voluminous of all the Egyptian pyramids, still the pharaoh Sneferu built pyramids at Meidum and in Dakhshut ( Bent pyramid And Pink pyramid), the total mass of which is estimated at 8.4 million tons.

Initially, the pyramid was lined with something harder than the main blocks, white limestone. The top of the pyramid was crowned with a gilded stone - pyramidion(ancient Egyptian - “Benben”). The cladding shone in the sun with a peach color, like “a shining miracle to which the sun god Ra himself seemed to give all his rays.” IN 1168 The Arabs sacked and burned Cairo. Residents of Cairo removed the cladding from the pyramid in order to build new houses.

Statistical data

Pyramid of Cheops in the 19th century

Map of the necropolis near the Cheops pyramid

• Height (today): ≈ 136.5 m
• Side angle (current): 51° 50"
• Side rib length (original): 230.33 m (calculated) or about 440 royal cubits
• Side fin length (current): approx. 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
• Foundation area (initially): ≈ 53,000 m2 (5.3 ha)
• Lateral surface area of ​​the pyramid (initially): ≈ 85,500 m2
• Base perimeter: 922 m
• 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 (initially): 2.50 million m 3
• Average volume of stone blocks: 1,147 m3
• Average weight of stone blocks: 2.5 tons
• The heaviest stone block: about 35 tons - is located above the entrance to the “King’s Chamber”.
• The number of blocks of 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 m 3 /1.147 m 3 = 1.65 million blocks of the specified volume can physically fit in the pyramid , without taking into account the volume of mortar in interblock joints); referring to a 20-year construction period * 300 working days per year * 10 working hours per day * 60 minutes per hour leads to a speed of laying (and delivery to the construction site) 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 about 12-14 m high in the center and, according to the latest data, occupies at least 23% of the original volume of the pyramid
• The number of layers (tiers) of stone blocks is 210 (at the time of construction). Now there are 203 layers.

Concavity of the sides

Concavity of the sides of the Cheops pyramid

When the sun moves around the pyramid, you can notice the unevenness of the walls - the concavity of the central part of the walls. This may be due to erosion or damage from falling stone cladding. It is also possible that this was specially done during construction. As Vito Maragioglio and Celeste Rinaldi note, Pyramid of Mikerin no longer has such concave sides. I.E.S. Edwards explains this feature by saying that the central part of each side was simply pressed inward over time by the large mass of stone blocks. [ ]

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

Observation of the concavity of the sides in late XIX V., Description of Egypt

Tilt angle

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

Geometric study of ventilation tunnels

A study of the geometry of the Great Pyramid does not provide a clear answer to the question of the original proportions of this structure. It is assumed that the Egyptians had an idea of ​​" Golden ratio"and the number pi, which were reflected in the proportions of the pyramid: thus, the ratio of height to base is 14/22 (height = 280 cubits and base = 440 cubits, 280/440 = 14/22). For the first time in world history, these values ​​were used in construction pyramids at Meidum. However, for pyramids of later eras, these proportions were not used anywhere else, as, for example, some have height-to-base ratios like 6/5 ( Pink pyramid), 4/3 (Pyramid of Khafre) or 7/5 ( Bent pyramid).

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

Internal structure

Cross section of the Cheops pyramid:

The entrance to the pyramid is at an altitude of 15.63 meters on the north side. The entrance is formed by 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 plug can be found at Strabo, its appearance can also be imagined based on the preserved slab that covered the upper entrance to the Bent Pyramid of Snefru, the father of Cheops. Today tourists get inside the pyramid through a 17-meter gap, which was made in 820 Baghdad caliph Abdullah al-Mamun 10 meters below. He hoped to find the pharaoh's countless treasures there, but found only a layer of dust as thick as half an elbow.

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

Funeral "pit"

Underground Chamber Maps

A 105 m long descending corridor running at an inclination of 26° 26'46 leads to an 8.9 m long horizontal corridor leading to the chamber 5 . Situated below ground level in a limestone bedrock, it remained unfinished. The dimensions of the chamber are 14x8.1 m, it extends from east to west. The height reaches 3.5 m, the ceiling has a large crack. 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 in a southern direction for 16 m, ending in a dead end. Engineers John Shae Perring and Richard William Howard Vyse early XIX centuries cleared the floor of the chamber and dug a well 11.6 m deep, in which they hoped to discover a hidden burial chamber. They were based on evidence Herodotus, who claimed that Cheops' body was located on an island surrounded by a canal in a hidden underground chamber. Their excavations came to nothing. Later studies showed that the chamber was abandoned unfinished, and it was decided to build the burial chambers in the center of the pyramid itself.

Ascending Corridor and Queen's Chambers

From the first third of the descending passage (18 m from the main entrance), an ascending passage goes south at the same angle of 26.5° ( 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 first 3000 years from the construction of the pyramid (including during the era of its active visits in Antiquity), it was believed that there were no other rooms in the Great Pyramid other than the descending passage and the underground chamber. Al-Mamun was unable to break through these plugs and simply hollowed out a bypass to the right of them in the softer limestone. This passage is still in use today. There are two main theories about the traffic jams, one of them is based on the fact that the ascending passage has traffic jams installed at the beginning of construction and thus this passage was sealed by them from the very beginning. The second argues that the current 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 funeral of the pharaoh.

An important mystery of this section of the ascending passage is that in the place where the plugs are now located, in the full-size, albeit shortened model of the pyramid passages - the so-called testing 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 yet been able to move the plugs, the question of whether there is a vertical hole above them remains open.

In the middle of the ascending passage, the design of the walls has a peculiarity: in three places the so-called “frame stones” are installed - that is, the passage, square along its entire length, pierces through three monoliths. The purpose of these stones is unknown. In the area of ​​the frame stones, the walls of the passage have several small niches.

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 walls of this horizontal corridor are made of very large limestone blocks, on which false “seams” are applied, imitating masonry from smaller blocks . 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 ritual, the wives of the pharaohs were buried in separate small pyramids. The Queen's Chamber, lined with limestone, measures 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.

Drawing of the Queen's Chamber ( 7 )

Niche in the wall of the Queen's Chamber

Corridor at the entrance to the queen's hall (1910)

Entrance to the Queen's Chamber (1910)

Niche in the Queen's Chamber (1910)

Ventilation duct in the queen's chamber (1910)

Corridor to the ascending tunnel ( 12 )

Granite plug (1910)

Corridor to the ascending tunnel (on the left are closing blocks)

Grotto, Grand Gallery and Pharaoh's Chambers

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 to evacuate workers or priests who were completing the “sealing” of the main passage to the “King’s Chamber.” Approximately in the middle there is a small, most likely natural extension - “Grotto” (Grotto) irregular shape, in which several people could fit at most. Grotto ( 12 ) is located at the “junction” of the masonry of the pyramid and a small, about 9 meters high, hill on the limestone plateau lying at the base of the Great Pyramid. The walls of the Grotto are partially reinforced by 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 hollowed out in the already laid masonry, and not laid out, as evidenced by its irregular circular cross-section, the question arises of how the builders managed to accurately reach the Grotto.

The large gallery continues the ascending passage. Its height is 8.53 m, it is rectangular in cross-section, with slightly tapering upwards (the so-called “ false arch") walls, a high inclined tunnel 46.6 m long. In the middle of the Great Gallery, along almost the entire length, there is a regular square recess measuring 1 meter wide and 60 cm deep, and on both side projections there are 27 pairs of recesses of unknown purpose. The recess ends with the so-called. “Big step” - a high horizontal ledge, a 1x2 meter platform at the end of the Great Gallery, immediately before the hole into the “hallway” - the Antechamber. The platform has a pair of ramp recesses similar to those in the corners near the wall (the 28th and last pair of BG recesses). Through the “hallway” a hole leads into the funeral “Tsar’s Chamber” lined with black granite, where an empty granite sarcophagus is located. The sarcophagus lid 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 severely damaged, the northern one appears intact. The floor, ceiling, and walls of the chamber do not have any decorations or holes or fastening elements of anything dating back to the construction of the pyramid. The ceiling slabs have all burst along the southern wall and are not falling into the room only due to the pressure from the weight of the overlying blocks.

Above the “Tsar’s Chamber” there are five unloading cavities with a total height of 17 m discovered in the 19th century, between which lie monolithic granite slabs about 2 m thick, and above there is a gable roof made of limestone. It is believed that their purpose is to distribute the weight of the overlying layers of the pyramid (about a million tons) to protect the “King's Chamber” from pressure. Found in these voids graffiti, probably left behind by workers.

Interior of the Grotto (1910)

Drawing of a Grotto (1910)

Drawing of the connection of the Grotto with the Great Gallery (1910)

Entrance to the Tunnel (1910)

View of the Great Gallery from the entrance to the room

Large gallery

Grand Gallery (1910)

Drawing of the Pharaoh's Chamber

Pharaoh's chamber

Pharaoh's Chamber (1910)

Interior of the vestibule in front of the Tsar's chamber (1910)

"Ventilation" channel at the southern wall of the king's room (1910)

Ventilation ducts

So-called “ventilation” channels 20-25 cm wide extend from the “Tsar’s Chamber” and “Queen’s Chamber” in the northern and southern directions (first horizontally, then obliquely upward). At the same time, the channels of the “Tsar’s Chamber,” known since the 17th century, through, they are open both below and above (on the edges 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 the Queen's Chamber shafts do not reach the surface by about 12 meters, and are closed by stone Gantenbrink Doors, each with two copper handles. The copper handles were sealed with plaster seals (not preserved, but traces remain). In the south Ventshakhte the “door” was discovered in 1993 using the remote-controlled robot “Upout II”; the bend of the northern shaft did not allow Then detect the same “door” in it by this robot. In 2002, with the help new modification The robot drilled a hole in the southern “door”, but behind it a small cavity 18 centimeters long and another stone “door” were discovered. 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. In 2010, a new robot was able to insert a serpentine television camera into a drilled hole in the southern “door” and discovered that the copper “handles” on that side of the “door” were designed in the form of neat hinges, and individual red ocher icons were painted 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 Egyptian 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 reach the surface of the pyramid. At the same time, the shafts of the upper burial chamber have through exits to the outside and inside the room; it is unclear whether this is due to some change in ritual; Since the outer few meters of the pyramid's lining have been destroyed, it is unclear whether there were "Gantenbrink Doors" in the upper shafts. (could have been in a place where the mine was not preserved). In the southern upper shaft there is a so-called “Cheops niches” are strange extensions and grooves that may have contained a “door”. There are no “niches” at all in the northern upper one.

The Pyramid of Cheops was built around 2600 BC.

The pyramids are shrouded in mystery to this day. Many scientists have devoted their entire lives to unraveling the great construction and purpose of these majestic buildings. However, several thousand years, from the first research of Herodotus to the present day, have not brought the expected success. The main questions remained unanswered: who? When? For what? We will tell you about the most reliable assumptions and versions collected by the best scientists over several centuries and related to the history of the Egyptian pyramids.

Already in ancient times, the pyramids were considered one of the main wonders of the world! Their number was about 100, located along the banks of the Nile River. If you look at all the pyramids from above, their location is similar to a star map. The largest, main pyramids are located in Giza. The world-famous sphinxes, as well as temples and tombs of the pharaohs, are also located here. A very important factor of the pyramids is that all their faces are clearly located along the magnetic poles of the Earth! You probably already know the names of the three main pyramids? If not, then be sure to remember - the pyramid of Cheops, Mikerin and Khafre.

The largest pyramid, Cheops, was erected by Khufu, who at that time was a pharaoh. The estimated, most accurate date of construction is 2590 BC. The height of the pyramid is more than 146 meters, the length of each side is more than 241 m. The faces are located in the cardinal directions with amazing accuracy, the angle of inclination is 52 degrees. The Pyramid of Cheops covers an area of ​​5.4 hectares, the base is aligned relative to the horizon with an accuracy of 3 centimeters. The pyramid consists of more than 2,350,000 stone blocks, each weighing about two and a half tons! The pyramid was originally covered with a white sandstone casing to give it an accurate shape and long-lasting durability. Unfortunately, the cladding has not survived to this day.

The entrance to the pyramid is at an altitude of 14 meters. There are no decorations, inscriptions or drawings inside. Therefore, there are three chambers, the lower of which is located at a depth of 30 meters relative to the ground. The room is hewn out of the rock, in order to get to it you need to overcome 120 meters of a narrow corridor (1.1x1.0) at an angle of 27 degrees. After this, the remaining 9 meters, the angle changes to zero relative to the horizon. The tunnel ends with a burial chamber measuring (8.0 x 14.0 x 3.0).

Now the passage to the lower tier is closed, but you can go along the stairs, and then along the 40-meter corridor that leads to the queen’s chamber. The room with dimensions (5.5x5.2x6.3) is located clearly in the middle, at a height of 20 meters from the ground. There are two ventilation shafts in the walls, directed exactly north and south, but not facing the street.

Even higher is the “Grand Gallery” - a corridor more than 48 meters long, with a ceiling height of 8.4 m and an inclination angle of 26 degrees. The walls are lined with polished lime slabs in eight layers. At the end of the corridor there is the main room - the tomb of the pharaoh with dimensions (10.5x5.3x5.8). The chamber is lined with black Aswan granite, each block of which weighs at least thirty tons! Moreover, all the blocks are so well polished and adjusted that even the thinnest knife blade cannot pass between them. The ceiling consists of 9 monoliths, each weighing more than 400 tons. Above them are unloading chambers 17 meters high, designed to preserve the peace of the pharaoh. A gable roof was built above them, made of huge blocks that bear the weight of more than a million tons! We also note that the pharaoh’s sarcophagus is much wider than the entrance to the chamber, and most likely it was hewn right here, from a large block of granite.

There are also ventilation chambers (0.2x0.2) with the exact north-south direction, but unlike the queen’s chamber, here they go outside. In 817, Caliph Mamun was able to enter the tomb of the pharaoh, but found only an empty sarcophagus there; the remains of Cheops were never discovered.

The finds near the pyramid are also interesting. For example, in 1953, during excavations, the oldest ship in the world was discovered - a wooden boat, about 44 meters long, built without nails from cedar. Traces of silt were found on the wooden elements of which, which means that at one time the boat was used for its intended purpose. Ancient writings claim that the pyramid was surrounded by a stone wall, the height of which was 10 meters and the width of 3 meters. There were two temples located nearby - the upper and the lower. The upper one was east of the pyramid, built from Turkish limestone and contained about 40 granite pillars. The lower temple was used for the first part of the funeral ceremony.

The essence of the entire system of buildings was most likely this - initially the remains of the pharaoh were delivered along the Nile to the lower temple, where, after the necessary preparations, they were sent to the upper temple along a long connecting corridor. In the upper temple, among many columns, funeral services and prayers for the repose of the pharaoh took place. After this, the body was taken to the lower chamber of the pyramid, where the pharaoh was carefully walled up. On the four sides of the pyramid, walled up in the rocks, there were four boats intended for traveling to the afterlife. The main pyramid was accompanied by three small satellite pyramids (base length 49 m), located in the east, just like the upper temple. Moreover, each subsequent one (from north to south) is smaller than the previous one. It is believed that the companion pyramids were intended for the wives of the pharaoh.

There are other theories about the purpose of the pyramids. In those distant times, the pharaohs were ruled by a group of priests who possessed unearthly knowledge. This was a separate caste of people who called themselves the chosen ones. They knew mathematics, medicine, astronomy and other sciences very well. The level of education of the priests was many times higher than our understanding of the world. This knowledge was inaccessible to the common man. The priests chose their students themselves, initiating and teaching them in underground rooms located under the pyramids. The teachings assumed a connection with the universe and awareness of the essence of earthly existence. After this, the student was tested in the labyrinths of the pyramids, then in a secret sanctuary, under pain of death, they sought complete obedience and an oath of non-disclosure of secrets. The priests could predict the future thanks to their connection with the higher powers of the universe. Let’s make a reservation right away: later the chosen ones disappeared due to the so-called loss of communication.

Modern scientists have found many confirmations of this - the 33-year duration of Christ, the date of the beginning of the Second World War. Back in 1964, Charles Smith suggested that the pyramids store information for understanding prophecies from the Bible from the beginning of time until the second coming of God.

In 1994, using computer modeling, a discovery was made that explained the location of the three main pyramids, which exactly corresponded to the position of the three stars of Orion's belt, which at that time just crossed the Giza meridian. If this assumption is correct, then the age of the pyramids can be increased to 10,400 BC! The same Sphinx is a confirmation of this theory, because its gaze is directed precisely to the point where this constellation was located.

With the help of modern equipment, hidden tunnels were discovered under the sphinx itself, which, according to legend, should have led to a chamber containing a capsule with a message for all humanity. Indeed, the chamber was found; it contained a sarcophagus made of black granite; unfortunately, it turned out to be empty. Therefore, on the walls of the tunnel leading to the chamber, drawings were discovered that represent predictions of the future of humanity. From there it became known that our civilization would face a series of cosmic cataclysms that would terrorize the “Earth” for several millennia. However, the priests will appear on our planet again and will find a way to salvation by mastering space and restoring a civilization based on the laws of existence.

Cheops pyramid. Device. Puzzles. Pyramids on the map. Dimensions. Photo

Sarcophagus, internal corridors, unloading chambers, solar boat, companion pyramids, queen's treasures.

The diagonal of one of the faces of the Cheops pyramid is directed along the meridian exactly to the North Pole, and with an error less than that of the Paris Observatory. In addition, the pyramids “reflect” the location of the constellation Orion, and the top of the Great Pyramid looks exactly at the North Star.

The Great Pyramid consists of three chambers, which corresponded to the three stages of its construction. Pharaoh wanted to have a ready-made tomb at his disposal at any time.

The first chamber is carved into the rock at a depth of approximately 30 m below the base; it is not located exactly in its center.

The area of ​​the chamber is 8 x 14 m, height - 3.5 m. This chamber, like the second, remained unfinished.

The second chamber is located in the core of the pyramid, exactly below its top, at a height of about 20 m above the base of the structure. Its area is 5.7 x 5.2 m. The vaulted ceiling reaches a height of 6.7 m. Previously, it was called the queen’s tomb.

The third chamber was the tomb of the pharaoh. She is the only one of all three that is complete. It was in this room that the sarcophagus was found. This chamber was built 42.2 m above the base, slightly south of the pyramid's axis. The length of this room from east to west is 10.4 m, from north to south - 5.2 m. The ceiling height reaches 5.8 m.

Pharaoh's tomb

This room was magnificently tiled with immaculately fitted granite slabs. The ceiling is formed by nine monoliths, the weight of which is 400 tons. Above the ceiling there are 5 unloading chambers, the total height of which is 17 m. The uppermost one ends with a gable roof, constructed from huge blocks that bear the weight of approximately 1,000,000 tons of stone mass and are designed so that it does not press directly on the burial room.

According to one theory, the pyramids are the most powerful energy center of the Earth. They say that the meridian on which the top of the Cheops pyramid is located divides the surface of land and sea equally. The parallel passing through the center of the pyramid also divides the planet into two equal parts according to the amount of water and land.

All three chambers have so-called hallways, connected by corridors or shafts. Some shafts in the lower chambers end in a dead end. They were hewn into the stonework at a later time. Two such shafts are laid from the royal tomb to the surface of the pyramid and come out almost in the middle of the northern and southern walls. We do not know their original purpose, but undoubtedly, among other things, they were supposed to provide ventilation.

At first, after construction, the entrance to the pyramid was located on the north side at a height of 25 m above the base. Nowadays, the pyramid can be entered from another entrance, located approximately 15 m below the original one, almost in the very middle of the northern side. You have to walk crouching along a narrow and low horizontal corridor 40 m long, since it was not cut through for the convenience of numerous tourists and is the result of the long labors of ancient robbers.

At the end of this corridor there is a wooden staircase, climbing which the visitor will find himself in a low granite room, which is something like a hallway. Entering it, a person finds himself in the very heart of the pyramid.

The Great Gallery is a unique structure, even on the scale of a grandiose structure such as the Great Pyramid. Its length seems endless, since the polished walls reflect the light of electric lamps installed in Lately and illuminating the room, like ancient metal plates. Thanks to this effect, the entrance rectangle is completely lost from sight.

The length of the gallery is 47 m and the height is 8.5 m. The elevation angle is 26°. Limestone facing slabs are laid on top of each other in 8 layers, each subsequent layer extends 5-6 cm beyond the previous one.

Even with modern technology, pyramids would be very difficult to build. Japanese enthusiasts tried to work using ancient technologies, but this also turned out to be an impossible task. The mounds for raising the blocks were supposed to be huge, like the pyramid itself, but they collapsed under their own weight.

The sarcophagus is wider than the entrance to the burial chamber. It is carved from a single piece of brown-gray granite, there is no date or inscription on it, and the whole thing is quite badly damaged. The sarcophagus stands directly on the floor in the western corner of the chamber. Most likely, no one ever moved it from its place. It looks like it was cast from metal. Naturally, not a trace remains of the person for whose eternal peace it was intended.

Construction around the Cheops pyramid

The Great Pyramid is surrounded by equally labor-intensive and expensive buildings. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus, describing the 18-meter-high road leading from the upper (mortuary) to the lower temple and lined with polished slabs, said that the work on its construction was almost as enormous as the construction of the pyramid itself.

Currently, only a few meters of this road remain. Lepsius and some other Egyptologists were lucky enough to find its remains with fragments of decorative reliefs. The road was razed to the ground at the end of the 19th century during the construction of the village of Nazlat es-Simman, which, like Giza, is now part of Greater Cairo.

The lower temple once stood on the territory of this village. It was distinguished by its extraordinary beauty, rising 30 m above the ground. Most likely, people destroyed it in ancient times, seduced by the excellent building material.

Of the numerous buildings that once surrounded the pyramid of Cheops, only the ruins of the upper (mortuary) temple, as well as three satellite pyramids, have now survived. Traces of the upper temple were discovered by the Egyptian explorer Abu Seif in 1939. After World War II, these excavations were completed by Lauer.

Traditionally, the temple was located east of the pyramid. The length of its pediment was 100 Egyptian cubits (about 52 m). It was built from Tours limestone. There were 38 square granite pillars in the temple courtyard. In the vestibule in front of the small shrine there were 12 more similar pillars.

On either side of the sanctuary, at a distance of approximately 10 m, archaeologists discovered two so-called docks carved out of a limestone plateau, in which solar boats were apparently stored. A third such dock was found to the left of the road leading to the lower temple.

All three discovered docks were, unfortunately, empty. However, in 1954, fate gave archaeologists an unexpected gift in the form of two more similar docks. One of them turned out to be a room for an excellently preserved boat, which today is the oldest ship in the world. Its length reached 44 m, and it was made of cedar.

After extraction, the boat was preserved and placed in a specially built pavilion located near the pyramid.

Pyramids - companions

The satellite pyramids, like the temple, are located east of the Great Pyramid. It should be noted that they were usually built south of the main tomb. Most likely, religious traditions were violated due to the difficulties associated with the terrain. The pyramids stand in height from north to south. The side of the square base of the first pyramid is 49.5, the second - 49, the third - 46.9 m.

Each of the companion pyramids had a stone fence, a funeral chapel and a burial chamber with a room that served as an entrance hall, into which a steep shaft led. According to the most common hypothesis, these pyramids were intended for the wives of Cheops. The first of them, the so-called main one, according to ancient tradition, was obviously his sister.

All three satellite pyramids are well preserved, having lost only the outer cladding. Underground structures and the surrounding area were thoroughly examined.

According to some information, it was planned to build a larger one to the east of the first pyramid, but its construction was stopped even before the completion of work in the burial chamber. Reisner theorized that it must have served as a tomb for Cheops' mother Hetepheres (Sneferu's wife), since the tomb in which she was originally buried was looted shortly after the queen's death.

Treasures of the Queen's Tomb

T. Fisanovich
Secrets of the ancient pyramids

Great Pyramids at Giza. Pyramids of Egypt.

Pyramids of Sneferu
Great Pyramids
Internal structure of the Cheops pyramid
Pyramid of Khafre
Pyramid of Menkaure
Great Sphinx
The oldest information about the Great Pyramids
Secrets of the Great Pyramids

The check showed that the stones (from which the pyramid is made) are 8000 years old. And Cheops lived no earlier than 4000 years ago. 80 centuries ago people were still learning how to smelt bronze. Who built the pyramids in the desert? And there are the same ones on Mars. (http://svetorussie.narod.ru/MARS/Piramidy_i_lico_na_Marse.htm)
30.05.09 Crazy God

In my opinion, it has long been clear that the pyramids were built long before the Egyptians by a more highly developed civilization. they were only able to use it as a grave)))
28.03.09 ali-balala

It looks like another rehash of interpretations on the topic “what Herodotus meant.” And in his text it says, if you look not at the translations and translations from translations, not “mechanisms,” but “devices made from short pieces of wood.” In all respects, the simplest “sleepers” of E. Diomedi are suitable for what the builders Sneferu and Khufu actually used.
Moreover, it is fundamentally impossible to use any individual numerous “mechanisms” in their conditions: they are inadequately slow and on the masonry ledges (their width at best is 80 - 70 cm) it is unacceptably cramped for them and working with them. And any attempts to expand them lead to stone-earth and transport work on a larger scale than for the Pyramid itself.
06.12.08 Rustem

If anyone is interested in exact numbers (and they are more impressive than volumes of general doxologies): F. Petrie identified the following royal cubit (no need to find fault with the fourth and further digits after the decimal point, this is the arithmetic average of measurements on the ground): 524.0524 plus or minus 0 ,1016 mm. Multiply by 280 and 440 - and you get DESIGN (i.e., theoretically desired by their creators) dimensions the Pyramid of Cheops . But here are the base lengths they actually got: 230,358 mm, 230,251 mm, 230,391 mm and 230,583 mm. Angles between them: 89 degrees 59 minutes 58 seconds, 90 g 03 m 02 s, 89 g 56 m 27 s, 90 g 00 m 33 s.
15.12.06 Rustem

They write that it is ideally located on the north-south line... How do you understand whether the diagonal of the base is located in the north-south or the middle line of the base? :(
22.05.06 , [email protected], Vlas

How to make a mini-pyramid at home? :) how many centimeters of height do you need to make? =)
22.05.06 , [email protected], Vlas

How to position the pyramid relative to the milky way? Can you help?
23.04.06 , [email protected], Dmitriy

well idiots...
05.04.06 , burning

there is a useful little book by Peter Tomkins, “The Secrets of the Great Pyramid”, and “The Secret Doctrine”, of course
27.01.06 , [email protected] yuri

Eternal PYRAMIDS!!! The eternal theme is to solve their riddle... It would be nice if the information was even closer to the truth, otherwise, wherever you read about PYRAMIDS, there are different numbers everywhere. Of course, it’s 240 meters or 220, there’s almost no difference, but even if they can’t measure it accurately, then how can we talk about everything else. By the way, about the SPHINX. Some fairly respectable articles define its length as 73 meters and its height as 15 meters, while in other articles it is 50 meters and 20 meters, respectively. Sorry, this is no longer a small matter. Where is the TRUTH?
19.01.06 , Alex

Look, build a new one :) That’s a lot of concrete needed! Who will pay?
14.01.06 , Alexander

The Cheops Pyramid is the most fascinating and most terrible thing that can happen to a person... Its CRAZY size leaves an indelible impression on the subconscious of a person who spends more time in it than expected... I am drawn to it... to its mysteries... I want to go to her.....
19.11.05 , Kelly

Not bad, make more pictures/photos and more mesmerizing design...
19.11.05 , Kelly

For 15 years I have been deciphering the proportions of the Cheops pyramid - I called it the “Divine Scheme”, to which many ancient monuments are subordinate
31.10.05 , [email protected] plescom

The pyramid is a tool for entering a communication channel through which you can obtain information about the future and the past. The dimensions and proportions of the Cheops pyramid correspond to the Fibonacci numbers (L-233, H-147 (d.b. 144, mass ~ 57,000,000 tons, d.b. 56,470,871 tons). Zero fractal or golden ratio. Everything living and non-living is subordinated to this or other number series. In nature there are no sizes and proportions. The structure of objects is in a completely strict numerical series. The parameters of the pyramid affect biological processes in the human body and affect the organs of perception. The pyramid interacts with the gravitational, spatial and temporal parameters of the earth, near and far space. A person who finds himself inside the pyramid within a few hours (up to 24 hours) acquires knowledge about the past and present. Napoleon Bonaparte was one of three people in Europe who spent 24 hours in the pyramid. Their impressions and new knowledge, like those of people who came into contact with what a person has no right to know, cannot be explained from the standpoint of modern science. All three Europeans experienced what people who visited Tibet experienced. There is an opinion that the Tibetan mountains and the pyramids of Egypt are related to each other, that some mountains of Tibet are of artificial origin and are essentially pyramids, but only much larger. The colossal mass of the pyramid, the absence of vibration and sound inside the pyramid (the chambers of the pyramid) should greatly influence the human psyche and change its functioning.
26.09.05 , [email protected], Valriy

write to me please who was the first to enter the pyramid of Cheops
07.05.05 , [email protected], Sancho

What a pyramid!!! The construction of the pyramids was carried out by the Egyptians. And there is no point in flattering anyone else there. These are not just beautiful figures - this is their life.
13.03.05 , Nati

We kindly ask everyone who likes this topic to send me links on this topic. Thank you in advance [email protected]
21.12.04 , [email protected], Alyona

Why not build a super pyramid now, so that archaeologists will have something to do in the future?
06.12.04 , LI

And I want a pyramid!!!
29.10.04 , Vika

But how to build a pyramid for yourself, a living person, because somewhere you came across descriptions... Or is this all nonsense? Maybe you need a scale? And important...
29.03.04 , [email protected], Alexander

Continuing the series of stories about the wonders of antiquity on LifeGlobe, I will tell you about the largest of the Egyptian pyramids - the Pyramid of Cheops, located in Giza. It is also called the Pyramid of Khufu, or simply the Great Pyramid.

This is the oldest of the seven wonders of the world, moreover, perfectly preserved to our times, unlike the Colossus of Rhodes or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Egyptologists believe that the pyramid was built as a tomb for the fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Cheops. Construction of the pyramid lasted about 20 years and was completed in 2560 BC. The giant pyramid, 146.5 meters high, has been the largest structure in the world for more than 4 millennia, which is an absolute record that is unlikely to ever be broken. Initially, it was completely covered with smooth stone, which crumbled over time. There are many scientific and alternative theories about the methods of building the great pyramid, from alien intervention to generally accepted ones, based on the fact that huge blocks of stone were moved from quarries by special mechanisms

Inside the Cheops pyramid there are three chambers - tombs. The lowest one is carved into the base of the rock on which the pyramid is built. By unknown reasons its construction was not completed. Above it are the Queen's chamber and the Pharaoh's chamber. The Great Pyramid is the only one in Egypt that has both ascending and descending corridors. It is the central key element of the Giza complex, around which several more pyramids were built for the pharaoh's wives, as well as other temples and tombs


The Great Pyramid consists of approximately 2.3 million stone blocks. The largest stones were found in the Pharaoh's chamber, and weigh 25-80 tons each. These granite blocks were delivered from a quarry almost 1000 kilometers away. According to general estimates, 5.5 million tons of limestone and 8,000 tons of granite were spent on the construction of the pyramid.
Let us turn to the theories of pyramid construction, many of which often contradict each other. Scientists cannot agree on whether the blocks were pulled, rolled, or even transported. The Greeks believed that the slave labor of millions of Egyptians was used, while modern research has proven that the construction employed several tens of thousands of skilled workers, divided into teams according to their qualifications and skills.

Initially, the entrance to the pyramid was at a height of 15.63 meters (#1 in the diagram below), on the north side, assembled from stone slabs in the form of arches. Later it was sealed with granite blocks, making a new passage 17 meters high (#2 on the diagram). This passage was carved out in 820 by Caliph Abu Ja'far in an attempt to plunder the pyramid (it is worth noting that he never found any treasure). Currently, it is through it that tourists get inside the pyramid.

Below is a cross-sectional diagram of the pyramid, where all the corridors and chambers are marked:

Immediately after entering the pyramid, a descending corridor 105 meters long begins (No. 4 on the diagram above), flowing into a small horizontal corridor leading to the lower chamber (No. 5 on the map). A narrow passage leading from the chamber ends in a dead end. as well as a small well 3 meters deep. As mentioned above, for some reason this chamber was abandoned unfinished, and the main chambers were later built higher, in the very center of the pyramid

From the descending corridor there is an ascending passage, at the same angle of 26.5°. Its length is 40 meters and it leads to the Great Gallery (No. 9 on the diagram), from where there are passages to the Pharaoh's chamber (No. 10) and the Queen's chamber (No. 7).
At the very beginning of the large gallery, a narrow, almost vertical chamber is hollowed out, with a small extension in the middle, which is called the Grotto (No. 12). Presumably, the grotto already existed before the construction of the pyramid, as a separate structure

From the Chamber of the Pharaoh and the Chamber of the Queen, ventilation ducts 20 centimeters wide diverge evenly, in the direction of north and south. The purpose of these channels is unknown - either they were used specifically for ventilation, or traditional Egyptian ideas about the afterlife are associated with them

There is an opinion that the ancient Egyptians were fluent in geometry, and knew about the “number Pi” and the “Golden Ratio”, which was reflected in the proportions of the Cheops pyramid and the angle of inclination. The same angle of inclination was used for the pyramid at Meidum. But it is possible that this is a simple accident, since this angle was not repeated anywhere else; all subsequent pyramids had different angles of inclination. Particularly fanatical supporters of mystical theories suggest that this particular pyramid was built by representatives of alien civilizations, and the rest were actually built by the Egyptians, trying to copy it

According to some astronomers, the Great Pyramid is an astronomical observatory of the ancient Egyptians, as the corridors and ventilation ducts accurately point to the stars Thuban, Sirius and Alnitak. Opponents of this theory claim that this is a mere coincidence. During excavations near the pyramid, pits were discovered with ancient Egyptian boats made of cedar without the use of nails or fasteners. This boat was dismantled into 1,224 parts, which were assembled by restorer Ahmed Yussuf Mustafa, which took him 14 years. Currently, a museum is open on the southern side of the pyramid, where you can see this boat (the museum building itself in the photo below looks quite original, it’s worth noting), as well as buy a lot of souvenirs

Currently, it is the most visited tourist attraction in Egypt. You can read more about other ancient wonders in the article "Seven Ancient Wonders of the World"