During the construction of the most grandiose monument of antiquity, the Pyramid of Cheops, more than one year was spent and a huge number of slaves were involved, many of whom died at the construction site. This was the opinion of the ancient Greeks, among them Herodotus, one of the first historians who described this grandiose structure in detail.

But modern scientists do not agree with this opinion and argue: many free Egyptians wanted to work on construction sites - when agricultural work ended, it was an excellent opportunity to earn extra money (here they provided food, clothing and housing).

For any Egyptian, participating in the construction of a tomb for their ruler was a duty and a matter of honor, since each of them hoped that he would also be touched by a piece of pharaonic immortality: it was believed that the Egyptian ruler had the right not only to life after death, but could also take with him their loved ones (usually they were buried in tombs adjacent to the pyramid).

Ordinary people, however, get into afterworld it was not destined to happen - the only exceptions were slaves and servants, who were buried along with the ruler. But everyone had the right to hope - and therefore, when housework was finished, for many years the Egyptians rushed to Cairo, to the rocky plateau.

The Pyramid of Cheops (or as it was also called, Khufu) is located near Cairo, on the Giza plateau, on the left side of the Nile, and is the largest tomb located there. This tomb is the tallest pyramid on our planet; it took many years to build and has a non-standard layout. A rather interesting fact is that during the autopsy, the ruler’s body was not found in it.

For many years now, it has been exciting the minds of researchers and admirers of Egyptian culture, who ask themselves the question: were ancient people able to build such a structure and is the pyramid the work of representatives extraterrestrial civilizations who built it with only one clear purpose?


The fact that this tomb of stunning size almost immediately entered the list of the ancient seven wonders of the world does not surprise anyone: the size of the Cheops pyramid is amazing, and this, despite the fact that over the past millennia it has become smaller, and scientists cannot determine the exact proportions of the Cheops pyramid condition, since its edges and surfaces were dismantled for their needs by more than one generation of Egyptians:

  • The height of the pyramid is about 138 m (interestingly, in the year it was built, it was eleven meters higher);
  • The foundation has a square shape, the length of each side is about 230 meters;
  • The foundation area is about 5.4 hectares (thus, the five largest cathedrals of our planet will fit on it);
  • The length of the foundation along the perimeter is 922 m.

Construction of the pyramid

If earlier scientists believed that the construction of the Cheops pyramid took the Egyptians about twenty years, in our time, Egyptologists, having studied the records of the priests in more detail, and, taking into account the parameters of the pyramid, as well as the fact that Cheops ruled for about fifty years, refuted this fact and came to I conclude that it took at least thirty, and maybe even forty, years to build it.


Despite the fact that the exact date of construction of this grandiose tomb is unknown, it is believed that it was built by order of Pharaoh Cheops, who allegedly reigned from 2589 to 2566 BC. e., and his nephew and vizier Hemion was responsible for the construction work, using the latest technologies of his time, the solution of which many scientific minds have been struggling for many centuries. He approached the matter with all care and meticulousness.

Preparation for construction

More than 4 thousand workers were involved in the preliminary work, which took about ten years. It was necessary to find a place for construction, the soil of which would be strong enough to support a structure of this scale - so the decision was made to stop on a rocky site near Cairo.

To level the site, the Egyptians, using stones and sand, built a waterproof square shaft. They cut out channels intersecting at right angles in the shaft, and the construction site began to resemble a large chessboard.

After that, water was released into the trenches, with the help of which the builders determined the height of the water level and made the necessary notches on the side walls of the channels, after which the water was released. The workers cut down all the stones that were above the water level, after which the trenches were filled with stones, thus creating the foundation of the tomb.


Works with stone

The building material for the tomb was obtained from a quarry located on the other side of the Nile. To obtain a block of the required size, the stone was cut down from the rock and hewn to the required size - from 0.8 to 1.5 m. Although on average one stone block weighed about 2.5 tons, the Egyptians also made heavier specimens, for example, the heaviest the block that was installed above the entrance to the “Pharaoh’s Room” weighed 35 tons.

Using thick ropes and levers, the builders secured the block on wooden runners and dragged it along a deck of logs to the Nile, loaded it onto a boat and transported it across the river. And then they again dragged it along the logs to the construction site, after which the most difficult stage began: the huge block had to be pulled to the very top platform of the tomb. How exactly they did this and what technologies they used is one of the mysteries of the Cheops pyramid.

One of the versions proposed by scientists implies the following option. Along a 20 m wide brick rise located at an angle, the block lying on skids was pulled upward with the help of ropes and levers, where it was placed in a clearly designated place. The higher the Cheops pyramid became, the longer and steeper the climb became, and the upper platform became smaller - so it became more and more difficult and dangerous to lift the boulders.


The workers had the hardest time when it was necessary to install the “pyramidon” - the topmost block 9 meters high (not preserved to this day). Since the huge boulder had to be lifted almost vertically, the work turned out to be deadly, and many people died at this stage of the work. As a result, the Cheops pyramid, after construction was completed, had more than 200 steps leading up and looked like a huge stepped mountain.

In total, it took the ancient Egyptians at least twenty years to build the body of the pyramid. The work on the “box” was not finished yet - they still had to lay them with stones and make sure that the outer parts of the blocks became more or less smooth. And at the final stage, the Egyptians completely lined the pyramid from the outside with slabs of white limestone polished to a shine - and it sparkled in the sun like a huge shiny crystal.

The slabs have not survived to this day on the pyramid: the inhabitants of Cairo, after the Arabs plundered their capital (1168), used them in the construction of new houses and temples (some of them can be seen on mosques today).


Drawings on the pyramid

Interesting fact: the outer side of the pyramid body is covered with curvilinear grooves of different sizes. If you look at them from a certain angle, you can see the image of a man 150 m high (possibly a portrait of one of the ancient gods). This drawing is not alone: ​​on the northern wall of the tomb one can also distinguish a man and a woman with their heads bowed to each other.

Scientists claim that these Egyptians made the grooves several years before they finished building the pyramid body and installed the top stone. True, the question remains open: why did they do this, because the slabs with which the pyramid was subsequently decorated hid these portraits.

What the Great Pyramid looked like from the inside

A detailed study of the Cheops Pyramid showed that, contrary to popular belief, there are practically no inscriptions or any other decorations inside the tomb, except for a small portrait in the corridor leading to the Queen's Room.


The entrance to the tomb is located on the north side at a height exceeding fifteen meters. After burial, it was closed with a granite plug, so tourists get inside through a gap located about ten meters below - it was cut down by the Caliph of Baghdad Abdullah al-Mamun (820 AD) - the man who first entered the tomb with the aim of robbing it. The attempt failed because he found nothing here except a thick layer of dust.

The Cheops Pyramid is the only pyramid where there are corridors leading both down and up. The main corridor first goes down, then branches into two tunnels - one leads down into the unfinished funeral chamber, the second leads up, first into Large gallery, from which you can get to the Queen’s Room and the main tomb.

From the central entrance, through a tunnel leading down (its length is 105 meters), you can get into a burial pit located below ground level, the height of which is 14 m, width - 8.1 m, height - 3.5 m. Inside the room, near Egyptologists discovered a well on the southern wall, the depth of which is about three meters (a narrow tunnel stretches from it to the south, leading to a dead end).

Researchers believe that this particular room was originally intended for the crypt of Cheops, but then the pharaoh changed his mind and decided to build a tomb higher for himself, so this room remained unfinished.

You can also get to the unfinished funeral room from the Great Gallery - at its very entrance a narrow, almost vertical shaft 60 meters high begins. Interestingly, in the middle of this tunnel there is a small grotto (most likely of natural origin, since it is located at the point of contact between the stonework of the pyramid and a small hump of limestone), which could accommodate several people.

According to one hypothesis, the architects took this grotto into account when designing the pyramid and initially intended it to evacuate builders or priests who were completing the “sealing” ceremony of the central passage leading to the tomb of the pharaoh.

The Pyramid of Cheops has another mysterious room with an unclear purpose - the “Queen's Chamber” (like the lowest room, this room is not completed, as evidenced by the floor on which they began to lay tiles, but did not complete the work).

This room can be reached by first going down the corridor 18 meters from the main entrance, and then going up a long tunnel (40 m). This room is the smallest of all, located in the very center of the pyramid, has an almost square shape (5.73 x 5.23 m, height - 6.22 m), and a niche is built into one of its walls.

Despite the fact that the second burial pit is called the “queen’s room,” the name is a misnomer, since the wives of Egyptian rulers were always buried in separate small pyramids (there are three such tombs near the tomb of the pharaoh).

Previously, it was not easy to get into the “Queen’s Chamber”, because at the very beginning of the corridor that led to the Great Gallery, three granite blocks were installed, disguised with limestone - so it was previously believed that this room did not exist. Al-Mamunu guessed about its presence and, being unable to remove the blocks, hollowed out a passage in the softer limestone (this passage is still in use today).

It is not known exactly at what stage of construction the plugs were installed, and therefore there are several hypotheses. According to one of them, they were installed even before the funeral, during construction work. Another claims that they were not there at all in this place before, and they appeared here after the earthquake, rolling down from the Great Gallery, where they were installed after the funeral of the ruler.


Another secret of the Cheops pyramid is that exactly where the plugs are located, there are not two, as in other pyramids, but three tunnels - the third is a vertical hole (though no one knows where it leads, since granite blocks with no one has moved the seats yet).

You can get to the tomb of the pharaoh through the Great Gallery, which is almost 50 meters long. It is a continuation of the upward corridor from the main entrance. Its height is 8.5 meters, with the walls narrowing slightly at the top. In front of the tomb of the Egyptian ruler there is a “hallway” - the so-called Antechamber.

From the Antechamber, a hole leads to the “Pharaoh's Chamber,” built from monolithic polished granite blocks, in which there is an empty sarcophagus made from a red piece of Aswan granite. (interesting fact: scientists have not yet found any traces or evidence that there was a burial here).

Apparently, the sarcophagus was brought here even before construction began, since its dimensions did not allow it to be placed here after the completion of construction work. The length of the tomb is 10.5 m, width – 5.4 m, height – 5.8 m.


The biggest mystery of the Cheops pyramid (as well as its feature) is its 20 cm wide shafts, which scientists call ventilation ducts. They start inside the two upper rooms, first go horizontally, and then go out at an angle.

While these channels in the Pharaoh’s room are through, in the “Queen’s Chambers” they begin only at a distance of 13 cm from the wall and do not reach the surface at the same distance (at the same time, at the top they are closed with stones with copper handles, the so-called “Ganterbrink doors”). .

Despite the fact that some researchers suggest that these were ventilation ducts (for example, they were intended to prevent workers from suffocating during work due to the lack of oxygen), most Egyptologists are still inclined to think that these narrow channels had religious significance and were able to prove that they were built taking into account the location of astronomical bodies. The presence of canals may well be related to the Egyptian belief about the gods and souls of the dead who live in the starry sky.

At the foot Great Pyramid There are several underground structures - in one of them, archaeologists (1954) found the oldest ship on our planet: a wooden boat made of cedar, disassembled into 1224 parts, the total length of which when assembled was 43.6 meters (apparently, it was on this Pharaoh had to go to the Kingdom of the Dead).

Is this tomb Cheops?

Over the past few years, Egyptologists have increasingly questioned the fact that this pyramid was actually intended for Cheops. This is evidenced by the fact that there is absolutely no decoration in the burial chamber.

The pharaoh's mummy was not found in the tomb, and the sarcophagus itself, in which it was supposed to be located, was not completely finished by the builders: it was hewn rather roughly, and the lid was missing altogether. These Interesting Facts make it possible for fans of theories of the alien origin of this grandiose structure to claim that the pyramid was built by representatives of extraterrestrial civilizations, using technologies unknown to science and for a purpose incomprehensible to us.

The world-famous Egyptian pyramid of Cheops inside is like a “Russian nesting doll” and consists of three pyramids of three pharaohs. The veil of secrecy is lifted over one of the seven wonders of the world. Every creation of human hands has meaning.

“Everything that arises must have some reason for its occurrence, for it is absolutely impossible to arise without a cause.” So said the ancient Greek philosopher and sage Plato in the 4th century BC. e. in his book Timaeus.

All mysteries are overcome by knowledge. Knowledge can be obtained or created. As a “tool for creation,” let’s take our common sense, logic of thinking and knowledge of ancient people who used ideas about the world at that distant time.

“What is comprehended through reflection and reasoning is obviously an eternally identical being; and that which is subject to opinion... arises and dies, but never really exists.” (IV century BC, Plato, Timaeus).

Russian doll

What does it mean that the Cheops pyramid is like a “Russian nesting doll”, containing two more pyramids, one inside the other? To confirm the conclusion about the triplicity of the Cheops pyramid, let's start with the facts and look at the cross-sectional diagram of the pyramid.

Firstly, there are three burial chambers in the Cheops pyramid. Three! From this fact it follows that the pyramid had three owners (three pharaohs) at different times. And everyone had their own separate burial chamber. After all, few living people would think of preparing a tomb for themselves in three “copies.” In addition (as can be seen from the size of the pyramids), their construction is quite labor-intensive even for our time. Besides? Archaeologists have already established that the pharaohs built tomb pyramids separately and of a much smaller size for their wives.

Egyptian historians have established that long before the construction of the pyramids in ancient Egypt in the 4th millennium BC. and earlier pharaohs were buried in structures called mastabas. Below in the picture is the appearance of the ancient crypt (mastaba) of Shepseskaf in Saqqara. It consists of underground and above-ground parts.

The pharaoh's mummy was located deep underground in an underground hall. In the ground part there was a prayer room with a statue of the pharaoh. After death (according to the ancient Egyptian priests), the soul of the deceased pharaoh moved into this statue. The halls in the above-ground mastaba room could be connected to each other (or isolated from each other). Above these underground halls, a low, trapezoidal truncated pyramid was built from stone blocks.

Under the pyramid of Cheops there is underground passage(4) at the end of which there is a vast unfinished underground hall (5). There is also an exit (12) from the hall to the top, which was made according to the burial theory for the passage of the pharaoh’s soul to the above-ground part of the mastaba.

According to the section plan of the Cheops pyramid, we can conclude that if there is an underground hall (5) and there is a passage upward from it (12), then the upper prayer room of the mastaba should be in the center and slightly lower than the middle burial chamber (7). Unless, of course, when the second pharaoh began construction of his pyramid above the mastaba, these premises were not filled with stones, destroyed and preserved to this day.

This conclusion (about the presence of internal mastaba halls in the center of the Cheops pyramid) is confirmed by the observations of French researchers - Gilles Dormayon and Jean-Yves Verdhart. In August 2004, examining the floor in the middle burial chamber (7) with sensitive gravitational instruments, they discovered below the floor at a depth of about four meters impressive size an unknown void, the purpose of which at that time they did not have any versions.

According to the plan of the pyramid's section, a narrow inclined almost vertical shaft (12) goes up from the underground burial pit (5). This passage should connect to the above-ground prayer room of the mastaba. At the exit from the mine, at ground level under the base of the pyramid, there is a small grotto (extension up to 5 meters in length). Apparently, in ancient times, when excavating this grotto, they were already looking for a passage to the inner halls of the mastaba. It has been established that its walls consist of more ancient masonry that does not belong to the Cheops pyramid. The passage rising from the underground hall and the ancient stonework are nothing more than belonging to the first mastaba. From the expansion in the shaft (12) to the center of the pyramid there should be a passage to the ground halls of the mastaba. This passage was most likely walled up by the builders of the second inner pyramid.

By appearance and according to archaeologists, the underground burial chamber (5) remained unfinished. The condition of the prayer rooms in the upper above-ground part of the mastaba (which is the first of three in the Cheops pyramid) remains to be determined by opening a passage through them.

The height of the first internal truncated pyramid (mastaba), according to the pyramid's sectional diagram, should be no more than 15 meters.

The presence of an unfinished burial structure (mastaba), located in the most advantageous place (at the top stone plateau in the town of Giza), served as a pretext for the second (before Cheops) unknown pharaoh to use this mastaba to build his pyramid over it.

The fact that the Giza plateau was previously “inhabited” by ancient mastabas is also supported by the fact that the Sphinx was there. The purpose of the “Sphinx” is to serve as a tomb (mastaba) in the form of a lion sculpture. The age of the “Sphinx” (the deity into which, according to theory, the soul of the pharaoh should move) is estimated to be much older than the pyramids (about 5 - 10 thousand years).

In Egypt, by the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC, the Egyptian priests had a new worldview about the place of residence of the soul after death.

In this regard, the burials of the pharaohs in mastabas were replaced by more majestic structures - step pyramids, and later by “smooth” hewn pyramids. According to the ideas of the priests, after death a person’s soul flew to life to stars related to their souls. “Whoever lives the time allotted to him properly will return to the abode of the star named after him.” Plato, Timaeus.

The burial chamber (7), belonging to the second internal pyramid (on the cross-sectional plan) is located above the prayer part of the first mastaba. The corridor ascending to it (6) is laid along the wall of the mastaba, and the horizontal corridor (8) along its roof. Thus, these two corridors to chamber (7) show the approximate overall dimensions of the first ancient internal truncated trapezoidal mastaba pyramid.

Second and third pyramids

This can be judged by the length of two emanating from the chamber (7) in opposite directions, the so-called (in modern terms) “ventilation ducts”. These channels (one to the north and the other to the south) in a cross section of 20 by 25 cm, approximately 10-12 meters do not reach the boundary of the external walls of the third pyramid.

The modern name for ducts as “air ducts” is, of course, incorrect. The deceased pharaoh did not need ventilation ducts. The channels had a completely different purpose. Channels are a pointing path directed to the sky, oriented with great accuracy (up to a degree) to the stars, where, according to the ideas of the ancient Egyptians, the soul of the pharaoh would settle after death.

The northern channel was oriented towards the star Kohab in the constellation Ursa Minor. At that time, due to precession (the displacement of the Earth's axis), "Kokhab" was the "North Star" around which the sky revolved. It was assumed that after death the pharaoh becomes one of the stars in her environment in the northern part of the sky.

The Southern Channel was targeting the Sirius star. In Egyptian mythology, “Sirius” was associated with the name of the goddess Sopdet (the protector and patroness of all the dead).

At the time the second pyramid was built, both channels from the burial chamber (7) reached the edge of the outer walls and were open to the sky. The burial chamber of the pharaoh's second inner pyramid may also have been unfinished (judging by the lack of its interior decoration).

It is possible that the top of the second pyramid was not fully completed (for example, there was a war, the pharaoh was killed, died prematurely from illness, an accident, etc.). But, in any case, the second pyramid was built no lower than the height of the channels (“air ducts”) emanating from the burial chamber (7) to the outer walls.

The second internal pyramid reveals itself not only with tightly closed channels and its own separate burial chamber, but most of all it is revealed outside by the walled-up central entrance (1) to the Cheops pyramid.

Obviously, it immediately catches your eye that the entrance, tightly walled up with huge granite blocks, is buried in the body of the third pyramid (about the same 10-12 meters as the channels from the second burial chamber).

During the construction of the third pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops, there was no point in extending this external entrance to the second pyramid. Therefore, after adding walls along the perimeter of the third pyramid, the entrance turned out to be “recessed” inside.

The entrance gates of all buildings are always made slightly outside the structure, and not buried in the depths of the structure. The Pyramid of Khafre has approximately the same entrance, but moved outside.

Cheops is the third owner of the pyramid

Archaeologists and historians, according to the deciphering of hieroglyphs, have established that the Cheops pyramid was built not by slaves (as previously thought), but by civilian builders, who, of course, had to be paid well for hard work. And since the volume of construction was enormous, it was more profitable for Cheops to take an unfinished pyramid than to build a new one from scratch. The advantageous location of the unfinished second pyramid, which was located at the very top of the plateau, was also important.

Cheops began the construction of the third pyramid by dismantling the central part of the second pyramid. In the resulting “crater” at a height of approximately 40 meters from the ground, a pre-chamber (11) and the third burial chamber of the pharaoh (10) were built. The passage to the third burial chamber only needed to be extended. The ascending tunnel (6) was continued in the form of a large 8-meter high cone-shaped gallery (9).

The conical shape of the gallery is not similar to the initial part of the ascending narrow passage. This indicates that the tunnel was not made at the same time and under different external conditions.

After the third Cheops pyramid was expanded on the sides, adding 10-12 meters on each side, the outgoing channels of the second pyramid from the chamber (7) were accordingly closed.

If the burial chamber (7) turned out to be empty, then there was no point in extending the old channels for the builders of the third pyramid. Outside, the channels were filled with new rows of wall blocks of the third pyramid, and from the inside in chamber (7), the outgoing channels were also walled up. In the burial chamber (7), walled up channels were discovered by treasure hunters (researchers) by tapping the walls only in 1872.

In September 2010, English and German researchers launched a caterpillar robot into one of the narrow “air ducts” from the second burial chamber (7). Having risen to the end, he rested against a limestone slab 13 cm thick, drilled through it, inserted a video camera into the hole, and on the other side of the slab at a distance of 18 cm, the robot saw another stone barrier. Having reached a dead end, the scientists' search ended in nothing. The stone barrier is nothing more than the blocks of the third pyramid.

The builders of the third pyramid of Cheops from the third burial chamber of the pharaoh laid new channels (10) for the “flight of the soul” to the stars.

If you look closely at the cross-section of the pyramid, the two pairs of channels (to the north and south) from the second and third chambers are not parallel! This is one of the “keys” to solving the mystery of the Cheops pyramid.

The channels of the upper third chamber relative to the channels of the second chamber are rotated clockwise by 5 degrees. The northern pair of channels has inclination angles of 32° and 37° (5° difference). The southern pair of channels, oriented towards the star Sirius, has inclination angles of 45° and 39° (a difference of 6°). Here, an increase of 1 degree can be attributed to the own movement of the planet Sirius in its orbit. The 5-degree discrepancy in channel angles is not accidental. Egyptian priests and builders very accurately recorded the position of the stars in the sky and clearly laid out the direction of the channels to the stars (with an accuracy of minutes and seconds).

Then what's the matter

The point here is that the Earth’s rotation axis shifts by 1 degree every 72 years, and every 25,920 years the Earth’s axis, rotating at an angle like a spinning top, makes a full circle of 360 degrees. This astronomical phenomenon is called precession. Plato called the total rotation time of the Earth's axis 25,920 years - “The Great Year”.

When the Earth's axis shifts by 1 degree over 72 years, then the angle of view in the direction of all stars (including the Sun) also changes by 1 degree. If the displacement of each pair of channels differs by 5 degrees, then we can easily calculate that between the construction of the second pyramid (of the unknown pharaoh) and the third pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops, the difference is 5 x 72 = 360 years.

Egyptian historians say that Pharaoh Cheops (another pronunciation is Khufu) reigned in 2540-2560 BC. By counting “degree” years ago, we can say exactly when the second inner pyramid was built. Thus, the second pyramid was built in 2800-2820 BC.

In the Cheops pyramid the only place under the ceiling (on the powerful vaulted granite slabs above the third burial chamber) there is a personal hieroglyph made by the workers who left their mark: “Builders, friends of Pharaoh Khufu.” No other mention of the name Cheops (Khufu) or the affiliation of other pharaohs to the pyramid has yet been found.

Most likely, the third Cheops pyramid was completed and used for its intended purpose. Otherwise, the Cheops pyramid would not have been “sealed.” That is, a plug of several granite cubes would not have been lowered into the ascending passage (6) from above and from the inside along an inclined plane. With these stone cubes, the pyramid was tightly closed to everyone for more than three thousand years (until 820 AD).

The ancient Egyptian name of the Cheops pyramid is read in hieroglyphs as “Horizon of Khufu”. The name has a literal meaning. The angle of inclination of the side face of the pyramid is 51° 50′. This is the angle at which the Sun rose exactly at noon on the days of the autumn-spring equinox. The sun at noon, like a golden “crown,” crowned the pyramid. Throughout the year, the Sun (the ancient Egyptian God - Ra) walks across the sky in summer higher, in winter lower (just like the pharaoh through his domains) and always the Sun (pharaoh) returns to his “home”. Therefore, the angle of inclination of the walls of the pyramid indicates the path to the house of the “Sun God”, to the “house of the pyramid” of Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops) - “the son of the Sun God”.

The edges of the walls are arranged at an angle of view towards the Sun not only in this pyramid. In Khafre's pyramid, the angle of inclination of the wall faces is slightly more than 52-53 degrees (it is known that it was built later). In the Mikerin pyramid, the slope of the faces is 51°20′25″ (less than that of Cheops). Until now, historians did not know whether it was built before the Cheops pyramid or later. Now, taking into account the open “degree time” of the Earth’s precession, the smaller angle of inclination of the walls indicates that the pyramid of Mikerinus was built not later, but earlier. In relation to the “degree age scale”, a difference in the slope of the walls of 30 minutes corresponds to 36 years. In later Egyptian pyramids, for example the pyramid of Pharaoh Khafre, the slope of the faces should accordingly be greater.

In Sudan (see in the picture) there are many pyramids, the angle of inclination of the faces of which is much steeper. Sudan is south of Egypt and the Sun stands higher above the horizon there on the day of the spring-autumn equinox. This explains the great steepness of the walls of the Sudanese pyramids.

In 820 A.D. The Baghdad caliph Abu Jafar al-Mamun, in search of the countless treasures of the pharaoh, made a horizontal break (2) at the base of the Cheops pyramid, which tourists use to enter the pyramid at present. The breach was made to the beginning of the ascending corridor (6), where they ran into granite cubes, which were bypassed to the right and thus penetrated into the pyramid. But, according to historians, they found nothing but “dust half the size of a palm” inside. If there was anything valuable in the pyramid, then the servants of the caliph took it. And what they left behind was taken away over the next period of time—1200 years.

Judging by the appearance of the gallery (9), 28 pairs of ritual statues stood along its walls in rectangular recesses. However, the exact purpose of the recesses is not known. Two facts indicate that there were statues there. First, the eight-meter height of the gallery made it possible to install statues. Secondly, there were large round peeling imprints on the walls from the mortar that was used to attach the statues to the walls.

I will disappoint those who were determined to find “miracles” in the design of the Egyptian pyramids.

Over a hundred pyramids have been discovered in Egypt today, and they are all different from each other. The pyramids have different angles of inclination of the faces oriented towards the Sun (because they were built at different times), there is a pyramid with a “broken side” at a double angle, there are stone and brick pyramids, smoothly lined and stepped, there are pyramids with a base not square, but rectangular in shape, for example, Pharaoh Djoser.

There is no unity even among the neighboring pyramids at Giza. The Pyramid of Mikerin (the smaller of the three) at its base is not oriented strictly to the cardinal points. The exact orientation of the sides is not given importance. IN main pyramid Cheops's third (uppermost) burial chamber is not located in the geometric center of the pyramid or even on the axis of the pyramid. In the pyramids of Khafre and Mikerin, the burial chambers are also off-center. If the pyramids had some kind of secret secret, law or knowledge, the “golden ratio” and so on, then all the pyramids would have uniformity. But there is nothing like this in the pyramids. Below are pictures of Egyptian pyramids of different shapes.

The former Minister of Archeology of Egypt and the current main expert on ancient Egyptian pyramids, Zahi Hawass, says: “Like any practitioner, I decided to check the statement that food does not spoil in the pyramid. Divided a kilogram of meat in half. I left one part in the office and the other in the Cheops pyramid. The part in the pyramid deteriorated even faster than in the office.”

What else can you look for in the Cheops pyramid?

Perhaps you can find the above-ground prayer room of the first pyramid - the mastaba. It would be worth drilling down several holes in the floor of the second (7) burial chamber until an internal cavity is discovered below.

Then from the grotto (12) find a walled passage into the halls (or pave it). This will not be detrimental to the pyramid, since there was originally a connecting entrance from the underground burial chamber to the above-ground mastaba room. And you just have to find it. After the discovery of the interior of the mastaba, it may become known about the pharaoh - the owner of the first truncated trapezoidal mastaba pyramid.

The Mastaba Sphinx is also of great interest on the Giza plateau. The stone body of the ancient Sphinx is located from west to east. Funeral burials were also made from west to east. Presumably, the Sphinx is an integral part of an above-ground structure (mastaba) - the tomb of an unknown pharaoh.

Searches in this direction would expand the boundaries of knowledge of the history of ancient Egypt. It is possible even more early civilization, for example, the Atlanteans, whom the Egyptians deified, considering them their ancestors, and referred to their ancient ancestors as predecessor gods.

An identification study by American criminologists concluded that the face of the Sphinx does not resemble the faces of the statues of Egyptian pharaohs, but has distinct Negroid features. That is, the ancient ancestors of the Egyptians, including the legendary Atlanteans, had Negroid facial features and African origin.

It should be noted here that the Egyptian legend about the Atlantean ancestors is indirect evidence of proximity to Egypt.

Probably, the burial chamber and mummy of an ancient pharaoh of Negro origin is located under the front paws of the Sphinx, as the American psychic Edgar Cayce said about it. In this case, there should be a passage upward from the underground hall - a path for the relocation of the “soul” of the pharaoh and subsequent life in the body of the Sphinx statue (according to the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians).

The Sphinx is a lion (symbol of royal power) with a human head and the face of a pharaoh. It is possible that the face of the discovered mummy of the pharaoh (after plastic restoration) will turn out to be “two peas in a pod” similar to the face of the Sphinx.

By analogy with the construction (of later pyramids over earlier ones), we can say that many other Egyptian pyramids had more than one owner. In this regard, confusion is revealed with the time of life of the pharaohs and the time of construction of their pyramids.

For example, Pharaoh Mykerinus ruled later than Cheops, but his pyramid, according to the angle of inclination of the walls, in accordance with calculations based on “years of precession,” was started 36 years earlier than Cheops’ pyramid. How can this be? The answer to this question is that the pyramid began to be built earlier (before Mikerin), but it was completed later, when the angle of inclination of the lower walls that had been started could no longer be changed.

There is a large vertical gap on one of the side walls of the Mykerinus pyramid. Getting to the pharaoh's treasures in the burial chamber inside the pyramid, the robbers dismantled part of the wall from top to bottom. In the thus formed “vertical section” of the section of the inner blocks of the pyramid, the following was revealed - from a certain, clearly defined boundary, the upper blocks were not laid tightly and not as neatly as the lower ones. This confirms that the pyramid was being completed and that later builders were not as careful about the quality of laying the internal blocks.

At the same time, judging by the two underground halls under the pyramid of Mikerin (which belong to the burials of the pharaohs during the construction of the mastabas), the burial structure was begun many centuries earlier. This confusion of times suggests that inside the pyramid of Mikerin, as well as in the pyramid of Cheops, there should be above-ground prayer rooms of the original mastaba, belonging to the more ancient burial of the pharaoh. And in the body of the pyramid there should also be a chamber-tomb for the later burial of Pharaoh Mikerin.

"Curtain" of centuries-old secrecy over the secret Egyptian pyramid Cheops is raised. All that remains is to enter the open door.
This requires permission from the Egyptian authorities, which they give to research scientists with great reluctance.
A mystery loses its appeal when it is revealed.

But, despite this, tourists’ interest in the majestic buildings does not disappear. ancient world, which has survived to this day.

How the Cheops Pyramid was built

Another confirmation of the triplicity of the Cheops pyramid. In 2009, the French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin, and later with the support of Egyptologist Bob Brier from the American University of Long Island, observing how roads were built in the mountains, put forward a similar erroneous assumption. about the construction technology of the Egyptian pyramid of Cheops. The fact that stone blocks were transported to the pyramid by drag, around its walls along inclined ramps and corridors, as if along a serpentine road mountain road. This is a long and laborious path. Following this, Jean-Pierre Houdin began to look for evidence of his hypothesis.

To substantiate his assumption, he accepted the research of a group of engineers from the French Academy of Sciences, who in 1986 spent several months scanning the internal contents of the Cheops pyramid to detect hidden cavities inside it. French researchers discovered wide stripes along the perimeter of the pyramid at different heights with approximately 15% less density (see above picture of gravimetry of the Cheops pyramid). Areas with a density from 1.85 to 2.3 tons per 1 cubic meter are highlighted in different colors.

French scientists were unable to explain why there are sparse stripes along the walls of the pyramid, and therefore the results of the study did not receive any discussion in the scientific world.

In June 2012, in Russia, engineer Vladimir Garmatyuk revealed the “secret” of the Cheops pyramid. Obvious evidence is provided that the pyramid, like a “Russian nesting doll” inside, consists of three pyramids of three pharaohs of different times. When it became known that inside the Cheops pyramid (the third from the start of construction) there is an older (360 years earlier) second pyramid (see picture - a recessed entrance to the second closed pyramid).

And there is an even more ancient first truncated pyramid (mastaba, which reveals itself in the underground hall under the pyramid and other signs), then the stripes of material with lower density inside the Cheops pyramid found their explanation. The stripes show and confirm the separation of the bodies of the second and third pyramid.

How and with what to explain this

For the strength of the structure, the outer layer of the pyramid was laid out from hewn, tightly packed blocks. Hence the high density of the outer layer of the walls. While the inner rows of the pyramids consist of roughly fitted unhewn blocks. Therefore, the density of the inner rows of the pyramid is less.

See, for example, the picture below - the “insides” of the pyramid of Pepi II from South Saqqara. On the outside of the pyramid there are densely laid hewn blocks, and on the inside there are ordinary stones obtained from horizontal chipping of layered limestone deposits.

It is possible that the same thing happened inside the Cheops pyramid (of course, not in the central part, where the burial chambers of the pharaohs are located); a mound of stones, rubble and sand, delivered to the pyramid in baskets, was used as a volume filler. After all, this significantly reduced the cost and accelerated the construction of the pyramids. A mound of stones easily explains the same vast spaces of rarefied density that were discovered in 2017 by French and Japanese physicists when studying the inside of the pyramid with muon telescopes.

When accurately measuring the plane of the side faces of the Cheops pyramid, it is noticeable that they have some depression inward (to a depth of one meter). After all, over the 4.5 thousand years since the construction of the pyramid, there have been many earthquakes that gradually shook out its contents over and over again. And because of this, the walls (since there is loose material inside the pyramid) fell somewhat inward due to their lower density.

According to gravimetry of the Cheops pyramid (white) stripes along the perimeter of the walls of the second pyramid have a density of 1.85-2.05 tons per cubic meter. This just means that there is an embankment made of stone.

The third (outer visible today) pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops increased the sides and height of the second (inner) pyramid by 10 - 12 meters. The inner unhewn blocks of the third pyramid are laid along the dense, hewn outer walls of the second pyramid. Therefore, in 1986, French gravimetric researchers recorded a difference in the density of the material inside the pyramid; it is this difference (the difference in density) that creates the appearance of a “serpentine”. French researchers noted this circumstance, but could not explain it.

Other arguments by Jean-Pere Houdin and Bob Brier, given to prove the assumption of the “serpentine” construction of the pyramid, each have their own explanation. Researchers in 2009 did not yet know that the Cheops pyramid consists of three different pyramids. For example, longitudinal stripes of stone blocks of the same color on the edges of the Cheops pyramid, which they interpret as “dusty roads” from the transportation of blocks, are explained by the uniform color of the stones, mined in a quarry from one layer of rock.

The third pyramid was built up with stone blocks evenly along the height and perimeter onto the walls of the second pyramid, like “cream on a cake.” The stone was mined in one place, and therefore the blocks are similar in color. The order in which the stone blocks were mined was the order in which they were laid in the walls. When the blocks were taken from another place, their color was slightly different.

Or their other argument is a small pothole-deepening on the edge near the top of the pyramid, which they called a transport corridor. The pothole could have been made after the pyramid was built, for example as a failed attempt to get inside. Or the pothole could be made like:

  • guardhouse for giving signals,

    • as a guard post for religious, hermitage, cult or other purposes.

The fact that the Cheops pyramid consists of three different pyramids, separated by hundreds of years in construction time, means that it was built by more than one generation of people, and there was no such great construction “in one go.”

This significantly mitigates the worrying problem of the labor intensity of building a pyramid, but does not cancel or in any way reduce the grandeur of the undoubtedly greatest structure of the ancient Egyptian civilization in the history of mankind.

The Pyramid of Cheops is a rare case in Egyptology when we can be sure who owns the monument. Often the ancient monuments of Egypt were appropriated by later rulers. The technology of appropriation was very simple - the name of the pharaoh-builder (cartouche) was simply lost from the inscriptions in the temple or in the tomb, and another name was knocked out.

This phenomenon was very common. Take, for example, the famous Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Until 1922, when archaeologist Howard Carter dug up, Egyptologists doubted the existence of this ruler. There was almost no written evidence about him; everything was destroyed by subsequent pharaohs.

In the 19th century, archaeologists often used very barbaric research methods. In the Cheops pyramid, gunpowder explosions were used to find hidden rooms. You can still see traces of such methods on the surfaces of structures (see photo on the left).

During this study, small rooms were discovered above the main burial chamber. Explorers rushed there in the hope of finding treasure, but, of course, there was nothing there except dust.

These rooms were only 1 meter high and had clean technical purpose. These are unloading chambers; they protect the ceiling of the burial chamber from collapse and relieve mechanical stress. But it was on the walls of these unloading chambers that scientists discovered inscriptions made by ancient builders.

These were block markings. Just as we now put a label on a product, the ancient Egyptian foremen marked the blocks: “This block is for the pyramid of Khufu, produced at that time, laid at that time.” These inscriptions cannot be fake; they prove that this structure was built by Cheops.

A little about Pharaoh Cheops

In the last paragraph we used the name “Khufu”. This is the official Egyptian name of this pharaoh. Cheops is the Greek interpretation of his name, and not the most common one. Other pronunciations “Cheops” or “Kiops” are more common.

The name “Khufu” is more common in the world. If you are going on an excursion to Giza with a Russian-speaking guide, then there will be no problems, he will be aware of this phonetic difference. But if you communicate with local residents or tourists from other countries, we recommend using the name “Khufu”.

Although Pharaoh Khufu is one of the, it is impossible to write much about him. We know very little about him.

In addition to the fact of the construction of this pyramid, we know that Khufu organized expeditions to develop useful resources in the Sinai Peninsula. That's all. To this day, only two artifacts have survived from Khufu - a giant pyramid 137 meters high and a small ivory figurine only 7.5 centimeters high (pictured on the right).

Pharaoh Cheops remained in people's memory as a tyrant ruler who forced people to work on grandiose construction. We can read about this in the works of the Greek historian Herodotus, who visited Egypt and recorded the stories of the priests.

Surprisingly, his father, Pharaoh Snofru, remained in people's memory as a very kind ruler, although he built as many as three pyramids (and) and overexerted the country twice as much as Cheops.

One of the greatest structures of the ancient world is located in Egypt. This structure, since its completion, has amazed us with its grandeur and impeccable geometry. It was not for nothing that the ancient Greeks included the Cheops pyramid in their list of seven wonders of the world. This is the only miracle that has survived to this day.

The Pyramid of Cheops has become a real masterpiece. Modern researchers are amazed at the rigor of proportions and accuracy of geometric dimensions, which the ancient Egyptians handled brilliantly. Some Egyptologists seriously believe that the builders of the 26th century BC could not have built such a structure in 22 years. They adhere to the theory of the extraterrestrial origin of the pyramids.

The point of view of these researchers has a right to exist, especially since the arguments they present sometimes baffle their opponents. The location of the pyramid and its proportions are so precise that to position it in accordance with the cardinal directions would require modern builders to use the most accurate geodetic instruments. If the exact location of the Cheops pyramid on the cardinal points is an accident, then the accident is very happy.

The current proportions of the pyramid of Cheops, or Khufu, are not what they were originally. Scientists were able to determine that maximum height pyramid in 2568 BC was 146.6 meters. The ratio of height and base is thus 3.14..., that is, the number “Pi” from geometry. The point is the accuracy in which the ratio repeats the number “Pi”. This precision is six decimal places. Archimedes did not know this meaning; he would have envied such accuracy, no doubt.

On the day of completion of construction, the Cheops pyramid was 146.6 meters high. However, now its height is significantly less than its original height. There are two reasons for this decrease. One of a natural nature is erosion. The second reason is artificial. Her name is human...

In 1301, Cairo experienced an earthquake. Most of the houses have turned into piles of rubbish. The same fate befell mosques with elaborate minarets. After the first shock, the Cairo authorities turned to a real treasure trove building materials- the pyramids of the pagans. They were seduced by the polished limestone slabs that lined the pyramids. Following the path of least resistance, by reducing overhead costs, the Arabs began to remove the outer cladding of the pyramids. Now only part of the cladding on the upper tiers of the Pyramid of Khafre has been preserved. There is no outer cladding left on the Cheops pyramid.

As a result of barbaric dismantling, the height of the tallest pyramid in Egypt decreased by more than eight meters. Today's sources talking about the height of the Cheops pyramid do not shine with uniformity. The difference is 10-20 centimeters. On the one hand, such a discrepancy in data outrages pedants and lovers of accuracy. On the other hand, 10-20 centimeters do not determine anything now. After all, the original proportions are broken irrevocably and forever.

The Arabs who dismantled the pyramids did not ask themselves subtle scientific questions. They were not interested in the theories put forward by modern scientists. They were interested in immediate solutions to everyday problems. They did not hesitate to damage one of the seven wonders of the world. We can complain for a long time about the Arabs of the early 14th century. We can complain about inaccuracies in determining the real height of the pyramid. We can make hypotheses regarding the creators of the pyramids. But the pyramids don't care. They continue to exist and will outlive us with our emotions. They will continue to delight and awe visitors who will disturb their centuries-old peace.

Pyramid of Cheops (Egypt) - description, history, location. The exact address, phone, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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There is probably not a person who does not know the main Egyptian attraction - the Pyramid of Cheops. And the number of tourists who have visited Egypt and not visited the only surviving Seven Wonders of the World can only be counted on one hand.

Despite numerous studies, the Cheops pyramid keeps many secrets. The pharaoh's sarcophagus has not yet been found.

The height of the largest pyramid in Egypt today is 140 meters, and the total area is more than 5 hectares. The Pyramid of Cheops is made up of - attention - 2.5 million stone blocks! To deliver these blocks to the construction site, the ancient Egyptians had to travel hundreds of kilometers! It took 20 years to build the Cheops pyramid.

Millennia have passed, but the pyramid is still highly revered in Egypt. Every year in August, Egyptians celebrate the day its construction began.

True, historians have never found reliable information confirming this fact.

Climbing

The entrance to the Cheops pyramid, like all ancient Egyptian tombs, is located on the north side at an altitude of approximately 17 m. Inside the pyramid there are three burial chambers and a whole network of descending and ascending corridors leading to these rooms. For the convenience of tourists, multi-meter passages are equipped with wooden steps and railings. The pyramid is illuminated, but it is better to take a flashlight with you.

Despite numerous studies and excavations, the Cheops pyramid keeps many secrets. For example, it has still not been possible to find the corridor leading to the chamber with the pharaoh’s sarcophagus.

In the burial room of the ruler's wife, scientists discovered secret doors that supposedly symbolize the road to the afterlife. But archaeologists could not open the last door...

Several disassembled boats were found near the Cheops pyramid. Now everyone can admire the assembled vessels (by the way, it took the researchers almost 14 years to complete this task).

Practical information

How to get there: by bus or taxi from Tahrir Square in Cairo (about 20 minutes travel time), from Hurghada (5-6 hours), from Sharm El-Sheikh (7-8 hours).

Working hours: daily from 8:00 to 17:00, in winter - until 16:30.

Entrance: on the territory - 80 EGP (for adults), 40 EGP (for children); in the pyramid - 200 EGP (for adults), 100 EGP (for children).