The only remaining wonder of the ancient world - Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur 86
What and Why
There is absolutely no need for any introduction to the pyramids of Egypt (Arabic: مصر, Miṣr). Pyramids are the oldest but the only standing seven wonders of the ancient world, standing on the various sites for more than 4,500 years! Unless something extremely drastic happens, these pyramids will likely be sitting on the same site until the end of the human civilisation on planet Earth.
First things first, we need to cut the nonsense about alien constructions: the pyramids were built by Egyptians with superior engineering and scientific knowledges way more advanced compared to other civilisations of the same time. There was no specific one method to move the huge stone blocks as they were built over a long period but a number of methods, like artifical waterways, wooden railings and rollers and hydraulic systems had all been used to transport these massive blocks to construct the pyramids. The workers were, against common belief, mostly not slaves but skilled workers and they were all well educated and fed.
The pyramids mainly served as a mausoleum and a 'resurrection station' to the pharaoh (Egyptian: pr ꜥꜣ) and their consorts, but they also carry strong astronomical functionalities, as in many similar tombs or monuments in many other early civilisations. All Egyptian pyramids were built on the west bank of the Nile (نهر النيل, Nahr Al-Nil), which was associated with the setting sun and hence realm of the dead in Egyptian mythology. Other than superstitious symbolism, they are definitely not device for any energy conversion or focussing in any scientific sense.
While everyone knows all of the pyramids in the Giza necropolis (مجمع أهرامات الجيزة, Mujmae 'Ahramat Al-Jizah) in Giza (الجيزة, Al-Jīzah), there are actually many other pyramids built around Giza, which was part of the then ancient capital of Memphis (Egyptian: Mjt-rhnt) of ancient Egypt. Clearly other forms of megalithic tombs like tumulus or mastaba (Egyptian: pr-djt) existed before, the first historically documented and proper pyramid construction was attributed to that of Djoser (Egyptian: Ḏsr) in the 27th century BCE during the Old Kingdom (27th to 22nd century BCE). Djoser's step-pyramid set the standard for the concept of a pyramid. The construction of the pyramid was then perfected by Sneferu's (Egyptian: Snfr-w) pyramids when they were considered as the first successful attempt at constructing a true smooth-sided pyramid as we know it during the same century and then it became a tradition for succeeding pharaohs to follow.
Pyramid construction did not last long as they became favourite looting grounds for tomb raiders and clearly they were also extremely costly to build. Almost all the pyramids had been stripped naked by robbers a few decades after they were completed. As a result later burials in the New Kingdom (16th to 11th century BCE) were mostly moved to the Valley of the Kings (وادى الملوك, Wādī El-Mulūk) in Luxor (الأقصر, Al-ʾUqṣur) (to be blogged later in Luxor (الأقصر)) to avoid raiding, albeit just as unsuccessful. The last pyramid was attributed to Ahmose I (Egyptian: Jˁḥ ms) constructed in the 16th century BCE. The name for a pyramid in Egyptian is 'myr' with a hieroglyphic inscription '𓉴'.
There are currently 118 identified pyramids scattered around Egypt, although those around Giza are clearly the most representative.
Toponymy
While the etymological tracing is inconclusive, it has been widely accepted the name Giza comes from Egyptian 'r-gs-ḥr' meaning 'side of the height', referring either to the plateau or the pyramid.
The ancient capital Memphis Egyptian name 'Mjt-rhnt' means 'road of the criosphinxes'. Crio-sphinx is a ram-headed sphinx and represents the God Amun (Egyptian: Jmn).
The town name Saqqara (سقارة) comes from its local Berber tribe Beni Saqqar (Berber: ⴱⴻⵏⵉ ⵙⴰⵇⵇⴰⵔ), meaning 'sons of Saqqar'.
The etymology of Dahshur (دهشور, Dahšūr) is untraceable.
See
Giza (الجيزة)
As mentioned, the pyramids in the Giza field (map above) are probably the most recognised pyramids in the world: with the pyramids of Khufu (Egyptian: Ḫwj=f w(j)), Khafre (Egyptian: Ḫꜥ.f-rꜥ) and Menkaure (Egyptian: Mn-kꜣw-rꜥ) all in one line with mastabas and tiny pyramids for the queens and consorts. The pyramid field literally belongs to one family: Khufu is the father of Khafre who in turns is the father of Menkaure who all ruled during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom during the 26th century BCE, with the pyramid sizes reflecting this seniority: Khufu's being largest, followed by Khafre's and the smallest being Menkaure's. The pyramids are the largest in the world, in particular that of Khufu, which is the largest and tallest of all. They are so awe-inspiring that one can only stand in front of them mouth-opened and admire their sheer demonstration of majesty and strength.
There is one peculiarity of the alignment of the three pyramids: It seems the tip of the three pyramids correspond almost exactly to the constellation Orion as at 10000 BCE: The stars of Orion were associated with Osiris (Egyptian: Wsjr), the god of afterlife by the ancient Egyptians. The keyword here is 'seem' as the dates do not match the time of construction nor the alignment is as perfect as it seems, verified by modern astronomical measurements accounting for any precessional adjustments. There is no conclusive scientific evidence to support the theory but it does add to the mystery of the pyramids.
The Pyramid of Khufu (الهرم الأكبر, Al-Haram Al'Akbar), with Khufu's name meaning 'God Khnum (Egyptian: Ḫnmw) protects me', is the tallest human-made structure standing on Earth until the erection of Eiffel Tower (French: Tour Eiffel) in 1889 CE. It stood 146.6 m but over time with the limestone facade removed and the missing pyramidion it now stands 138.5 m. The exterior facade was removed over time, not by natural erosion, but rather by people stripping it away for building materials.
The pyramid is largely solid except for the few air-shafts and burial chambers. It is constructed by local limestones but the interior chambers were by granite all the way from Aswan (أسوان, ʾAswān) (as blogged in Aswan (أسوان)). There are plenty of literatures about the construction and the functionalities of the pyramid so it would not be repeated here. The surface of the pyramids was smoothed by limestone but were both worn off or taken away and now it looks like a pyramid of building blocks. The angle of the pyramid is 51°50'40" which corresponds exactly to the ancient Egyptian seked (Egyptian: skd) measurement of 5½ palms (Egyptian: šsp), the seked being the modern trigonometric concept of cotangent. This again shows how advanced the Egyptians were in mathematics and technology.
One is now allowed to climb 'a bit' onto the pyramid when it was at one point totally forbidden, a feat achieved by my son as below. It was forbidden since the 1950s CE not really to protect the pyramid, but simply to avoid the many fatal injuries that the endeavour had caused. A purpose-built walkway is now carved onto the pyramid leading to the 'Robber's tunnel' just below the main entrance which is the official visitor's entrance into the pyramid. My personal suggestion is not to enter the pyramid tourist trap: You see absolutely NOTHING as it is simply a cul-de-sac with nothing around to see, it is pitch-black, extremely narrow so that one can only crouch and smells poop and pee all the way. It also costs EGP 900E£ to enter but it is every tourists' self-inflicted trap. The real entrance does meet the Robber's tunnel, but is sealed and inaccessible.
A kilometre-walk away from Khufu's pyramid is Khafre's pyramid (هرم خفرع, Haram Khafrae). It appears taller than Khufu's simply because it stands on a higher platform: It is 136.4 m with a greater slope of 51°13'24" (exactly 5¼ palms). The pyramid is noted for its smooth summit because it was difficult for looters to climb all the way up to strip the stones as it is a steeper pyramid. Hence this pyramid is evidence that the original pyramid was totally smooth. The name Khafre means 'he appears as the God Ra (Egyptian: Rꜥ)'.
Different from Khufu's pyramid, the sarcophagus and its burial chamber does not sit inside the pyramid, but underneath it at the bedrock. Hence this pyramid is genuinely solid throughout except for the entrance tunnel and airshafts.
There is a small gash near the top of the pyramid that reveals an important engineering technicality: It shows how the stones are interlocking with each other to create such a robust structure.
Most people do not spend as much time with Khafre's pyramid as one would have exhausted their interest with that of Khufu's. However it is the surrounding temples around the pyramid that draws most interest, especially they are relatively well-preserved. The temple complex includes an entrance hall, a columned court, five niches for statues of the pharaoh, storage chambers, an inner sanctuary, plus the nearby boat pit originally preserved for the boat that carried the pharaoh's corpse from the river.
The most important and prominent part of Khafre's temple complex is definitely the Sphinx (أبو الهول, 'Abu Al-Hawl), which is connected to the pyramid via a 500 m causeway. The statue is perhaps the most recognisable statue in the world. The Sphinx was constructed together with the pyramid during the same time.
The word 'sphinx' comes from the Greek word 'σφίγξ (sphinx)' of a mythological chimera creature with a woman head plus an animal body which strangles (Greek: σφίγγω, sphingo) people when it failed to answer her riddle. The word has no Egyptian connexion and the original Egyptian term of the statue is lost over history. It is now generally accepted, with a degree of reservation, that the Sphinx face represents Khafre himself: having said that, there is no conclusive inscription which actually connects the Sphinx with Khafre.
Ever since Giza had been abandonned in favour of the Valley of the Kings for burials after the Old Kingdom period, the entire statue had largely been covered under sand, although the head has always been above sand level. It was dug up a few times and in fact during the times of the Roman Empire (Latin: Imperium Romanum), the place was a favourite tourist spot and a Roman stairway leading to the Sphinx was built. The Sphinx was only fully excavated during the early 19th century CE.
The Sphinx was built from a monolith carved from the bedrock of the plateau, and was once coloured beautifully with a full-adorned headdress. The entire statue is hence solid, with no indication of any tunnels or chambers inside, except for a few small passages around the rump area, possibly dug much later for looting purpose or exploratory purposes.
The nose of the Khafre's head is conspicuously missing, and it had mostly been attributed by iconoclastic attacks from the Abbasid Caliphate (الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, Al-Khilāfah Al-ʿAbbāsiyyah) during the 10th century CE or the Mamluk Sultanate (سلطنة المماليك, Salṭanat Al-Mamālīk) during the 14th century CE. Punching right at the nose was a sign of hatred from Muslims during the time. It was pseudo history that the nose was destroyed by Napoleon Bonaparte's army bombing as many pictures have shown the nose was gone long before the French intervention.
The ceremonial pharaonic beard was also supposed to be there, but fell off later. The beard is now kept at the British Museum and the artefact shows no major damage. The lack of visible damage shows that the beard was a later addition and it fell off naturally at the site of the attachment.
Another kilometre walk away along the desert one will find the third pyramid, the Pyramid of Menkaure (هرم منقرع, Haram Munqarae). The name Menkaure means 'eternal like the souls of Ra'. The pyramid is the smallest of the series and stands at 61 m, almost half the size of that of Khufu. The slope of the pyramid is approximately 51°20′25″, corresponding to 5 7/16 palms, which is between that of Khufu and Khafre. Similar to Khafre's pyramid the burial chamber was under the bedrock.
The pyramid is noticeable of its very big opening and a huge pile of collapsed stones which is the result of another attack from the Muslims. In 1196 CE, Al-Aziz Uthman Ibn Salah Ad-Din Yusuf (العزيز عثمان بن صلاح الدين يوسف), the then Sultan (سلطان, sulṭān) of the Ayyubid Sultanate (الأيوبيون, Al-Ayyūbīyūn) attempted to demolish the entire pyramid complex, starting from Menkaure's as it was the smallest. However dislodging the stone blocks proved extremely difficult and only a few stones were removed. Even when the stones fell off, it would get stuck into the sand and this required even more effort to take them away.
Eventually Al-Aziz Uthman gave up and the stones were all left at the base of the pyramid. What was left from the attack was the very large gash at its northern face. When we were there this year, the project to move back all the dislodged stones to where they belonged has just commenced.
Menkaure's pyramid, similar to Khufu's also has three accompanying queen's pyramids, in the form of step-pyramid and a mini pyramid.
Saqqara (سقارة)
For the real Egyptology afficionado, Giza would only provide a very good dessert, the real deal of history would come from the site from Saqqara, which is around 30 km south from Giza. It is the ancient necropolis for Egyptian royalty of Memphis during the Old Kingdom. Most importantly Saqqara is the site of the Pyramid of Djoser, picture above, the first proper pyramid of Egypt. Djoser means 'the blessed one'.
The pyramid was built during the mid-27th century CE during Djoser's reign, the first of his dynasty. The pyramid is often credited to be designed and constructed by his trusted vizier (وزير, wazīr) Imhotep (Egyptian: Iỉ-m-ḥtp) who drew inspirations from stacking six mastabas on top of each other. Mastabas were then the main tombs and there are many mastabas around the site.
According to inscriptions, the plan of the construction underwent many revisions. It was supposed to be standing at 62.5 m and polished with white limestone. The current one stands at 60 m with an overall angle of around 49°, approximately 6 palms. Each mastaba layer is angled at 82° which is almost exactly ¾ palm. All the tunnels and burial chambers lie underneath the structure at the bedrock level.
Just in front of Djoser pyramid stands the reconstructed Djoser temple complex. These temples were supposed to facilitate either afterlife or resurrection. One distinctive feature, however is that all these temples are oriented along the north-south axis, against the later east-west axis which symbolises life and death.
All these beautiful temples were ignored and did not survive past the Old Kingdom but since they are in the desert, they are relatively well preserved, and fate ensured they were reconstructed during the 20th century CE.
Dahshur (دهشور)
Another 10 km south from Saqqara is another important royal necropolis of significance, Dahshur. The site is known for Sneferu's Bent Pyramid (هرم سنفرو المائل, Haram Sinafiru Al-Mayil) and the Red Pyramid (الهرم الأحمر, Al-Haram Al'-Ahmar), which are the amongst the oldest, largest and best preserved actual pyramids. They are built during the 27th century BCE. These two particular pyramids were an extremely important as they provided the Egyptians know-how to transition from Djoser's step-pyramid to smooth-sided pyramids. Ultimately this helped them build the pyramids of Giza as we know it.
The Bent Pyramid was actually the second pyramid Sneferu built, after the Meidum (Egyptian: Mr(y)-Jtmw) pyramid, which he inherited from Huni (Egyptian: Ḥw-nj), his predecessor and the last pharaoh of the Third Dynasty. The Meidum pyramid is not exactly a pyramid but a rather steep stack of mastabas, so it looks more like a tower. The pyramid was known to have collapsed during the construction and this is another reason it does not look like a conventional pyramid at all. It is located in Al-Wasta (الواسطة, Al-Wasita), which we did not visit.
The Bent Pyramid, being 105 m tall, has a visible change in inclination at mid-level: it has a 54° (exactly 5 palms) slope at the lower level and 43° (around 7½ palms) at the upper level. Hence it was supposed to be a steeper pyramid than Khufu's pyramid, coincidentally Sneferu was Khufu's father. It has been suggested the intention was to start with the original angle of inclination. However during construction the structure showed signs of instability and forced the builders to adopt a smaller angle to avert the structure's collapse.
The limestone facade of this pyramid is also fully intact and shows the attempt to create a smooth side pyramid. The intact facade is almost unique amongst all pyramids in Egypt, presumably the steep slope and remote location made it difficult for looters to steal the stones.
There is another particular reason why Sneferu abandoned Meidum and constructed his own pyramid which was related to ideological change during the period. Pyramids were previously seen as a staircase to the stars. During the Fourth Dynasty they had taken the sun God Ra seriously and the mausoleum should focus on daylight: the symbolism of life or resurrection.
The Red Pyramid was the third pyramid built in succession by Sneferu and standing at 105 m, it is incidentally the third tallest pyramid in Egypt, behind his son's Khufu's and grandson's Khafre's pyramids. It is highly likely that Sneferu was dissatisfied with the two previous attempts and finally perfected the technology to construct a proper pyramid. This became the first genuine smooth-side pyramid in Egypt built in the 26th century CE and hence paved the way for the future pyramid constructions. After all Sneferu was probably a perfectionist as his name translates to 'He (God) perfected me'. One has to agree that the Red Pyramid is the real father of all pyramids, rather than Khufu's.
Geometrically it followed the same 43° (7½ palms) inclination of the Bent Pyramid and hence appears more flat and wide. It is called red because it used red limestone and gives off a red hue, especially during dusk. As in other pyramids, the facade has been totally stripped off. The burial sits inside the pyramid, like Khufu's is now made accessible to the public, but again, nothing is there to be seen.
Buy and Do
Papyrus (بردية)
Papyrus (Egyptian: w3ḏ) was the first material that assumes all the functionalities of paper, and is where the word 'paper' comes from, and this again came from Egypt. Papyrus is made from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus which is abundant near the Nile delta. Papyrus precedes even all the kingdoms of Egypt when it was first made during the 4th millennium BCE!
While it is not in use, Egyptians treat this material and its art form as a national treasure naturally and there are plenty of shops that sell papyrus. Honestly the material is nothing really expensive but its price is just jacked up to cheat tourists. Precautions must be taken care of when buying papyrus as there are many fake papyrus products made from palm or banana leaves which decay rapidly.
A major nuisance in Egypt is the amount of harassments one will experience near all tourist spots like Giza. Merchants, drivers, camel riders all intend to scam tourists with either an exorbitant price tag or pretend to offer a small favour and in return make a big scene asking for money. These may include proper shops where they sell their genuine products but with an elevated price. Just simply ignore them and avoid any unnecessary eye contact.
Camel ride (ركوب الجمل)
Around the Giza plateau, there are plenty of offers of camel ride. There are two pieces of information about camels that are contrary to common belief. The first being the hump of the camel does not contain water, by rather fat for the camel to survive in the harsh desert environment without food. As above we had the experience of the riding camels with our children around the Giza pyramid field. The journey is usually 30 minutes giving one an unrivalled view and feel of the pyramids and the desert. I would say this is an unmissable and very affordable activity around the Giza plateau. See also the blog in Meroë (مرواه).
The other contrary regards the name 'ship of the desert'. Most assumes that they are the main cruisers around the desert and hence the name. In reality it is because of how camels walk, camels move both legs on one side and then both legs on the other, which appears like rowing a boat and hence the nickname comes with an anatomical reason. As a result riding a camel can make one feel rocking from one side to the other, and one must take good precaution during the ride. Of course, make sure you arrange this with a trusted tour guide to avoid haggling and dispute.
Pyramid Sound and Light Show (عرض الهرم للصوت والضوء)
There is a nightly spectacular sound and light show which lights up the pyramids in different colours. The show is narrated loudly as 'the voice of the Sphinx' around the necropolis reciting the history of Egypt and the pyramid field with laser and lights highlighting the pyramids, as above. The travel tips for the show is that one need not pay the entrance fee to actually watch the show. There are plenty of hotels and restaurants around the Giza necropolis with a rooftop where one can enjoy the show for free, as long as one pays for the dinner. We had our dinner in Rooftop 7000 (السطح 7000, Al-Sath 7000) which was exactly what we did to watch the show. A fine evening after a hot outing in the pyramid field.
Eat and Drink
Koshary (كشرى)
The national staple of Egypt is koshary (كشرى) which is really a gumbo of Egyptian rice, pasta, lentils, crackers, chickpeas and onions. The dish is usually topped with ketchup or some western sauces nowadays. While it seems like a modern concoction, it really has a long history. The word koshary comes from the Egyptian word 'koshir' meaning 'food of the rituals to the Gods' which shares a similar recipe without the modern ingredients. The food is served everywhere, from the streets to posh hotels.
Stay
There are really a large number of hotels around Giza, especially around the pyramid fields. The most famous of them all is the world famous and extremely posh Marriott Mena House (فندق ماريوت مينا هاوس, Funduq Marriott Mina Hawis). I stayed in it during my first visit in 2003 CE and when I opened my window, Khufu's pyramid just stood in front of me!
We stayed this time with my family in the Nine Pyramids View Hotel (فندق ناين بيراميدز فيو, Funduq Nine Pyramids View) which is also a stone's throw away from the Giza's pyramid field. We literally had our breakfasts with all the nine pyramids (including the queen's) in sight at the rooftop, as picture above, which is really an experience to savour. Good value for money, highly recommended!
Travel Suggestions and Logistics
It has to be noted that Giza is an adjacent city from Cairo (القاهرة, Al-Qāhirah), and the journey from the airport to Giza is around one hour. Within Giza and Cairo, Uber is the best and cheapest mode of transport and is very reliable, especially navigating around the narrow alleys in the city.
To be frank, visiting the pyramids is best done by engaging with a proper tour guide where all of them are mandated by the government to be well versed with Egyptology. A proper tour will include transportation, entrance fee, refreshments and more importantly one can be free from all the touting and haggling.
Within each of the pyramid fields, the pyramids are all within walking distance to each other.
UNESCO Inscription
The capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt has some extraordinary funerary monuments, including rock tombs, ornate mastabas, temples and pyramids. In ancient times, the site was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
References
Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur | UNESCO World Heritage Centre (📹) Giza pyramid complex | Wikipedia Saqqara | Wikipedia Dahshur | Wikipedia
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Please share your thoughts and comments about the blog. If you need suggestions to build a travel itinerary, please let me know. More than willing to help. I would also like to build a bespoke-travel community around UNESCO WHS and ICH.
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