ILLUSTRATES Alexandre Jubran
Built 3,000 years before Christ, on the west bank of the Nile River, the Giza complex honors the ancestors of the nobility. See what he was like in his prime
1) Pyramids of queens (set 1)
They are south of the Pyramid of Menkaure. It is speculated that they were made to house the wives of the pharaohs. Despite its name, only the one on the east side is a true pyramid, with smooth faces. The others are made of steps
2) Pyramid of Menkaure
It is the smallest of the three pyramids in the complex, only 65 m high. There is buried Pharaoh Menkaure, son of Cheops, who reigned between 18 and 28 years. It was ready in 2490 BC
3) Satellite Pyramid
Located south of the pyramid of Khafre, it was made to store objects of worship. It did not survive time and today only its foundations remain
4) Pyramid of Chephren
Built by another son of Cheops, it was completed in 2530 BC It is the second largest in Giza, at 143.5 m high, but it seems to be the tallest because it was built on an elevated area. Chephren was the fourth pharaoh of the fourth dynasty and the sphinx is said to have his features
5) Great Pyramid
It is the main construction of Giza and tomb of Cheops, second pharaoh of the fourth dynasty, who reigned from 2551 to 2528 BC It is 147 m high and was the only one of the seven wonders of antiquity to survive until today. It took 20 years to get ready
6) Pyramids of queens (set 2)
It is not known for sure which queens were here. Perhaps Cheops’ mother, as some of her belongings were found near the northernmost building.
7) Sphinx
In addition to it, there is also a temple right next to it, built in the same way: carved in limestone rocks.
8) Temple of the Valley of Khafre
Connected to the pyramid by a platform, it received the pharaoh’s body before it was sent to its final destination. It had the shape of a courtyard surrounded by 24 pillars arranged on a west-east axis – according to some historians, they represented the hours of the day.
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SOURCES Books History: The Definitive Visual Guideseveral authors, How It Works: Book of Incredible Historyseveral authors, The Great Wonders of the World, by Russell Ash and Richard Bonson; and websites PBS New, Smithsonian Magazine, BBC History, iO9, LiveScience, discovery, NBC News, National Geographic, Harvard Gazette, archeology.org, Derby Telegraph, brooklyn museum, British, Huffington Post, The Telegraph, ScienceDaily, Archeology Magazine It is History Channel