An amazing fact, but in the ancient Egyptian pyramids there is not a single tomb of the ancient rulers. If mummies and remains of human skeletons were found in huge buildings, then they all belong to later periods that have nothing to do with the era of the pharaohs.

Empty pyramids

In September 2002, a grandiose event took place on the Giza plateau, located in the suburbs of Cairo - the opening of the pyramid of Cheops. Previously, it was believed that it contains a sarcophagus with the mummy of the second king of the IV dynasty. The penetration was broadcast to the whole world.

The results were shocking: no signs of burial, no treasures, no amulets, no vessels were found in any of the three halls. The sarcophagus was open and empty. Later research showed that there were no signs of a mummy inside.

This is not the only disappointment of the ministers of science, who previously considered the pyramids to be the burial place of the kings of Egypt. In 2015, scientists from the Institute of Innovations of Paris and the University of Cairo began to study the Bent Pyramid, built in the 26th century. BC e under pharaoh Snorfu. His name was inscribed on the walls of the building, so the purpose of the expedition was to find the mummy of the ruler.

For research, the cosmic ray scanning method was used, which makes it possible to detect hidden rooms. The study of the pyramid took four months, after which scientists released information: there are no secret rooms, no pharaoh in the Bent Pyramid.

Valley of the Egyptian Kings

On the western coast of the Nile River, opposite the city of Thebes (the territory of modern Luxor), stretches the Valley of the Kings - the place where the real tombs of the great pharaohs are located. A giant necropolis is hidden in a rocky gorge.

The first burial of the valley was the tomb of Thutmose I. Shortly before his death, the pharaoh, who feared that his last refuge would be plundered, gave the order to find a place hidden from people in the desert. The grave was carved into the rocks, the entrance to it was cut down at a height of 30 m above the surface of the gorge. Later, the Valley of the Kings became a haven for the pharaohs of the XVIII-XX dynasties.

All the tombs are built in the same way: a descending corridor about 200 m long led to rooms whose ceilings and walls are decorated with murals telling about the afterlife and religious texts. Next, the entrance to the burial chamber opened.

In the Valley of the Kings there are 64 tombs of the rulers of ancient Egypt, buried from the 16th to the 11th centuries. BC e. In 1881, the tomb of Ramses the Great was discovered here, and in 1922, the burial of Tutankhamen.

Everyone knows about the famous pyramids of Egypt. Thanks to their sheer size and stunningly precise engineering, these otherworldly artifacts seem to have grown in the desert. But the pyramid is a fairly common form used by ancient and modern builders to create impressive structures. We give examples of 10 lesser-known pyramids that deserve no less close attention than those that were built in Giza.

1. Pyramid "Helmets of the First World War"

USA
Pickelhelm (or pickelhaube) - the pointed German helmet of the soldiers of the First World War, has become a collective image of enemy invaders, which can often be found in comedies. When World War I ended, the victors wanted to create a symbol to showcase their triumph. As a result, it was decided to build a pyramid in New York from captured German helmets.

A hollow pyramid covered with 12,000 pickelhelms was used to raise funds (visitors were encouraged to donate money to the 5th War Loan to help pay off US debt). To emphasize the victory of the allies, the pyramid was crowned with a winged figure, which was probably supposed to represent the goddess of victory, Nike.

2. Tomb of Mad Jack Fuller

England
The pyramids of Egypt were tombs and monuments for the pharaohs of Egypt. Most people prefer something more modest for their eternal resting place, but this was clearly not the case for the man known as "Mad Jack".

In 1777, at the age of 20, John "Mad Jack" Fuller inherited a large estate in England and a plantation with slaves in Jamaica. With this newfound wealth, he was able to unleash his eccentricity. For example, when he became a member of Parliament, he went to London with a stately motorcade and armed servants in cuirasses.

Although Fuller was best known for his insanity, he was very fond of building. Mad Jack built a classic temple, an obelisk, a hollow tower and a spire on his land. The greatest masterpiece was his tomb. During his lifetime, Fuller designed a pyramid that was built in a cemetery.

The building immediately became overgrown with legends. There was a legend that Fuller's body was buried in a pyramid, sitting at a table on which there was a glass of wine. And the floor was allegedly littered with broken glass to "stop the Devil if he comes for Fuller."

3. Brazilian pyramids

Brazil
Because pyramids are found in ancient cultures around the world, some believe that these cultures were connected in some way. In fact, a pyramid is just one of the easiest ways to build a tall structure. Despite the superficial similarity, there are huge differences between how the pyramids were built in different places.

Pyramids in Egypt were made of huge stone blocks, while in Brazil they were built from shells. The Brazilian pyramids date back to around 3000 BC and are therefore older than the earliest Egyptian pyramids. Scientists believe that in Brazil such structures were built over decades or centuries.

At first they were mistaken for piles of rubbish, since the pyramids were made from the remains of shells. Partly because they were not considered important structures, less than 10 percent of the pyramids survive in Brazil. They were dismantled by workers building roads.

4. Pyramids of Alexander Golod

Russia
Not all pyramids are ancient objects associated with death. Many "alternative" researchers believe that the pyramids have mysterious powers. To explore the so-called energy of the pyramids, Alexander Golod, engineer and general director of NPO Hydrometpribor, built a series of pyramids near Moscow.

The pyramids of Hunger look quite modern - they are made of metal and fiberglass. During the construction of 20 pyramids, Famine was able to explore their capabilities. As he claimed, the pyramids improve the immune system of mammals (including humans).

The energy of the pyramids also has a beneficial effect on seeds (increases their yield), restores the Earth's ozone layer and cures impotence. Naturally, his research was criticized. The largest pyramid of Hunger was over 45 meters high and weighed 55 tons. In 2017, it was destroyed by a strong Moscow storm.

5. Pyramid of Koh Ker

Cambodia
In the jungles of Cambodia is the ancient city of Koh Ker, which was once the capital of the Khmer Empire, after the more famous Angkor. Although Angkor attracts many tourists, Koh Ker is less popular. Perhaps this is due to the fact that most of Koh Ker is still hidden in a difficult area, and also, after the conflicts that hit Cambodia in the 20th century, mines still remain in this place.

The seven-step pyramid of Prasat Thom Temple, 32 m high and 55 m side, was built without using any mortar or concrete between the blocks, and the whole structure is held together by its own weight. Since the stairs of the pyramid have been destroyed, the only way to reach the top is by wooden stairs, which were recently installed. It is believed that there may be a hidden entrance to the underground pyramid.

6. Pyramids of La Quemada

Mexico
La Quemada is an archaeological site in Mexico with a mysterious past. Experts cannot agree on who built these structures and for what purpose. The complex consists of various structures installed on a hill. Most of the pyramidal structures found in Mesoamerica are huge and have a more rounded hill shape.

Inside they are made of earth, and outside they are covered with stone. But the pyramids of La Quemada are steeper and more durable. At the top of the Pyramid of the Virgins, which can be reached by wooden steps, there was a small temple where sacrifices were made to the gods.

It is assumed that on another pyramid - the "Sacrificial Pyramid" - people were sacrificed, after which the corpses were thrown down the stairs. Recently discovered bones with characteristic marks on them have provided evidence that La Quemada's people may have eaten the bodies of their enemies.

7. Pyramid of Cestius

Italy
The pyramids of Egypt had been in existence for thousands of years by the time the Roman Empire arose. It seems that at least one Roman who visited Egypt was so amazed by the local pyramids that he decided to build his own. Built between 18 and 12 BC, the pyramid of Gaius Cestius seems a bit out of place in Rome.

In fact, there was once an even larger pyramid in Rome, but in the 16th century it was dismantled and dismantled for building materials. The pyramid of Cestius probably survived because it was later incorporated into the defensive walls of the city. Notably, this structure, which was the tomb of Cestius, has much steeper sides than the Egyptian pyramids.

8. Sudanese pyramids

Sudan
When it comes to the country with the pyramids, then, most likely, Egypt immediately comes to mind. In fact, there is a country that has twice as many pyramids as Egypt and is right next door. Sudan is full of ancient Nubian pyramids. The ancient Egyptian kingdom once extended as far south as present-day Sudan.

It is believed that the Nubians who lived there built pyramids in imitation of their Egyptian neighbors. The Nubians began building pyramids around 700 BC, nearly 2,000 years after the Egyptians. Moreover, they created them much smaller in size. Instead of burying their dead inside the pyramids, as the Egyptians did, the Nubians buried the deceased under the pyramid.

9. Pyramids of Argolis

Greece
In the second century AD, the ancient Greek writer Pausanias created a kind of "guidebook" of places that people should visit in Greece. He wrote: "On the road from Argos to Epidauria, on the right there is a building made very similar to a pyramid, and on it you can see bas-reliefs - forged shields of Argos." Although no trace of this pyramid has been found, some others have survived in Greece.

In Elinikon there are ruins of a small pyramid made of stone. In the past, historians believed that this pyramid is the tomb described by Pausanias. However, modern archeology has proven that the structure had a completely different purpose. Despite its unusual design, the pyramid was actually a defensive structure. There were guards in it who watched the road.

10. Bent Pyramid of Sneferu

Egypt
Everyone believes that the Egyptian pyramids are eternal because of the perfection of their construction. But among the famous pyramids of Egypt there are some less perfect ones. The earliest pyramids were not even at all, but were built in "layers" that were stacked on top of each other. Pharaoh Sneferu's pyramid is unusual for another reason.

While most of the pyramids in Egypt have sides that slope around 51 degrees, the slope of the outer walls of the Sneferu Pyramid varies roughly in the middle, from 55 to 43 degrees. Because of this, the structure has received the nickname "broken pyramid" The design of this pyramid is a mystery to modern scientists.

It seems that it was built in three stages, since the walls actually change angle three times. Experts believe that due to an incorrect design, somewhere inside there is a hidden chamber where Sneferu was buried. But, despite all the searches, so far they ended in nothing.

Sourced from listverse.com

There are less and less unsolved mysteries on our planet every year. The constant improvement of technology, the cooperation of scientists from various fields of science reveals to us the secrets and mysteries of history. But the secrets of the pyramids still defy understanding - all discoveries give scientists only tentative answers to many questions. Who built the Egyptian pyramids, what was the construction technology, whether there is a curse of the pharaohs - these and many other questions still remain without an exact answer.

Description of the Egyptian pyramids

Archaeologists talk about 118 pyramids in Egypt, partially or completely preserved to our time. Their age is from 4 to 10 thousand years. One of them - Cheops - is the only surviving "miracle" from the "Seven Wonders of the World". The complex called "The Great Pyramids of Giza", which includes and, was also considered as a participant in the New Seven Wonders of the World competition, but it was withdrawn from participation, since these majestic structures are actually the "wonder of the world" in the ancient list.

These pyramids have become the most visited sightseeing objects in Egypt. They are perfectly preserved, which cannot be said about many other structures - time did not spare them. Yes, and local residents contributed to the destruction of the majestic necropolises, removing the lining and breaking out stones from the walls to build their houses.

The Egyptian pyramids were built by pharaohs ruling from the 27th century BC. e. and later. They were intended for the repose of the rulers. The huge scale of the tombs (some up to almost 150 m high) should have testified to the greatness of the buried pharaohs, things that the ruler loved during his lifetime and which would be useful to him in the afterlife were also placed here.

For the construction, stone blocks of various sizes were used, which were hollowed out from the rocks, and later brick began to serve as the material for the walls. Stone blocks were turned and adjusted so that a knife blade could not slip between them. Blocks were stacked on top of each other with an offset of several centimeters, which formed a stepped surface of the structure. Almost all Egyptian pyramids have a square base, the sides of which are oriented strictly to the cardinal points.

Since the pyramids performed the same function, that is, they served as the burial place of the pharaohs, their structure and decoration are similar inside. The main component is the burial hall, where the ruler's sarcophagus was installed. The entrance was arranged not at ground level, but several meters higher, and was masked by facing slabs. Stairs and corridors led from the entrance to the inner hall, which sometimes narrowed so much that they could only be walked on squatting or crawling.

In most necropolises, burial chambers (chambers) are below ground level. Ventilation was carried out through narrow shaft-channels, which penetrated the walls. Rock paintings and ancient religious texts are found on the walls of many pyramids - in fact, scientists draw some of the information about the construction and owners of the burials from them.

The main mysteries of the pyramids

The list of unsolved mysteries begins with the shape of necropolises. Why was the shape of the pyramid chosen, which is translated from Greek as “polyhedron”? Why were the edges located clearly on the cardinal points? How did the huge stone blocks move from the place of development and how were they raised to a great height? Were the buildings erected by aliens or people who own a magic crystal?

Scientists even argue over the question of who built such tall monumental structures that stood for millennia. Some believe they were built by slaves who died in the hundreds of thousands building each. However, new discoveries of archaeologists and anthropologists convince us that the builders were free people who received good food and medical care. They made such conclusions based on the composition of the bones, the structure of the skeletons and the healed injuries of the buried builders.

All cases of death and death of people involved in the study of the Egyptian pyramids were attributed to mystical coincidences, which provoked rumors and talk about the curse of the pharaohs. There is no scientific evidence for this. Perhaps the rumors were spread to scare off thieves and marauders who want to find valuables and jewelry in the graves.

The mysterious interesting facts include the short time frame for the construction of the Egyptian pyramids. According to calculations, large necropolises with that level of technology should have been erected in at least a century. How, for example, was the pyramid of Cheops built in just 20 years?

Great Pyramids

This is the name of the burial complex near the city of Giza, consisting of three large pyramids, a huge statue of the Sphinx and small satellite pyramids, probably intended for the wives of the rulers.

The initial height of the pyramid of Cheops was 146 m, the length of the side was 230 m. It was built in 20 years in the 26th century BC. e. The largest of Egyptian landmarks has not one, but three funerary halls. One of them is below ground level, and two are above the base line. Intertwining corridors lead to the burial chambers. On them you can go to the chamber of the pharaoh (king), to the chamber of the queen and to the lower hall. The chamber of the pharaoh is a chamber made of pink granite, has dimensions of 10x5 m. A granite sarcophagus without a lid is installed in it. Not a single report of scientists contained information about the mummies found, so it is not known whether Cheops was buried here. By the way, the mummy of Cheops was not found in other tombs either.

It still remains a mystery whether the Cheops pyramid was used for its intended purpose, and if so, then apparently it was plundered by looters in the past centuries. The name of the ruler, by whose order and project this tomb was built, was learned from the drawings and hieroglyphs above the burial chamber. All other Egyptian pyramids, with the exception of Djoser, have a simpler engineering device.

Two other necropolises in Giza, built for the heirs of Cheops, are somewhat more modest in size:

Tourists travel to Giza from all over Egypt, because this city is actually a suburb of Cairo, and all transport interchanges lead to it. Travelers from Russia usually go to Giza as part of excursion groups from Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada. The trip is long, 6-8 hours one way, so the tour is usually designed for 2 days.

The great buildings are available for visiting only during working hours, usually until 17:00, in the month of Ramadan - until 15:00. It is not recommended to go inside for asthmatics, as well as people suffering from claustrophobia, nervous and cardiovascular diseases. Be sure to take drinking water and hats with you on the tour. The tour fee consists of several parts:

1. Entrance to the complex.
2. Entrance inside the pyramid of Cheops or Khafre.
3. Entrance to the Museum of the Solar boat, on which the body of the pharaoh was transported across the Nile.

Against the backdrop of the Egyptian pyramids, many people like to take photos while sitting on camels. You can bargain with camel owners.

Pyramid of Djoser

The first pyramid in the world is located in Saqqara, not far from Memphis, the former capital of ancient Egypt. Today, the pyramid of Djoser is not as attractive to tourists as the Cheops necropolis, but at one time it was the largest in the country and the most complex in terms of engineering.

The burial complex included chapels, courtyards, and storage facilities. The six-step pyramid itself does not have a square base, but a rectangular one, with sides of 125x110 m. The height of the structure itself is 60 m, inside it there are 12 burial chambers, where Djoser himself and members of his family were supposedly buried. The mummy of the pharaoh was not found during the excavations. The entire territory of the complex of 15 hectares was surrounded by a stone wall 10 m high. At present, part of the wall and other buildings have been restored, and the pyramid, whose age is approaching 4700 years, has been preserved quite well.

The Pyramid of Cheops is a rare case in Egyptology when we can be sure exactly who owns the monument. Often the ancient monuments of Egypt were appropriated by later rulers. The appropriation technology was very simple - the name of the pharaoh-builder (cartouche) was simply confused with 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 Tutankhamen. Until 1922, when archaeologist Howard Carter unearthed , 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 pyramid of Cheops, explosions of gunpowder were used to search for hidden rooms. You can still see traces of such methods on the surfaces of structures (see photo on the left).

During such research, small rooms were found above the main burial chamber. Explorers rushed there hoping to find treasure, but of course there was nothing there but dust.

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

These were block markings. As we now put a label on a product, so the ancient Egyptian foremen marked the blocks: “A block such and such for the pyramid of Khufu, produced then, laid then.” These inscriptions cannot be fake, they prove that this building 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. Other pronunciations of "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 locals or tourists from other countries, we recommend using the name “Khufu”.

Although Pharaoh Khufu is one of them, it will not be possible to write much about him. We know very little about him.

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

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

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

- Oh Osiris, I don't want to die! - Who wants to? Osiris shrugged. - But I ... I'm still a pharaoh! .. Listen, - Cheops whispered, - I will sacrifice a hundred thousand slaves to you. Only let me perpetuate one of my lives! - One hundred thousand? And you're sure they'll all die in the construction? - Rest assured. Such a pyramid, as I conceived... - Well, if so... Perpetuate, I don't mind.

The Pyramid of Cheops

No one remembers Cheops alive. Everyone remembers him only dead. He was dead a hundred, and a thousand, and three thousand years ago and always, always will be dead - the pyramid immortalized his death.

1. What is called the first wonder of the world?
Already in antiquity, the pyramids of Giza were considered one of the seven "wonders of the world." The largest of the pyramids was built by Pharaoh Khufu (2590 - 2568 BC), in Greek his name was Cheops. At present, the height of the pyramid is 138 m, although originally it was 147 m: the upper stones fell during earthquakes. The pyramid is made up of 2.5 million limestone blocks of different sizes, weighing an average of 2.5 tons. Initially, it was lined with white sandstone, which was harder than the main blocks, but the lining was not preserved. At the base of the pyramid lies a square with a side of 230 m, oriented to the cardinal points. According to some legends, the corners of the square symbolize Truth, Reason, Silence and Depth, according to others, the pyramid is based on four material substances from which the human body is created.
The greatest creations of antiquity among the pyramids include only the pyramid of Cheops, also called the Great Pyramid.
At a distance of about 160 meters from the pyramid of Cheops, the pyramid of Khafre rises, the height of which is 136.6 meters, and the length of the sides is 210.5 meters. A part of the original cladding is still visible on its top.
The Pyramid of Menkaure, which is even smaller, is located 200 meters from the Pyramid of Khafre. Its height is 62 meters, and the length of the sides is 108 meters. But the most famous Egyptian monument in the world after the pyramid of Cheops is the figure of the sphinx, vigilantly guarding the city of the dead.
The three pyramids are part of the complex, which also consists of several temples, small pyramids, tombs of priests and officials.
The smaller pyramids located to the south were probably intended for the wives of the rulers and remained unfinished.

2. How was the pyramid of Cheops built?

Its height is 146.6 m, which roughly corresponds to a fifty-story skyscraper. The area of ​​​​the base is 230x230 m. Five of the largest cathedrals in the world could easily fit on such a space at the same time: St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey in London, as well as Florence and Milan Cathedrals. From the building stone that went to the construction of the pyramid of Cheops, it would be possible to build all the churches in Germany, created in our millennium. The young pharaoh Cheops ordered the construction of the pyramid immediately after the death of his father Snefru. Like all previous pharaohs since the time of Djoser (approximately 2609 -2590 BC), Cheops wanted to be buried after his death in a pyramid.
The ivory statue of Pharaoh Cheops is the only surviving image of the pharaoh. On the head of Cheops is the crown of the Ancient Egyptian kingdom, in his hand is a ceremonial fan.
Like his predecessors, he believed that his pyramid should exceed all other pyramids in size, splendor and luxury. But before the first of more than two million blocks that made up the pyramid was cut in a quarry on the east bank of the Nile, complex preparatory work was carried out. First, it was necessary to find a suitable site for the construction of the pyramid. The weight of the huge structure is 6,400,000 tons, so the ground had to be strong enough so that the pyramid would not sink into the ground under its own weight. The construction site was chosen south of the modern Egyptian capital of Cairo, on a ledge of a plateau in the desert seven kilometers west of the village of Giza. This solid rocky platform was able to support the weight of the pyramid.
First, the surface of the site was leveled. To do this, a waterproof shaft of sand and stones was built around it. In the resulting square, a dense network of small channels was cut down, intersecting at right angles, so that the site looked like a huge chessboard. The channels were filled with water, the height of the water level was marked on the side walls, then the water was let down. Stonemasons cut down everything that protruded above the smooth surface of the water, and the channels were again laid with stone. The base of the pyramid was ready.
Over 4,000 people - artists, architects, masons and other craftsmen - carried out these preparatory works for about ten years. Only after that it was possible to proceed with the construction of the pyramid itself. According to the Greek historian Herodotus (490 - 425 BC), construction continued for another twenty years, about 100,000 people worked on the construction of the huge tomb of Cheops. Only 1600 talents were spent on radishes, onions and garlic, which were added to the food of construction workers, i.e. approximately $20 million. Data on the number of workers are questioned by many modern researchers. In their opinion, there simply would not be enough space on the construction site for so many people: more than 8,000 people would not be able to work productively without interfering with each other.
Herodotus, who visited Egypt in 425 BC, wrote: "The method used was to build in steps, or as some call it rows or terraces. When the construction of the base was completed, the blocks for the next row above the base were raised from the main level with devices made of short wooden levers; on this first row there was another that raised the blocks one level higher, thus, step by step, the blocks were raised all Higher and higher. Each row or level had its own set of mechanisms of the same type that easily moved loads from level to level. The completion of the construction of the pyramid began at the top with the highest level, continued down, and ended with the lowest levels closer to the ground.
During the construction of the pyramid, Egypt was a wealthy country. Every year from the end of June to November, the Nile overflowed its banks and flooded the adjacent fields with its waters, leaving a thick layer of silt on them, which turned the dry sand of the desert into fertile soil. Therefore, in favorable years, it was possible to harvest up to three crops a year - grain, fruits and vegetables. So, from June to November, the peasants could not work in their fields. And they were glad when every year in mid-June a scribe of the pharaoh appeared in their village, compiling lists of those who wanted to work on the construction of the pyramid.

3. Who worked on the construction of the pyramid?
Almost everyone wanted this work, which means that it was not forced labor, but voluntary labor. This was due to two reasons: each construction participant received housing, clothing, food and a modest salary while working. Four months later, when the waters of the Nile left the fields, the peasants returned to their villages.

In addition, every Egyptian considered it his natural duty and honor to participate in the construction of the pyramid for the pharaoh. After all, everyone who contributed to the fulfillment of this grandiose task hoped that a particle of the immortality of the god-like pharaoh would touch him too. Therefore, at the end of June, endless streams of peasants rushed to Giza. There they were placed in temporary barracks and united in groups of eight people. You could start work. Having crossed in boats to the other side of the Nile, the men were heading to the quarry. There they cut down a stone block, hewn it with the help of sledgehammers, wedges, saws and borers and received a block of the required size - with sides from 80 cm to 1.45 m. Using ropes and levers, each group installed its block on wooden skids and on them along the log flooring she dragged him to the banks of the Nile. The sailboat transported workers and a block weighing up to 7.5 tons to the other side.

4. What was the most dangerous job?
On the roads lined with logs, the stone was dragged to the construction site. Here came the turn of the hardest work, since cranes and other lifting devices had not yet been invented. Along an inclined entrance 20 m wide, built of bricks from the Nile silt, skids with a stone block were pulled to the upper platform of the pyramid under construction with the help of ropes and levers. There, the workers laid the block in the place indicated by the architect with an accuracy of a millimeter. The higher the pyramid rose, the longer and steeper the entrance became, and the upper working platform became more and more reduced. So the work got harder and harder.
Then came the turn of the most dangerous work: the laying of the "pyramidon" - the upper block nine meters high, dragged upward along an inclined entrance. How many people died doing just this job, we do not know. So, twenty years later, the construction of the body of the pyramid was completed, which consists of 128 layers of stone and is four meters higher than the Strasbourg Cathedral. By this time, the pyramid looked about the same as it looks now: it was a stepped mountain. However, the work did not end there: the steps were laid with stones, so that the surface of the pyramid became, although not quite smooth, but already without protrusions. At the end of the work, the four triangular outer faces of the pyramid were faced with slabs of dazzling white limestone. The edges of the plates were fitted so precisely that even a knife blade could not be inserted between them. Even from a distance of several meters, the pyramid gave the impression of a giant monolith. The outer slabs have been polished to a mirror finish with the hardest grinding stones. According to eyewitnesses, in the sun or moonlight, the tomb of Cheops mysteriously sparkled like a huge crystal glowing from within.

5. What's inside the pyramid of Cheops?
The pyramid of Cheops is not made entirely of stone. Inside it there is a branched system of passages, which, through a large passage 47 m long, the so-called large gallery, leads to the chamber of the pharaoh - a room 10.5 m long, 5.3 m wide and 5.8 m high. It is entirely lined with granite, but not decorated with any ornament. Here stands a large empty granite sarcophagus without a lid. The sarcophagus was brought here during construction, as it does not pass through any of the passages of the pyramid. There are such chambers of the pharaohs in almost all Egyptian pyramids; they served as the last refuge of the pharaoh.
There are no inscriptions or decorations inside the Cheops pyramid, except for a small portrait in the passage leading to the Queen's chamber. This image resembles a photograph on a stone. On the outer walls of the pyramid there are numerous curvilinear grooves of large and small sizes, in which, at a certain angle of illumination, one can discern an image 150 meters high - a portrait of a man, apparently one of the deities of Ancient Egypt. This image is surrounded by other images (the trident of the Atlanteans and Scythians, a flying bird, plans of stone buildings, pyramid rooms), texts, individual letters, large signs resembling a flower bud, etc. On the north side of the pyramid there is a portrait of a man and a woman with their heads bowed to each other. These huge images were painted just a few years before the main pyramid was completed and installed in 2630 BC. top stone.
Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are three burial chambers located one above the other. The construction of the first chamber was not completed. It is carved into the rock. To get into it, you need to overcome 120 m of a narrow descending corridor. The first burial chamber is connected with the second horizontal corridor 35 m long and 1.75 m high. The second chamber is called the "queen's chamber", although according to the rite, the wives of the pharaohs were buried in separate small pyramids.
The queen's chamber is overgrown with legends. It is associated with a legend according to which the pyramid was the main temple of a certain Supreme Deity, a place where ancient secret religious rites were held. Somewhere in the depths of the pyramid lives an unknown creature with the face of a lion, which holds in its hands the seven keys of Eternity. No one can see him, except for those who have undergone special rites of preparation and purification. Only to them did the Great Priest reveal the secret Divine Name. The person who owns the secret of the name became equal in its magical power to the pyramid itself. The main sacrament of initiation took place in the royal chamber. There, the candidate, tied to a special cross, was placed in a huge sarcophagus. The person receiving the initiation was, as it were, in the gap between the material world and the divine world, inaccessible to human consciousness.
From the beginning of the horizontal corridor, another one goes up, about 50 meters long and more than 8 meters high. At the end of it there is a horizontal passage leading to the pharaoh's burial chamber, finished with granite, in which the sarcophagus is placed. In addition to the burial chambers, voids and ventilation shafts were found in the pyramid. However, the purpose of many rooms and various hollow channels has not been fully figured out. One of these rooms is a room where there is an open book on the table about the history and achievements of the country during the period when the pyramid was completed.
The purpose of the underground structures at the foot of the pyramid of Cheops is also unclear. Some of them were opened at different times. In one of the underground structures in 1954, archaeologists found the oldest ship on Earth - a wooden boat, called the sun, 43.6 m long, disassembled into 1224 parts. It was built of cedar without a single nail and, as evidenced by the traces of silt preserved on it, before the death of Cheops, it was still floating on the Nile.

6. How was the burial of the pharaoh?
After death, the carefully embalmed body of the ruler was placed in the burial chamber of the pyramid. The internal organs of the deceased were placed in special hermetic vessels, the so-called canopies, which were placed next to the sarcophagus in the burial chamber. So, the mortal remains of the pharaoh found their last earthly refuge in the pyramid, and the "ka" of the deceased left the tomb. "Ka", according to Egyptian ideas, was considered something like a double of a person, his "second self", which left the body at the time of death and could freely move between the earthly and the afterlife. Leaving the burial chamber, "ka" rushed to the top of the pyramid along its outer lining, so smooth that none of the mortals could move along it. The father of the pharaohs, the sun god Ra, was already there in his solar boat, in which the deceased pharaoh began his journey to immortality.
Recently, some scientists have expressed doubt that the Great Pyramid was indeed the tomb of Pharaoh Cheops. They put forward three arguments in favor of this assumption:
The burial chamber, contrary to the customs of that time, does not have any decorations.
The sarcophagus, in which the body of the deceased pharaoh was supposed to rest, was only roughly hewn, i.e. not completely ready; lid is missing.
And, finally, two narrow passages through which air from outside enters the burial chamber through small holes in the body of the pyramid. But the dead do not need air - this is another weighty argument in favor of the fact that the pyramid of Cheops was not a burial place.
7. Who first entered the pyramid of Cheops?
The entrance to the pyramid of Cheops was originally located on the north side, at the level of the 13th row of granite slabs. Now it is closed. You can get inside the pyramid through a manhole left by ancient robbers.
For more than 3,500 years, the interior of the Great Pyramid was not disturbed by anyone: all the entrances to it were carefully walled up, and the tomb itself, according to the Egyptians, was guarded by spirits ready to kill anyone who tried to enter it.
That's why the robbers came here much later. The first person to penetrate the pyramid of Cheops was Caliph Abdullah al-Mamun (813-833 BC), son of Harun al-Rashid. He dug a tunnel to the burial chamber in the hope of discovering treasures there, as in other tombs of the pharaohs. But he did not find anything except the droppings of bats that lived there, the layer of which on the floor and on the walls reached 28 cm. After that, the interest of robbers and treasure seekers in the pyramid of Cheops disappeared. But they were replaced by other robbers. In 1168, after R. Chr. part of Cairo was burned and completely destroyed by the Arabs, who did not want it to fall into the hands of the crusaders. When the Egyptians then set about rebuilding their city, they removed the shiny white slabs that covered the outside of the pyramid and used them to build new houses. Even now, these plates can be seen in many mosques in the old part of the city. From the former pyramid, only a stepped body remained - this is how it now appears before the enthusiastic gaze of tourists. Together with the lining, the pyramid also lost its top, the pyramidon, and the upper layers of the masonry. Therefore, now its height is no longer 144.6 m, but 137.2 m. Today, the top of the pyramid is a square with sides of about 10 m. This site in 1842 became the venue for unusual festivities. The Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV, known for his love of art, sent an expedition to the Nile Valley led by archaeologist Richard Lepsius in order to acquire ancient Egyptian art objects and other exhibits for the Egyptian Museum being created in Berlin (it was opened in 1855).

Powerful, surrounded by mystery .. - this is the pyramid of Cheops that stood for 4500 years