The three pyramids of Giza and their companion, the Sphinx, are the quintessential images of Egypt. The pyramids were built in the 4th Dynasty, the culmination of the evolution of design from mastaba tombs to the step pyramid of Saqqara to the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The three are, in order of size, Khufu (Cheops, in Greek), Khafre (Chephren), and Menkaure (Mycerinus). The pyramid of Khafre still has some of the original casing stones at the top, showing the smooth limestone surfaces that once covered all three. Next to the pyramids, a number of smaller Queen's pyramids and buried solar boats are found. One of these boats was discovered intact in its pit and excavated, and is now on display in a boat-shaped museum right next to the Great Pyramid. The Sphinx, located near the mortuary template of Khafre, was for many centuries largely buried in sand, only its head surfacing. Thutmose IV built a stele between the feet of the Sphinx, supposedly following a dream in which the god Harmachis asked him to clear the sand from the statue in return for the throne. When it was found by Napoleon's troops, it was covered to the head once again. When uncovered, it becomes clear how out-of-proportion the body is to the head. Was there a previous carving? Some pre-Dynastic god or lion?
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Go to Egypt Photo Database Page