The Pyramids of Giza: Everything You Ever Wondered About Cheops, Khafre, and Mikerinos

Today, we will take you on a journey to the mysterious Egyptian pyramids. Egypt's most famous pyramids Pyramids of Giza; one of the seven wonders of the world Cheops pyramid, neighbors Khafra ve Mikerinos and when you got there Sphinx Statue Everything you wonder about is waiting for you in this article, happy reading!

Interesting Facts About the Pyramids of Giza

There are many interesting, mysterious, mystical and still unanswered questions about the Pyramids of Giza. We will first get to know the Pyramids of Giza and then dive into these mysteries.

• The Pyramids of Giza are located in the Giza district, a neighborhood of the Egyptian capital, Cairo. It got its name from here.
• It consists of 3 main pyramids, the Sphinx statue and pyramids and other structures of various sizes around it.
• Cheops (Khufu), Khafre (Khafra) and Mikerinos (Menkuara) are the names of the 3 main pyramids. These are the names of the pharaohs who built these pyramids and were buried here.
• As a result of the researches, it is estimated that the Pyramids were built between 2-3 thousand (2589 and 2504 BC) before Christ.
• The arrangement of the pyramids BC. It was claimed that the Orion constellation in the year 10.000 was the same as the arrangement, and that the sizes of the pyramids were parallel to the stars, and although there were discussions that the construction year of the pyramids could be 10.000 BC, it could not be proven.
• It is thought that the pyramids were built in the ancient Egyptian kingdom as "a means to reach the other world".
• Cheops, also known as the Great Pyramid, is of great importance in world history as it is the only structure still standing among the 7 wonders of the world.
• According to one theory, the meridian on which the pyramids are located divides the land and seas of the world into two equal parts.
• Cheops, the Great Pyramid, held the title of the tallest structure in the world until the Eiffel Tower was built. When you think of the period in which it was made, one is horrified. It is estimated that the Great Pyramid was 145,75 meters at the time it was built and lost 10 meters.
• When the pyramids were first built, the stones outside were white and sparkled because they reflected the sun. Over time, those stones were shed by disasters such as earthquakes, were dismantled by the Egyptian Arabs and used elsewhere, and this outer covering was completely destroyed due to wind and sand frictions.
• Great importance was attached to the smoothness of the aforementioned outer surface, and progress was made in this regard with each new pyramid. In this way, they looked like a giant mirror. It has been calculated that this luminosity can be seen even from the moon. The ancient Egyptians called the Great Pyramid Ikhet, which means "majestic light."
• The interior of the Cheops and Mikerinos pyramids is open to visitors, but all the mummies found inside the pyramids have been moved to the Egyptian Museum.
• In the examinations made, it was determined that the Great Pyramid was made of approximately 2 to 3,5 million stone blocks. The heaviest of these stone blocks is said to be 40 tons. Most of the blocks weigh 3 tons and some weigh 1 ton. How these stone blocks were transported to the site of the pyramids remains a mystery.
• The ratio of the three Pyramids of Giza to each other is 3:4:5, forming a Pythagorean triangle. Thousands of years before Pythagoras was born…
• It is thought that the person who built the pyramids was Imhotep, the famous architect of ancient Egypt.
• The internal temperature of the pyramids is 20 degrees, which is the average temperature of the earth, and is constant.

Numerous mysteries about the pyramids still remain to be solved. How were these gigantic structures built with the technology of the time they were built? How were so many geometric calculations done so perfectly? Did extraterrestrials have a hand in this? These questions continue to be asked and it looks like they will for a long time.

The few Egyptians I spoke with in Egypt seem quite convinced of the possibility that it was made by extraterrestrials or forces, what do you think?

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Pyramids of Giza and Saqara Video

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Cheops (Khufu) Pyramid

The pyramid of Cheops is called the Great Pyramid, as it is the largest of the Giza pyramids. It is the largest of the Pyramids of Giza, as well as the first to be built.

It is thought that Keops was 145,70 meters high when it was first built, and shortened by 10 meters over time to 138,75 meters.

There are separate burial chambers for the king and queen inside the Cheops pyramid. One of the pyramids that can be entered into the pyramid of Cheops. It is thought that the construction of the tomb, which was built for King Khufu by himself, took about 25 years and 100 workers worked in the construction. It is among the rumors that King Khufu had all the workers killed so that a similar tomb could not be built.

Cheops is one of the 7 wonders of the world and is the only structure still standing of the seven wonders of the world.

When you enter the area of ​​the pyramids of Giza, Cheops will be on the right and you will see the Sphinx and Khafre pyramid right in front of you. Khafre looks bigger, but this is just an illusion. The fact that the ground where Khafre is located is higher causes this error.

Khafra Pyramid

The Khafre pyramid differs from the 3 great pyramids of Giza in that it is the only pyramid at the top of which the protective coating is still visible. It is the most central pyramid in terms of its location.

The pyramid of Khafre, with a height of 136,40, is the second highest pyramid after Cheops. There are king and queen rooms in Khafre, as in Keops. This pyramid was not built by the pharaoh Khafre, but by his son Mikerinos.

Pyramid of Mikerinos (Menkuara)

The smallest of the 3 Pyramids of Giza, the Pyramid of Mikerinos is 66,5 meters high. Although the construction was started during the time of King Mikerinos, the king died before the pyramid was finished, so his son completed its construction. Unlike other pyramids, the burial chamber was built at the bottom of the pyramid.

The burial chamber inside the Mikerinos pyramid can normally be visited at no extra cost. However, in September 2019 when I went, it was closed due to restoration work.

Sphinx Statue

The Great Sphinx of Giza, which holds the title of the largest stone statue in the world, immediately draws attention when it enters the pyramids region with its 20-meter height. With its reclining lion-shaped body and pharaoh-shaped head, it was believed to protect tombs and pyramids.

It is estimated that the face of the Sphinx statue, which has a temple between its windows, was modeled after King Cheops. However, every time I see it, I compare it to Bülent Ersoy.

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Where are the Pyramids of Giza and How to Go?

We have told this much, but "Where are the Pyramids of Giza, how to get to the Pyramids of Giza?" I can hear you asking questions. Don't worry, I'll explain, you keep reading.

The Pyramids of Giza are located in the Giza neighborhood, half an hour from the city center of Cairo. The Giza pyramids are 18 kilometers away from the Cairo city center, that is, the area called downtown.

Way 1 To Get From Cairo City Center To The Pyramids Of Giza: Take a Taxi or Private Vehicle

The easiest way to get to the Pyramid area is to agree with a taxi to both pick you up and take you back.

Since I wanted to see the Saqara region as well as the Giza Pyramids, I met with several agencies to arrange a vehicle for the whole day, and because I got the best price from the hostel I was staying in, I went with the driver they arranged. The price varies depending on the region and time you are going to. The price I got was 30 Usd per day for the route we will make all day in Giza, Saqara and Memphis regions. When a friend from the hostel was included in the trip, we split 15-15, it was quite economical. This price is only for the vehicle, you also pay the entrance fees yourself wherever you go.

If you're going to the pyramids by taxi, be sure to bargain hard. If you do not want to deal with bargaining; Uber works very well in Cairo. By calling a taxi via Uber, you pay the amount written on the taximeter.

Another important note of mine is that there are so many places to see in the area of ​​the Pyramids of Giza that you can spend the whole day. In the evening, there was a light show. Instead of arranging a round trip with a taxi, you can call a separate taxi for departure and return. It may be even more cost-effective because the vehicle will not have to wait for you all day.

2nd Way To Get From Cairo City Center To The Pyramids Of Giza: By Bus or Minibus

Another and much more economical way to get to the Pyramids of Giza from the city center is to go by bus or minibus. There are both big buses and minibuses going to Giza from the bus stop in front of the Egyptian Museum, very close to Tahrir Square. Buses 355 and 357 are going, but since I haven't tried it, it is useful to confirm this information from your hotel when you go to Cairo. Another important point is that these numbers are not written in the Latin alphabet. Learning Arabic letters can make your job easier.

The 3rd Way to Go From Cairo City Center to the Pyramids of Giza: Metro+Bus or Taxi

Another and economical way to get to the Pyramids of Giza from the city center is to take the metro first, and then take a taxi or minibus when you get off the metro. It is worth remembering that the metro in Cairo is slow due to the crowded and frequent stops.

Sadat metro stop is located in Tahrir Square. You can get off at Giza-Suburbs stop by using metro line 2 from Sadat station. When you leave the station, you will see minibuses waiting for customers, you can get on one of them to go to the pyramids or call a taxi.

Giza Pyramids Travel Notes

To go to the Pyramids of Giza, as I mentioned above, we arranged a trip to the Pyramids of Giza, the Pyramid of Saqara and the ancient capital Memphis for 15 Usd per person. I left the hostel around 08:00 in the morning to go to the pyramids with my roommate Florraime. The entrance was opening at 08:30, our aim was to visit as many places as possible early and before the sun rises.

It took us about 40 minutes to reach the Giza Pyramids entrance from our hostel in Tahrir Square. Actually, the road is 18 kilometers, but with the terrible traffic and morning intensity of Cairo, it unfortunately took us more than half an hour to reach.

When we arrived at the entrance gate of the pyramids, I was a little disappointed. I read somewhere that Egypt meets 17% of its national income from the pyramids. I had hoped that the only remaining structure of the 7 wonders of the world would be a magnificent entrance to a place with lots of books and movies about it. But in a makeshift hut, you can't tell if the people inside are the attendants or someone trying to sell you something. It must be Egypt's shame that the entrance to the pyramids is such a makeshift place.

How Much is the Giza Pyramids Entrance Fee?

It's a box-like structure, you get your entrance ticket from the iron fence on the left. The Giza Pyramids entrance ticket costs 160 Egyptian Pounds, approximately 55TL. You need to buy a separate ticket to enter the Cheops pyramid. The entrance ticket includes the entrance to the pyramids outside of Cheops, the Sphinx museum, the ship museum. I didn't take note of how much the Keops ticket was, unfortunately I couldn't find any consistent information on the internet.

Pyramids of Giza Sound and Light Show

In addition, there is a sound and light show starting from 19:00 in the evenings (summer-winter schedule may be different), standard ticket is 19,35 USD, front seats are sold as VIP for 22.58 USD. Child ticket is 11.29 USD. You can buy tickets at soundandlight.show. I'm sure it's going to be a nice show with the lights and music hitting the pyramids and the sphinx.

We bought our ticket and entered through the middle door you see in the photo above. There is no indication that the entrance is security, I reluctantly handed over my bag for check and continued.

When you go to the Pyramids of Giza, the first people to welcome you will be those who want to sell you something, especially the camel drivers. Be prepared for endless insistence to get you to the viewing point. As I said "I don't want it", their offers from 300 Egyptian Pounds dropped to 50 pounds. If you don't want to walk everywhere like me, the camel tour can be interesting as well. Even if you don't ride a camel, there will always be camel riders who insist on showing you around, if you get tired, you can switch to a camel once in a while. They also make good material when taking photos.

We started our pyramid tour from the Khafre pyramid. There is no entrance inside Khafre. We tried to see every stone, every inch of it by drawing a wide circle around it. Seeing everything is not easy at an altitude of 136 meters.

After Khafre, we turned our direction to Mikerinos. Our goal was to get inside Mikerinos but they said it is closed for restoration. There are 3 smaller pyramids behind the pyramid of Mikerinos.

After the Mikerinos pyramid, the viewing points start, so this is the last point where the camel riders will abuse you excessively. Camel makers have set up camp here, trying to sell a last hope camel tour. Of course, many tourists fall into this network.

We were very determined not to ride a camel. We had decided to explore the whole area on foot, and that's what we did.

You have to walk in the desert to reach the angle you will see in the photo below. For this reason, it is a good idea to bring sunglasses, sunscreen or even a hat if you can use it, or a shawl to cover your shoulders. You can choose a sports sandal because you can't prevent your feet from getting sand while walking. It will probably be more difficult to walk with sand in your shoes.

After going out into the desert, you will see people taking pictures with camels at many viewing points. We walked a little higher and further to get over this crowd. At some point, there was no one else but us. It was as if we had closed the pyramids to ourselves, which made me very happy. Both arriving early and walking as far away as possible by getting rid of the camel drivers helped us to be alone.

Then two camel police came to us. We started chatting. They said we could take pictures of them. We also took pictures with surprise. And the end was expected, they asked for money for taking pictures of us. Of course, our efforts to give moral lessons such as "You're a cop, you can't do such a thing" didn't work, of course. They did not leave us for a long time. We were also insistent on not giving money. We got rid of the last biscuits we took with us.

Another important note: Before entering the pyramids, put things like water and snacks in your bag. In fact, there is a market on the right before you enter it, from there you can buy what you want for normal prices. Everything inside is overpriced.

On a more important note, when you enter, people who say that they are officers or police will approach you. They will try to direct you like "Don't go from there, go here and look here, there is something interesting", don't be fooled by any of them, they are all lying. Their only goal is to get a "tip" from you.

Similarly, when you enter the pyramid, the guards waiting at the door will say that it is forbidden to take photos inside, but we can take photos if we want, but we have to tip. It is strictly forbidden for them to ask you for money. You can make a fuss saying that what they offer is live, don't pay.

Yeah, where were we? Seeing the pyramids from afar was the best part of this experience, in my opinion. They look much more impressive from afar than they look up close. As we change our angle, the appearance of the pyramids also changes, of course. The pyramids, which at first seemed to be one after the other, began to separate from each other more and more.

We came back by drawing a wide circle towards the region of Khafre's pyramid. Next was the Sphinx museum. In order to enter the museum, we had to walk again to the point we entered.

By this time we had arrived at noon and everything was starting to get crowded. When you say museum, don't think that there is something exhibited inside, you just pass through the temple and take a closer look at the place where the Sphinx statue is. Everything extracted from this region is exhibited in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

We left the Sphinx behind and headed towards our last stop, the Pyramid of Cheops. Around the Cheops Pyramid, there is the Sun Boat Museum, Nefertiti's tomb, several small pyramids and an old museum building. The museum building is currently closed. Neferteti's tomb can be entered.

When you enter the pyramids, you first walk down a narrow corridor. Then you reach a small room where the sarcophagus is located. Inside these rooms, there is a large stone sarcophagus as you can see in the photo below. The mummies were placed in these tombs. Of course they're empty right now.

Solar Boat Museum

Between Khafre and the Cheops pyramid is the Sun Boat Museum. “Solar boats are known as vehicles in Ancient Egyptian mythology where the resurrected king rides along with the Sun God Ra and travels through heaven. There are various theories about the function of the solar boats, which were found buried in the pits near the king tombs. According to some theories, it is thought that the sun boats were used in the funeral ceremony of the pharaoh, while according to others, it is thought that the pharaoh was buried for his travels in the afterlife." Aktuelarkeoloji.com.tr The excerpt from the page is pasted.

Our last stop is the Cheops pyramid. It is one of the 19 wonders of the world, which held the title of being the largest structure in the world until the 7th century, with many mysteries still unsolved. When you look closely, it's actually a big pile of stones. We take a tour around Keops.

Most of the tour buses drop their passengers in the parking lot behind Keops. Since our vehicle does not have a tourism certificate, it cannot enter this parking lot, so we have to go back to the first place we entered.

When we find 5 hours under the sun to visit the area where the pyramids are, we say we will arrange a vehicle on the way back and get on the phaeton. For 20 Egyptian Pounds, he drops us not at the entrance, but at the place where the Sphinx statue is. He was not allowed to go to the entrance, we say "then why did you take us, man" but of course it doesn't help. “This is Egypt”. We couldn't have eaten our last pyramid stake.

Leaving behind a magnificent place, we get on our vehicle to go to the area where the Saqara Pyramid is located. I immensely enjoyed my time at the Giza pyramids. I hope anyone who dreams of going will see the pyramids one day.

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Movies About the Pyramids

First of all, I would like to tell you briefly why I care about the films set in the places I've been to. Especially Hollywood movies are one of the important channels of destination marketing. Petra in Jordan, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Pyramids in Egypt are places that became popular after being seen in Hollywood movies.

Movies set in the pyramids I think it would be more accurate to say films with pyramids and set in Egypt.

The movie that brought the popularity of the pyramids to the peak is the Indiana Jones movie, which was released in 1981. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Treasure HuntersThe movie, which was released under the name ) made many people want to go to Egypt.

Of course, the first movie that comes to mind when it comes to movies set in the pyramids. The Mummy, with the Turkish name Mummy. When the 1999 movie did well at the box office, 2001's The Mummy Returns, The Mummy Returns withdrew. It's not over, in 2008 The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) was the third movie of the series.

1998 made Talos Mummy (Mummy's Revenge), which also won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1998. The Prince of Egypt (Prince of Egypt), famous 2002 cartoon Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre, a production by Ritleyy Scott released in 2014 Exodus: Gods and Kingsis the highest-budget movie of 2016. Gods of Egypt (Gods of Egypt) films can be counted as films that increase our interest in Egypt and the pyramids.

When we go to the 1950s, we see movies set in Egypt, but I didn't want to go back that far.

Stay on track!