Let’s start at the Pyramids! (obviously)
8 Sep
Location:
Cairo
Everyone who travels to Egypt must see the Pyramids of Giza.
The Great Pyramid of Giza (Pyramid of Khufu) is listed as one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. In fact, it is the only one left standing out of that list (the others were destroyed by either earthquake, arson or human destruction).
Not seeing the Pyramids…is like going to Peru and not seeing Machu Picchu. Or going to Rio de Janeiro and not seeing Christ the Redeemer (you know, the big statue of Jesus). Even if you think it’s overrated, you’ve gotta see it.
As cliché as it sounds, I can’t really describe what it’s like to see the Pyramids in real life. It’s difficult to convey how big it really is.
Some say/believe there’s an energy or aura around them – like the atmosphere should feel different when you’re in the presence of the pyramids. And then….there are also those who worship the pyramids on an annual basis so…take what you want from that. hah.
Personally, I didn’t feel it (whatever the “it” is supposed to be)…it’s hard to feel anything but hot, sticky, and crowded when there are hundreds of tourists around you at the hottest time of the year; nonetheless, I was awed by these giant structures.
They’re – simply put – amazing.
The Great Pyramid of Khufu has a square base approximately 230m long and rises to about 140m in height – if you can imagine it.
And if you can’t, well here’s some visual. Take a look at the people, camels, & vehicles in the background and how tiny they are (click for a larger image, zoom for detail).
There is the chance to go inside the pyramids, but there are limited tickets sold each day. Our tour group was too late to grab Great Pyramid tickets, but we did get to go inside the second one – the Pyramid of Khafre. If you’re claustrophic, don’t bother entering any pyramids. My journey inside involved walking down a very narrow and low tunnel to a room which houses Khafre’s granite sarcophagus; and it was definitely a sweaty affair. The temperature is actually better outside the pyramid in the blazing sun than inside it!
Well, we all know the heat doesn’t stop tourists – so off we went to see the Sphinx.
Description: Face of a man, body of a lion.
According to Wiki, it is the largest monolith statue in the world, standing 73.5 m (241 ft) long, 6 m (20 ft) wide, and 20 m (65 ft) high.
Note: Napoleon was not responsible for the missing nose.
Some things of interest:
- There is no clear answer as to how the pyramids were built. There are lots of theories, but according to Frommer’s Egypt guidebook, the most common involve 1) that the ancient Egyptians built ramps up the sides of the pyramids or 2) that they used some kind of lever device to lift up the blocks. Oh and of course there’s the theory that aliens built them. Those smart aliens…
- The Orion Correlation Theory. Its central claim is that there is an intended correlation between the location of the 3 largest pyramids of the Giza pyramid complex and the 3 middle stars of the constellation Orion (which forms Orion’s Belt).
- We were told that there is one room in the Great Pyramid (I think) where gravity measured 9.4 (instead of 9.8). If you put meat or fruit in this room, it won’t rot for a significantly longer time than you would expect. If you place a dull razor blade in the room, it will become sharp after a couple of days. Here’s where I have to admit that I have yet to find literature & research on this. A quick search of Google did not turn up hugely relevant results, but I’m still looking. If anyone knows of a resource, I’d appreciate a link/suggestion :)
My little disclaimer: Any seemingly factual tidbit that I’ve posted is not guaranteed to be true. I’m only re-iterating what I’ve heard or read. I’m no Egyptologist :)
If you’d like to see my public Facebook album of Egypt pics click here
Enjoy!
Oh, and check back soon for more of my Egyptian tales :)
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