The Egyptian pyramids are ancient masonry structures located in Egypt. These are tetrahedral structures. Sources cite at least 118 identified Egyptian pyramids. Most were built as tombs for the country's pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods. Among all the pyramids, there are some which are visited the most and have the most significance. Let’s know more about a few.
1. The Pyramid of khufu
It is the first Giza pyramid project. It is the largest of the three main pyramids of Giza and was built by Khufu. Its height is 146 meters. The pyramid contains 2,20,000(approximately) some of which are more than 50 tons. Inside the pyramid there is an unfinished subterranean chamber and air shafts in the upper chamber. This the most fascinating ancient wonder and perhaps forever will be.
Pyramids were built for ancient religious purposes. With time these are destroyed but the ruins also tells us the past stories, a reminder of the ancient Egyptian glorification of life after death.
It depicts a moral,” Death is merely the beginning of a new journey.”
2. Pyramid of Meidum
It is a pyramid present in Lower Egypt. The last king of the 3rd Dynasty, king Huni, built this pyramid. It is a step pyramid and features 8 steps. This pyramid has a contradiction, like all other pyramids, it doesn’t have a valley temple. The burial chamber inside the pyramid is also incomplete.
3. Red Pyramid
The Red pyramid or North Pyramid is the largest of the pyramids located at the Dahshur necropolis in Cairo. It is also the third largest Egyptian Pyramid after Khufu and Khafre. It is the third pyramid built by the old kingdom Pharaoh Sneferu.
It was not red from the beginning. It was caused by white Tura Limestone, which was later taken to make buildings revealing the red part. Its main chamber consists of astonishing craftsmanship skills. After so many years, it is uncertain how many years it took to build this pyramid. It consists of two fairly large chambers and a burial chamber.
4. Bent pyramid
The Bent Pyramid is an ancient Egyptian pyramid located at the royal necropolis of Dahshur, south of Cairo. It is the second pyramid built by Sneferu. It is a bent pyramid made up of limestone. It consists of interior passages, a pyramid temple, a cause way. It was the first ever pyramid to be designed as a true pyramid.
It is bent due to miscalculations and engineering problems and also due to unstable sandy underground. Inside the pyramid, there were numerous sarcophagi, many of which housed mummies in preserved conditions.
5. Pyramid of Menkaure
It is the smallest among the three Pyramids of Giza, located on the Giza plateau of Cairo. It is made up of limestone, red granite(core), white limestone (casing). It was completed in the 26th century BC. It consists of a pyramid temple, valley temple and Queens’ Pyramids, designated G3-a, G3-b, G3-c. It is one of the most stunning examples of sculpture to survive from all of Egyptian history.
6. Pyramid of Khafre
The Pyramid of Khafre is the second-tallest and second-largest of the three ancient Egyptian Pyramids of Giza. It is made of limestone blocks each weighing about 2 tons. The pyramid is built of horizontal courses. The stones used at the bottom are large, and as we go up the stones become smaller. The bottom course of casing stone was made out of pink granite but the remainder of the pyramid was made by Tura Limestone. It consists of a burial chamber and a subsidiary chamber. It was later found that the real entrance is at the northern side of the pyramid.
7. Pyramid of Djoser
The pyramid of Djoser is also called step pyramid and is situated in Saqqara necropolis. Djoser was the first or secomd king of the 3rd dynasty. It is a UNESCO world Heritage site, which is a part of Memphis and its Necropolis -the pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahsur. It is considered to be the earliest large scale cut stone construction made by man. It consists of Burial Chamber, entrance colonnade, south court, south tomb, North Temple and Serdab Court, and lastly Heb-sed court. After 14 years of restoration, the pyramid was reopened to visitors.
8. Pyramid of Unas
It is the first pyramid that has funerary texts inscribed into its walls. It was built in the 24th century BC for the Egyptian pharaoh Unas, the final king of the fifth dynasty. It is one of the smooth sided pyramids made up of limestone. It is also present in the pyramid field of Saqqara, the writings on the west gable in Unas’s burial chamber consist of spells that protect the sarcophagus and mummy within. These have great architectural value and past.
9. Pyramid of Teti
It is one of the pyramids among many located in the pyramid field of Saqqara. It is the second Egyptian pyramid to contain pyramid texts.It is made up of a main pyramid for the burial of the king, two smaller pyramids for the queens of the Pharaoh Teti and a funerary temple. Now these are mainly ruins, still we can see the Room of the Greats, the long descending hallway that leads to the burial chamber and the pyramid texts. The core of the pyramid from locally quarried stone and debris fill, and these were covered with a layer of dressed limestone. Never miss a chance to visit these pyramids.
10. Pyramid of Senusret
It is one of the first pyramids in Egypt. Located at El lahun, it is the southernmost royal tomb pyramid structure in Egypt. It was constructed for the pharaoh Senusret II. Senusret II chose to build his pyramid, called Senusret Shines. The pyramid was originally encased in a white limestone, and the core of the pyramid was constructed from mudbrick around a stump of four steps of yellow limestone. It took months to find the entrance of the pyramid, later it was found hidden in the courtyard of the Southern side of the structure.
0 Comments