Giza – The Great Museum and Pyramids

We had two days in Cairo and hence had two visits planned. The first to the Great Museum and the second to the pyramids. We survived almost an hour of weaving in our Uber ($AUD7!!) to arrive at a building of staggering proportions. The outside courtyard with its partial pyramid walls was a few hundred metres long.

Inside was cavernous. Although the statue in the middle foreground is some 8 metres it is unimposing when displayed in a 40 metre high hall. The roof had slits to provide an ever-changing light display.

The official opening is in November so we were part of a “soft” opening and were provided with a free audio guide with a request to provide feedback. Once through the styles there were four long flights of travellators that quietly raised us up to the top floor where we were greeted by an enormous window framing a view of the pyramids.  A sensational design.

To ensure we weren’t bored the travellator passed a range of statues on various large steps. Hopefully the size of those exploring the steps gives an idea of the spaciousness.

The displays are on four levels relating to history with each level having three theme galleries as outlined in this diagram. Due to its vastness even our 3+ hour roaming seemed rushed. 

The displays have plenty of space so despite the crowds there were views that suggest if was empty! Boats to the left, armies to the right and tombstones to the rear…

If you are ever in Egypt, then a visit to the Great Museum is a must. 

The next day saw us getting an up close visit to the pyramids. The one on the left was built for Khufu, the second for his son Khafre and the third for his grandson Menkaure. The smaller one on the right is for one of the wives. 

You could tour the area by horse cart or camel but for some reason our team opted for the air-conditioned hop on, hop-off buses! In the distance, you can just make out the restaurant where we were to have lunch.

The middle pyramid was in some ways in the best condition as it still retains some of the facing stones at the top. They are all located on the West bank of the Nile where the sun sets as the living were celebrated on the East bank, where the sun rises. The faces are each aligned with the points of the compass, with the entry on the celestial North face. Although weathering has reduced some of the “finish” most damage has been caused by theft.

The great (largest) pyramid was originally some 146.6 m (481 ft) high with a base length of about 230.4 m (755.9 ft), The angle is some 52 degrees. It was the tallest structure in the world and is the only one left of the 7 ancient wonders. The other two pyramids are progressively smaller by about 25 metres.

What does challenge the mind is the accuracy. The site and individual blocks were accurate to a few millimetres. Even today with lasers, GPS and the like we struggle to achieve such accuracy. When you consider plumb bobs and cubits (the length of your arm from elbow to the tip of the middle finger) were the order of the day it is extraordinary engineering. These base blocks were up to 15 Tonnes and look at the tightness of the joints (never mind their transportation). No mortar was used here!

Add to that the facing stones would have had to be 90 degrees at the back, 90 at the sides and precisely the same angle on the front; it must have taken ages to produce each stone. I wonder how many rejects there were.

The distant view of the museum makes it appear misleadingly small.

We then moved onto the Great Sphinx, passing first through a temple. Here, some of the stones were cut to interlock with one another.

Then the area opened up to a well-known but nonetheless awe-inspiring view. The size is hard to comprehend from a photo. The sphinx has the face of the king for wisdom and the powerful body of a lion in order to protect the pyramids.

These three decided to sit down with our guide and contemplate lunch. A couple of buses later we sat down to our meal while contemplating this view.

What an amazing couple of days.