Gîza General Sights

General Sights

All the worthwhile attractions within the Giza area are concentrated on the Giza Plateau at the end of Pyramids Road, entry to which costs LE 20 for the Pyramid of Menkaure and LE 100 for the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The interior of the pyramids is hot, humid and somewhat claustrophobic. For those willing to brave these conditions, however, entry into the pyramid is an interesting and educational aspect of the visit. Peronally witnessing the interior walls and passage-ways of the pyramids gives one an even deeper appreciation of the tremendous achievement accomplished by the builders of these ancient structures. NB: not all the Pyramids are equally accessible for interior exploration, the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities closing them to the public at least one at a time for conservation and renovation measures[2]. The smallest pyramid, that of Menkaure (see below) is now currently closed until further notice (late 2004). It should be noted that climbing the Pyramids, although once a popular tourist activity, is both now officially forbidden (you will see signs to this effect) and extremely dangerous (should you start falling, there is absolutely nothing to stop you - several tourists have met an untimely death this way). Some Pyramid guards have been known to "allow" limited climbing in return for baksheesh in less frequented areas - around the isolated southern face of the Pyramid of Menkaure, for example - but this is not a practice that should be encouraged by responsible travellers. the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) - the last surviving representative of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, originally 146 m (479 ft) high but now slightly reduced to a still awe-inspiring 137 m (449 ft). Over 2 million blocks of stone were used to construct this edifice, all through manual labor. the Solar Barque Museum - located immediately alongside the southern face of the Great Pyramid, an exceptionally well-done museum showcasing an excavated and reconstructed "solar boat", buried along with the pharaoh for use on his daily journey with the sun across the sky. Entry LE 20. the Pyramid of Khafre (Chephren) - slightly smaller than the Great Pyramid, though appearing from some angles to appear larger owing to a better position on the desert plateau the Pyramid of Menkaure (Mycerinus) - the smallest of the Giza Pyramids at 62 m (203 ft) high (originally 66.5 m) the Sphinx and the Temple of the Sphinx - the colossal, recumbent human-headed lion was conceived of by the ancient Egyptians as the sun god Re-Horakhty - "Horus of the horizon". The Egyptians call it Abu el-Hol, the "Father of Terror", and even the Greek name Sphinx is the less than pleasant "Strangler". 45 meters long, 22 meters wide, and carved from a single giant block of sandstone, the Sphinx is considerably smaller than the Pyramids around it. The missing nose is blamed on target practice by bored troops, commonly blamed variously on British soldiers in World War I or Napoleon's troops in 1798, but 18th-century drawings showing the nose already missing, pointing the finger towards the occupying Turks. Various Queens' Pyramids and Nobles' Tombs, located in regimented cemeteries surrounding the royal pyramids