The pyramid is called "Akhet-Khufu" - "Horizon of Khufu"(or more accurately " Pertaining to the sky - (this is) Khufu"). Consists of blocks of limestone, basalt and granite. It was built on a natural hill. Although the pyramid Cheops- the highest and most voluminous of all Egyptian pyramids, but still Pharaoh Sneferu built the pyramids in Meidum and Dahshut (Broken Pyramid and Pink Pyramid), the total mass of which is estimated at 8.4 million tons. This means that 2.15 million tons were used to build these pyramids. or 25.6% more material than was required for the pyramid of Cheops.

The pyramid was originally lined with white limestone, harder than the main blocks. The top of the pyramid was crowned with a gilded stone - a pyramidion. The cladding shone peach in the Sun, as if " a shining miracle to which the sun god Ra himself seemed to give all his rays". In 1168 AD e. The Arabs sacked and burned Cairo. Residents of Cairo removed the lining from the pyramid in order to build new houses.

pyramid structure

Strabo Caliph Abu Ja'far al-Ma'mun. He hoped to find the innumerable treasures of the pharaoh there, but found there only a layer of dust half a cubit thick.

Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are three burial chambers located one above the other.

Rice. 2. Cross section of the pyramid of Cheops: 1. Main entrance, 2. The entrance that Al-Mamoun made, 3. Crossroads, “traffic jam” and Al-Mamun tunnel made “bypassing” traffic jams, 4. Descending corridor, 5. Unfinished underground chamber – ( funeral « pit ”), 6. Ascending corridor, 7. “ Queen's chamber» with outgoing « air ducts ”, 8. Horizontal tunnel, 9. Large gallery, 10. pharaoh's chamber with " air ducts ”, 11. Prechamber, 12. Grotto.

The entrance to the pyramid is located at a height of 15.63 meters on the north side.. The entrance is formed by stone slabs laid in the form of an arch. This entrance to the pyramid was sealed with a granite plug.. A description of this plug can be found in Strabo. Today, tourists get inside the pyramid through a 17 m gap, which was made in 820 by Caliph Abu Jafar al-Ma'mun. He hoped to find the pharaoh's innumerable treasures there, but found there only a layer of dust half a cubit thick.. Inside the pyramid of Cheops are three burial chambers . They are located one below the other - King's Chamber(pharaoh)", " Queen's Chamber», Unfinished underground chamber – (funeral « pit »).

Grotto, Grand Gallery and Chambers (Chamber) of the Pharaoh with a sarcophagus

Rice. 3. View King's chambers ( Rice. 2. - p. 10) with an empty sarcophagus. You can clearly see exactly fitted flat blocks of granite, from which the walls, floor and ceiling of this room are made. The empty granite sarcophagus is located asymmetrically in relation to the dimensions of the room.

Rice. 4. Large inclined Gallery(Fig. 2. - p. 9), leading to " Chamber of the King (Pharaoh)» (Fig. 2. - p. 11 and p. 10). The walls of the gallery are made inclined with narrowing upwards and have symmetrical protruding ledges. On the right and left sides of the passage on rectangular ledges, rectangular grooves are also clearly visible, located at an equal distance from each other. There are 28 pairs of these grooves in total. Since there are grooves, it means that something was definitely inserted there and, probably, was removed. However, the grooves could perform another function, which, to our regret, is not yet known.

Another branch from the lower part of the Grand Gallery is a narrow almost vertical shaft about 60 m high, leading to the lower part of the descending passage. There is an assumption that it was intended for the evacuation of workers or priests who completed " sealing » main passage to « King's chamber". Approximately in the middle of it there is a small, most likely natural extension - “ Grotto» ( Grotto) of irregular shape, in which several people could fit from strength. Grotto- (Fig. 2 - (12)) is located on " junction» masonry of the pyramid and a small, about 9 meters high, hill on a limestone plateau lying at the base of the Great Pyramid. The walls of the Grotto are partially reinforced with ancient masonry, and since some of its stones are too large, there is an assumption that the Grotto existed on the Giza plateau as an independent structure long before the construction of the pyramids, and the evacuation shaft itself was built taking into account the location of the Grotto. However, taking into account the fact that the shaft was actually hollowed out in the already laid masonry, and not laid out, as evidenced by its irregular circular section, the question arises of how the builders managed to accurately reach the Grotto.

Big Gallery

Rice. 5. Black and white shot of the beginning Great Gallery ( Rice. 2. - p. 9) with a high step, at which stands a fellah. On the right and left, rectangular grooves along the lower part of the side walls of the gallery are clearly visible. 1910

The large gallery continues the ascending passage. Its height is 8.53 m, it is rectangular in cross section, with walls slightly tapering upward (the so-called “false vault”), a high inclined tunnel 46.6 m long. In the middle Grand gallery almost along the entire length, there is a square recess, regular in section, with dimensions 1 meter wide and 60 cm deep, and on both side protrusions there are 27 pairs of recesses of an incomprehensible purpose. The deepening ends with the so-called. " big step"- a high horizontal ledge, a platform of 1x2 meters, at the end of the Great Gallery, directly in front of the manhole in" hallway » - Anterior chamber ( king) (Fig. 2. - p. 11). The site has a pair of recesses similar to the recesses of the ramp, recesses at the corners near the wall ( 28th and last pair of recesses BG.). Through the "entrance hall" the manhole leads to the burial "Chamber of the King", lined with black granite, where an empty granite sarcophagus is located.

Above the "King's Chamber" are discovered in the XIX century. five unloading cavities with a total height of 17 m, between which lie monolithic slabs with a thickness of about 2 m, and above - a gable ceiling. Their purpose is to distribute the weight of the overlying layers of the pyramid (about a million tons) in order to protect the "King's Chamber" from pressure. Graffiti has been found in these voids, probably left by workers.

Rice. 6. Isometric plan with cuts king's chamber. On the left, the upper end of the slope is visible. galleries with grooves on the sides, a rectangular step in front of the entrance and a hole into the King's chamber. Bottom right king's chamber granite sarcophagus on the right side of the chamber king. On the right, there is a rectangular shaft above the sarcophagus, which ends with an unloading gable " roof ”from granite blocks - “Above the“ King’s Chamber ”are discovered in the 19th century. five unloading cavities with a total height of 17 m, between which monolithic slabs with a thickness of about 2 m lie, and above - a gable ceiling.

Rice. 7. Black and white shot entrance and manhole from inside the King's Chamber. 1910

Ascending Corridor and Queen's Chambers

From the first third of the descending passage (after 18 m from the main entrance) upwards at the same angle of 26.5 ° there is an ascending passage to the south (Fig. 2. - p. 6 ) about 40 m long, ending in the lower part of the Great Gallery (Fig. 2. - p. 9 ).

Rice. 8. At its beginning, the ascending passage contains 3 large cubic granite “plugs”, which, from the outside, from the descending passage, were masked by a block of limestone that fell out by chance during the work of Al-Mamun - (Fig. 2 - p. 3) Thus, the previous For 3 thousand years it was believed that in the Great Pyramid there were no other rooms, except for the descending passage and the underground chamber. Al-Ma'mun failed to break through these plugs, and he simply hollowed out a bypass in the softer limestone to the right of them. This passage is still in use today. There are two main theories about the plugs, one of them is that the ascending passage has plugs installed at the beginning of construction and thus this passage was sealed by them from the very beginning. The second asserts that the present narrowing of the walls was caused by an earthquake, and the plugs were previously located within the Great Gallery and were used to seal the passage only after the burial of the pharaoh. An important mystery of this section of the ascending passage is that in the place where the traffic jams are now located, in a full-sized, albeit shortened model of the pyramid's passages - the so-called. test corridors north of the Great Pyramid - there is a junction of not two, but three corridors at once, the third of which is a vertical tunnel. Since no one has been able to move the traffic jams so far, the question of whether there is a vertical hole above them remains open. In the middle of the ascending passage, the construction of the walls has a peculiarity: the so-called “frame stones” are installed in three places - that is, the passage, square along the entire length, pierces through three monoliths. The purpose of these stones is unknown..

A horizontal corridor 35 m long and 1.75 m high leads to the second burial chamber from the lower part of the Great Gallery in a southerly direction. The second chamber is traditionally called« Queen's chamber”, although according to the rite, the wives of the pharaohs were buried in separate small pyramids. " Queen's chamber”, lined with limestone, has 5.74 meters from east to west and 5.23 meters from north to south; its maximum height is 6.22 meters. There is a high niche in the eastern wall of the chamber.

Rice. 9. Plan in isometry with sections chambers of the Queen(Fig. 2 - item 7). Shown on the left stepped niche in the cell wall. Right horizontal entrance in the Queen's Chamber. Above the walls of the Chamber of the Queen there are stone blocks in the form of a gable roof to relieve pressure on the chamber. Schematically shows the channels "air ducts" coming out of the chamber.

Rice. 10. Type of entrance into a stepped niche from chambers of the Queen(Fig. 2 - item 7).

Rice. 11. Black and white image of the entrance to the Queen's Chamber from the inclined Gallery (Fig. 2 - p. 8). 1910

ventilation ducts

From " King's chambers" (Fig. 2 - item 10) and " Queen's chambers"(Fig. 2 - item 7) in the northern and southern directions (first horizontally, then obliquely upwards) the so-called" ventilation » channels with a width in diameter - 20-25 cm. At the same time, the channels « King's chambers», known since the 17th century, through, they are open both from below and from above (on the faces of the pyramid), while the lower ends of the channels " Queen's chambers"separates about 13 cm from the surface of the wall, they were discovered by tapping in 1872. The upper ends of these channels do not reach the surface of the side faces of the Cheops pyramid.. The end of the southern channel is closed with stone " doors", discovered in 1993 using the remote-controlled robot "Upuaut II". In 2002, with the help of a new modification of the robot " door” was drilled, but a small cavity was discovered behind it and another “ door». What's next is still unknown.. Versions are currently being expressed that the purpose of " ventilation » channels is of a religious nature and is associated with the ideas of the Egyptians about the afterlife journey of the soul.

Funeral "pit"

A descending corridor 105 m long, going at an inclination of 26° 26'46, leads to a horizontal corridor (Fig. 2. - point 4) 8.9 m long leading to the chamber (Fig. 2. - point 5), named Funeral "pit". Located below ground level, in a rocky limestone base, it remained unfinished. The dimensions of the chamber are 14 × 8.1 m, it is elongated from east to west. The height of the chamber reaches 3.5 m. At the southern wall of the chamber there is a well about 3 m deep, from which a narrow manhole (0.7 × 0.7 m in cross section) stretches southward for 16 m, ending in a dead end. Engineers John Shae Perring and Howard Vyse in the early 19th century dismantled the floor in the cell and dug a deep well 11.6 m deep in which they hoped to find a hidden burial room. They were based on the evidence of Herodotus, who claimed that the body of Cheops was on an island surrounded by a channel in a hidden underground chamber. Their digs came up with nothing.. Later research showed that the chamber was abandoned unfinished, and burial chambers it was decided to arrange in the center of the pyramid itself.

Rice. 12. Black and white image of the interior " underground» cameras. 1910. Half of the fellah's body is visible on the left, leaning out of the passage into the cell.

COMMENT:

Now we can show on the plan the Pyramid of Cheops in the matrix of the Universe the position " Libra in h ale Judgment of Maat over the hearts of Ab (Ab)Living creatures". Figure 13 shows a section of the Cheops pyramid according to Weiss. It is more accurate than the one shown in Figure 2 from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia.

Rice. 13. Section of the pyramid Cheops (Khufu, Khufu) in Giza. By Weiss.

Rice. 14. The figure shows the result of combining the section of the pyramid of Cheops (according to Weiss) in Giza with " energy matrix of the universe ”or simply the matrix of the Universe. This drawing is similar to Figure 8 from our work - Amon-Ra discovered the secret of the original plan of the premises in the pyramid of Cheops. All the main elements of the section of the pyramid of Cheops are located in the Lower World of the matrix of the Universe. The top of the vault above king's chamber» aligned with the third position from the left on the 7th level, the base « King's chambers» with the sarcophagus was combined with the 10th level. Foundation " Queen's chambers"- with the 12th level, the base of the pyramid - with the 14th level. Entrance to the gallery - with the 13th level, the passage to " lower horizon"in the rocky base of the pyramid - with the 14th level, and he" lower horizon” aligned with the 17th level of the Nether matrix. The remaining elements of combining the plan of the section of the pyramid with the matrix of the Universe are clearly visible in the figure. Side angles of the pyramid Khufu and matrix pyramids are clearly different. Right side of the pyramid section Khufu facing north and the left side facing south.

Now compatible with the matrix of the Universe Egyptian pattern of weighing the heart Ab (Ab) from our work - The Mystery of the Gravestone by the Italian sculptor Antonio Canova together with the plan of the section of the pyramid Khufu, which is shown in the previous figure 14.

In the well-known Egyptian The myth of Osiris « council of the gods» in the retinue of Osiris ( Asar) was called - " pout – Paut". Their total number was - 42. « council of the gods"helped Osiris analyze and evaluate the deeds of a deceased person for a lifetime. The number 42 exactly corresponds to the sum of the "positions" of 13, 14 and 15 levels – 13+14+15 = 42 - The lower world of the matrix of the Universe. In the same area of ​​the matrix of the Universe was located " Hall Double » Maati (Goddess of Truth and Truth), where on the scales it was weighed " a heart » – Ab - Ab – (aspects of the creature's soul). Placed on one scale feather maati, and on the other scale was placed " a heart » Ab. If a " a heart » Ab turned out to be harder Feather Maati ", or Maat herself with open arms on the scales, ( the creature sinned a lot), then this heart " ate " creature Ammit with the head and half of the body of a crocodile, and the back half of the body of a hippo.

Rice. 16. The figure shows the result of joint combination in the matrix of the Universe of the pyramid plan Khufu and an Egyptian drawing of a scene weighing the heart » « Ab". It is clearly seen that the vertical axis of the scales is aligned with the vertical axis of the matrix pyramid and the section of Khufu's pyramid, and the transverse crossbar of the scales is aligned with the 14th level of the Lower World of the Universe matrix, which is also the base of Khufu's pyramid on a rocky plateau. The remaining details of the combination are visible in the figure.

Now, on top of this drawing, we write the word in Egyptian hieroglyphs Paut (Paut), which will show us the location area in the matrix of 42 gods - advisers to Osiris.

Rice. 17. The figure shows the entry of the word POUT – PAUT Egyptian hieroglyphs into the Lower World of the matrix of the Universe, which " determine Osiris (Asar). The lower hieroglyph in the form of a "circle with a square inside" defines » in the matrix of the Universe, the location of 42 gods - advisers Osiris (Asar). Hieroglyph T(t) aligned with the Queen's chamber. Hieroglyph U(U) practically occupied the entire space from the base of the King's Chamber to the sharp top of a rectangular shaft above the sarcophagus in the King's Chamber. The shaft ends with an unloading gable " roof ”from granite blocks - “Above the“ King’s Chamber ”are discovered in the 19th century. five unloading cavities with a total height of 17 m, between which monolithic slabs with a thickness of about 2 m lie, and above - a gable ceiling. The position of the remaining hieroglyphs is clearly visible in the figure. Assuming that the word pout (Paut) was for the priests of Egypt one of the " prayer words » inside the pyramid of Cheops, such as when they were indoors king's chamber in front of the sarcophagus, which could simply be opened, then such a rite can be called an appeal to the council 42 gods - assistants of Osiris (Asar). Wherein Pyramid of Khufu, as " resonant device ” similarly translated the words of prayer into the matrix of the Universe. If an Egyptian word is added to the words of the prayer appeal of the priests Paauta meaning like " creature male» so and « creature woman”(Fig. 13) from our work - Who are you Russians, and we know who! , then you get the following meaningful prayer appeal, for example, - “ We pray to Osiris and his advice to the gods (pout) about sending forgiveness and blessings to the soul of the King - Pharaoh and/or to his close associates for future incarnation into a human being - (Paauta)". Wherein Pyramid of Khufu again, as " resonant device ” similarly translated the words of prayer into the matrix of the Universe. With the seeming fantasticness of our assumption, it may correspond to the true state of affairs, and determine the true purpose of construction pyramids of Khufu. Probably other Egyptian pyramids too. This is indicated by the surprisingly accurate results of combining the plan of the pyramid of Khufu, Egyptian drawings and Egyptian words written in hieroglyphs into the matrix of the Universe. Additional " resonant devices ", which could be installed in the grooves of the inclined Gallery, strengthened" Effect » such a connection. Thus, all Pyramid of Khufu and its specific interior spaces constituted a single " resonant device » to contact « subtle worlds of the Universe and their inhabitants. The priests of ancient Egypt were wise scientists, possessed sacred knowledge, and, for sure, knew how to work with it even " hermetically sealed » « resonant device ". Today, with a large number of destruction - changes in the parameters of the resonant device » its quality can be « broken or worsened ».

Figure 18 shows the result of writing the Egyptian hieroglyphs of the word Paauta (Paauta) - "creature male" into the matrix of the Universe and comparing it with the Sanskrit entry of the word Jiva Loka - " space jiv - shower» in the matrix of the Universe.

Rice. 18. This is how the Egyptian priests understood what “ Creature Man". On the right in the figure, an ancient hieroglyphic inscription is shown. Paut - Paauta – Paauta – « Creature Man". It was enough to change the last hieroglyph to the image of a woman and the hieroglyphic record would be read - “ Creature Woman", and it would also sound - Paut - Paauta – Paauta. On the left in the picture is written in Sanskrit the word - Jiva Loka- space Shower - Jiv in the matrix of the Universe. Comparing the hieroglyphic notation on the right and the Sanskrit notation on the left, we see that the top hieroglyph Pa (Pa) in the form of a bird with open wings means the possibility Souls - Jivas rise above the former space and rush further into the Upper world of the matrix of the Universe. Egyptian priests knew about this possibility for Souls - Jivas, which the Lord gave her, and reflected it in hieroglyphic text.

For several centuries, the mysteries of Ancient Egypt have been in the center of attention of historians and archaeologists. When it comes to this ancient civilization, first of all, the grandiose pyramids come to mind, many of whose secrets have not yet been revealed. Among such mysteries, which are still far from being solved, is the construction of a great structure - the largest pyramid of Cheops that has come down to our time.

Known and mysterious civilization

Of all the oldest civilizations, the culture of ancient Egypt is perhaps the most well studied. And the point here is not only in the many historical artifacts and architectural monuments that have survived to this day, but also in the abundance of written sources. Even historians and geographers of Antiquity paid attention to this country and, describing the culture and religion of the Egyptians, did not ignore the construction of the great pyramids in Ancient Egypt.

And when in the 19th century the Frenchman Champollion was able to decipher the hieroglyphic writing of this ancient people, scientists gained access to a huge amount of information in the form of papyri, stone steles with hieroglyphs and numerous inscriptions on the walls of tombs and temples.

The history of the ancient Egyptian civilization spans almost 40 centuries, and there are many interesting, bright and often mysterious pages in it. But the most attention is drawn to the Old Kingdom, the great pharaohs, the construction of the pyramids and the mysteries associated with them.

When were the pyramids built

The era that Egyptologists call the Old Kingdom lasted from 3000 to 2100 BC. e., just at this time, the Egyptian rulers were fond of building pyramids. All tombs erected earlier or later are much smaller in size, and their quality is worse, which affected their safety. It seems that the heirs of the architects of the great pharaohs lost the knowledge of their ancestors at once. Or were they completely different people who replaced the disappeared race, it is not clear where?

Pyramids were built in the period and even later, in the era of the Ptolemies. But not all pharaohs “ordered” similar tombs for themselves. So, at present, more than a hundred pyramids are known, built over 3 thousand years - from 2630, when the first pyramid was erected, until the 4th century AD. e.

The forerunners of the great pyramids

Before the great history of the construction of these grandiose buildings was erected, there were more than one hundred years.

According to the generally accepted version, the pyramids served as tombs in which the pharaohs were buried. Long before the construction of these structures, the rulers of Egypt were buried in mastabas - relatively small buildings. But in the 26th century BC. e. the first real pyramids were built, the construction of which began with the era of Pharaoh Djoser. The tomb, named after him, is located 20 km from Cairo and is very different in appearance from those that are called great.

It has a stepped shape and gives the impression of several mastabas stacked one on top of the other. True, its dimensions are rather big - more than 120 meters along the perimeter and 62 meters in height. This is a grandiose building for its time, but it cannot be compared with the pyramid of Cheops.

By the way, a lot is known about the construction of the tomb of Djoser, even written sources have survived that mention the name of the architect - Imhotep. One and a half thousand years later, he became the patron saint of scribes and doctors.

The first of the pyramids of the classical type is the tomb of Pharaoh Snofu, the construction of which was completed in 2589. The limestone blocks of this tomb have a reddish tint, which is why Egyptologists call it "red" or "pink".

great pyramids

This is the name of the three cyclopean tetrahedra located in Giza, on the left bank of the Nile.

The oldest and largest of them is the pyramid of Khufu, or, as the ancient Greeks called it, Cheops. It is she who is most often called the Great, which is not surprising, because the length of each of its sides is 230 meters, and the height is 146 meters. Now, however, it is slightly lower due to destruction and weathering.

The second largest is the tomb of Khafre, the son of Cheops. Its height is 136 meters, although visually it looks higher than the pyramid of Khufu, because it was built on a hill. Not far from it you can see the famous Sphinx, whose face, according to legend, is a sculptural portrait of Khafre.

The third - the pyramid of Pharaoh Mikerin - is only 66 meters high, and it was built much later. Nevertheless, this pyramid looks very harmonious and is considered the most beautiful of the great ones.

Modern man is accustomed to grandiose structures, but his imagination is also shaken by the great pyramids of Egypt, the history and secrets of construction.

Secrets and mysteries

Monumental buildings in Giza even in the era of Antiquity were included in the list of the main wonders of the world, of which the ancient Greeks numbered only seven. Today it is very difficult to comprehend the intention of the ancient rulers, who spent enormous amounts of money and human resources on the construction of such gigantic tombs. Thousands of people were cut off from the economy for 20-30 years and were engaged in the construction of a tomb for their ruler. Such irrational use of labor is questionable.

Since the time when the great pyramids were erected, the secrets of construction have not ceased to attract the attention of scientists.

Perhaps the construction of the great pyramid pursued a completely different goal? In the pyramid of Cheops, three chambers were found, which Egyptologists called burial chambers, but none of them contained mummies of the dead and objects that necessarily accompanied a person to the kingdom of Osiris. There are no decorations or drawings on the walls of the burial chambers either, more precisely, there is only one small portrait in the corridor on the wall.

The sarcophagus discovered in the Khafre pyramid is also empty, although many statues were found inside this tomb, but there are no things that, according to Egyptian customs, were placed in the tombs.

Egyptologists believe that the pyramids were looted. Perhaps, but it is not entirely clear why the robbers also needed the mummies of the buried pharaohs.

There are many mysteries associated with these cyclopean structures in Giza, but the very first question that arises in a person who saw them with his own eyes: how did the construction of the great pyramids of Ancient Egypt take place?

Amazing Facts

Cyclopean structures demonstrate the phenomenal knowledge of the ancient Egyptians in astronomy and geodesy. The faces of the Pyramid of Cheops, for example, are precisely oriented to the south, north, west and east, and the diagonal coincides with the direction of the meridian. Moreover, this accuracy is higher than that of the observatory in Paris.

And such an ideal figure from the point of view of geometry has a huge size, and even made up of separate blocks!

Therefore, the knowledge of the ancients in the field of building art is even more impressive. The pyramids are built from giant stone monoliths up to 15 tons in weight. The granite blocks lining the walls of the main burial chamber of Khufu's pyramid weighed 60 tons each. How did such colossus rise if this chamber is at a height of 43 meters? And some stone blocks of Khafre's tomb generally reach 150 tons in weight.

The construction of the great pyramid of Cheops required the ancient architects to process, drag and raise to a very significant height more than 2 million such blocks. Even modern technology does not make this task easy.

There is a completely natural surprise: why did the Egyptians need to drag such colossus to a height of several tens of meters? Wouldn't it have been easier to build a pyramid of smaller stones? After all, they were able to somehow “cut out” these blocks from a solid mass of rock, why didn’t they make it easier for themselves by sawing them into pieces?

In addition, there is another mystery. The blocks were not just laid in rows, but they were so carefully processed and tightly fitted to each other that in some places the gap between the plates was less than 0.5 millimeters.

After the erection, the pyramid was still lined with stone slabs, which, however, had long been stolen by enterprising local residents for the construction of houses.

How were the ancient architects able to solve this incredibly difficult task? There are many theories, but they all have their drawbacks and weaknesses.

Herodotus version

The famous historian of Antiquity Herodotus visited Egypt and saw the Egyptian pyramids. The construction, the description of which was left by the ancient Greek scientist, looked as follows.

Hundreds of people dragged a stone block to the pyramid under construction on drags, and then, using a wooden gate and a system of levers, lifted it to the first platform equipped on the lower level of the structure. Then the next lifting mechanism came into play. And so, moving from one platform to another, the blocks were raised to the desired height.

It is hard to even imagine how much effort the great Egyptian pyramids required. Construction (photo, according to Herodotus, see below) was indeed an extremely difficult task.

For a long time, most Egyptologists adhered to this version, although it raised doubts. It is difficult to imagine such wooden lifts that could withstand the weight of tens of tons. Yes, and dragging millions of multi-ton blocks on drags seems difficult.

Can Herodotus be trusted? Firstly, he did not witness the construction of the great pyramids, since he lived much later, although he may have been able to observe how smaller tombs were erected.

Secondly, the famous scientist of Antiquity in his writings often sinned against the truth, trusting the stories of travelers or ancient manuscripts.

The "ramp" theory

In the 20th century, a version proposed by the French researcher Jacques Philippe Luer became popular among Egyptologists. He suggested that the stone blocks were moved not on drags, but on skating rinks along a special ramp, which gradually became higher and, accordingly, longer.

The construction of the great pyramid (photo image below), thus, also required great ingenuity.

But this version also has its drawbacks. Firstly, it is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that the work of thousands of workers in dragging stone blocks was not at all facilitated by this method, because the blocks had to be dragged uphill, into which the embankment gradually turned. And it's extremely hard.

Secondly, the slope of the ramp should be no more than 10˚, therefore, its length will be more than a kilometer. To build such an embankment, labor is needed no less than the construction of the tomb itself.

Even if it was not one ramp, but several, built from one tier of the pyramid to another, it is still a colossal work with a dubious result. Especially when you consider that several hundred people are needed to move each block, and there is practically nowhere to place them on narrow platforms and embankments.

In 1978, admirers from Japan tried to build a pyramid only 11 meters high using drags and mounds. They could not complete the construction, inviting modern technology to help.

It seems that people with the technology that was in antiquity are beyond their powers. Or were they not people? Who built the great pyramids at Giza?

Aliens or Atlanteans?

The version that the great pyramids were built by representatives of a different race, despite its fantastic nature, has quite rational grounds.

Firstly, it is doubtful that people who lived in the Bronze Age possessed the tools and technologies that allowed them to process such an array of wild stone and put together a geometrically perfect structure weighing more than one million tons.

Secondly, the assertion that the great pyramids were built in the middle of the III millennium BC. er, debatable. It was expressed by the same Herodotus, who visited Egypt in the 5th century BC. BC. and described the Egyptian pyramids, the construction of which was completed almost 2 thousand years before his visit. In his writings, he simply recounted what the priests had told him.

There are suggestions that these cyclopean structures were built much earlier, perhaps 8-12 thousand years ago, or maybe all 80. These assumptions are based on the fact that, apparently, the pyramids, the sphinx and the temples around them survived the era of floods. This is evidenced by traces of erosion that were found on the lower part of the Sphinx statue and the lower tiers of the pyramids.

Thirdly, the great pyramids are clearly objects connected in one way or another with astronomy and space. Moreover, this purpose is more important than the function of the tombs. Suffice it to recall that there are no burials in them, although there is what Egyptologists call sarcophagi.

The theory of the alien origin of the pyramids in the 60s was popularized by the Swiss Erich von Daniken. However, all of his evidence is more of a figment of the writer's imagination than the result of serious research.

Assuming that aliens organized the construction of the great pyramid, the photo should look something like the picture below.

The Atlantean version has no less fans. According to this theory, long before the rise of the ancient Egyptian civilization, the pyramids were built by representatives of some other race, who possessed either super-advanced technology or the ability to force the will to move colossal blocks of stone through the air. Just like Master Yoda from the famous Star Wars movie.

To prove, as well as to disprove these theories, by scientific methods is almost impossible. But perhaps there is a less fantastic answer to the question of who built the great pyramids? Why could not the ancient Egyptians, who had a variety of knowledge in other areas, do this? There is one that lifts the veil of mystery surrounding the construction of the great pyramid.

concrete version

If moving and processing multi-ton stone blocks is so laborious, could not the ancient builders have used an easier method of pouring concrete?

This point of view is actively defended and proved by several well-known scientists, and different specialties.

The French chemist Iosif Davidovich, having made a chemical analysis of the material of the blocks from which the pyramid of Cheops was built, suggested that this was not a natural stone, but concrete of a complex composition. It was made on the basis of ground rock, and is the so-called Davidovich's conclusions were confirmed by a number of American researchers.

Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences A. G. Fomenko, having examined the blocks from which the pyramid of Cheops was built, believes that the “concrete version” is the most plausible. The builders simply ground the stone available in excess, added binding impurities, such as lime, raised the concrete base in baskets to the construction site, and already there it was loaded into formwork and diluted with water. When the mixture hardened, the formwork was dismantled and transferred to another place.

Decades later, the concrete was so compressed that it became indistinguishable from natural stone.

It turns out that during the construction of the great pyramid, not stone, but concrete blocks were used? It would seem that this version is quite logical and explains many of the mysteries of the construction of ancient pyramids, including the difficulties of transportation and the quality of block processing. But it has its weaknesses, and it raises no fewer questions than other theories.

Firstly, it is very difficult to imagine how the ancient builders were able to grind more than 6 million tons of rock without the use of technology. After all, this is the weight of the pyramid of Cheops.

Secondly, the possibility of using wooden formwork in Egypt, where wood has always been highly valued, is questionable. Even the boats of the pharaohs were made of papyrus.

Thirdly, the ancient architects, of course, could think of making concrete. But the question arises: where then did this knowledge go? Within a few centuries after the construction of the great pyramid, not a trace remained of them. There were still tombs of this kind erected, but they were all but a pitiful imitation of those that stand on the plateau at Giza. And until now, most often shapeless piles of stones have remained from the pyramids of a later period.

Therefore, it is impossible to say with certainty how the great pyramids were built, the secrets of which have not yet been revealed.

Not only Ancient Egypt, but also other civilizations of the past hold many mysteries, which makes getting to know their history an incredibly exciting journey into the past.

Pyramid age

The architect of the Great Pyramid is Hemiun, the vizier and nephew of Cheops. He also bore the title "Manager of all construction sites of the pharaoh." It is assumed that the construction, which lasted twenty years (the reign of Cheops), ended around 2540 BC. e. .

The existing methods of dating the time of the beginning of the construction of the pyramid are divided into historical, astronomical and radiocarbon. In Egypt, it was officially established (2009) and the date of the start of the construction of the pyramid of Cheops is celebrated - August 23, 2560 BC. e. This date was obtained using the astronomical method of Kate Spence (University of Cambridge). However, this method and the dates derived from it have been criticized by many Egyptologists. Dates according to other dating methods: 2720 BC. e. (Stephen Hack, University of Nebraska), 2577 B.C. e. (Juan Antonio Belmonte, University of Astrophysics in Canaris) and 2708 BC. e. (Pollux, Bauman University). The radiocarbon method gives a range from 2680 BC. e. until 2850 BC e. Therefore, there is no serious confirmation of the established “birthday” of the pyramid, since Egyptologists cannot agree on exactly what year the construction began.

The first mention of the pyramid

The complete absence of a mention of the pyramid in Egyptian papyri remains a mystery. The first descriptions are found in the Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BC) and in ancient Arabic legends [ ] . Herodotus reported (at least 2 millennia after the appearance of the Great Pyramid) that it was erected under a despot pharaoh named Cheops (Greek. Koufou), who ruled for 50 years, that 100 thousand people were employed in the construction. for twenty years, and that the pyramid is in honor of Cheops, but not his grave. The real grave is a burial near the pyramid. Herodotus gave erroneous information about the size of the pyramid, and also mentioned the middle pyramid of the Giza plateau, that it was erected by the daughter of Cheops, who sold herself, and that each building stone corresponded to the man to whom she was given. According to Herodotus, if "to raise a stone, a long winding path to the grave opened," without specifying what kind of pyramid in question; however, the pyramids of the Giza plateau did not have "winding" paths to the tomb at the time of their visit by Herodotus; on the contrary, the Descending passage of the BP of Cheops is distinguished by careful straightness. And other premises in the BP at that time were not known.

Appearance

The surviving fragments of the facing of the pyramid and the remains of the pavement that surrounded the building

The pyramid is called "Akhet-Khufu" - "Horizon of Khufu" (or more precisely "Related to the sky - (this is) Khufu"). Consists of blocks of limestone and granite. It was built on a natural limestone hill. After the pyramid has lost several layers of lining, this hill is partially visible on the eastern, northern and southern sides of the pyramid. Despite the fact that the Pyramid of Cheops is the tallest and most voluminous of all Egyptian pyramids, Pharaoh Sneferu built the pyramids in Meidum and Dahshut (the Bent Pyramid and the Pink Pyramid), the total mass of which is estimated at 8.4 million tons.

Initially, the pyramid was lined with white limestone, harder than the main blocks. The top of the pyramid was crowned with a gilded stone - a pyramidion (ancient Egyptian - "Benben"). The cladding shone in the sun with a peach color, as if "a shining miracle, to which the sun god Ra himself seemed to give all his rays." In 1168, the Arabs sacked and burned Cairo. The inhabitants of Cairo removed the lining from the pyramid in order to build new houses.

Statistical data

Pyramid of Cheops in the 19th century

Map of the necropolis near the pyramid of Cheops

• Height (today): ≈ 136.5 m
• Sidewall Angle (Now): 51° 50"
• Side rib length (original): 230.33 m (calculated) or about 440 royal cubits
• Side rib length (now): about 225 m
• The length of the sides of the base of the pyramid: south - 230.454 m; north - 230.253 m; west - 230.357 m; east - 230.394 m
• Base area (originally): ≈ 53,000 m2 (5.3 ha)
• The area of ​​the side surface of the pyramid (initially): ≈ 85,500 m 2
• Base perimeter: 922 m
• The total volume of the pyramid without deducting the cavities inside the pyramid (initially): ≈ 2.58 million m 3
• The total volume of the pyramid minus all known cavities (initially): 2.50 million m3
• Average volume of stone blocks: 1.147 m3
• Average weight of stone blocks: 2.5 t
• The heaviest stone block: about 35 tons - is located above the entrance to the "King's Chamber".
• The number of blocks of the average volume does not exceed 1.65 million (2.50 million m³ - 0.6 million m³ of rocky base inside the pyramid = 1.9 million m 3 / 1.147 m 3 = 1.65 million blocks of the specified volume can physically fit in the pyramid , without taking into account the volume of the solution in the interblock seams); reference to a 20-year construction period * 300 working days per year * 10 working hours per day * 60 minutes per hour results in a laying (and delivery to the construction site) speed of about a block of two minutes.
• According to estimates, the total weight of the pyramid is about 4 million tons (1.65 million blocks x 2.5 tons)
• The base of the pyramid rests on a natural rocky elevation with a height in the center of about 12-14 m and, according to the latest data, occupies at least 23% of the original volume of the pyramid
• The number of layers (tiers) of stone blocks - 210 (at the time of construction). Now the layers are 203.

Side concavity

The concavity of the sides of the pyramid of Cheops

When the sun moves around the pyramid, you can notice the unevenness of the walls - the concavity of the central part of the walls. Perhaps the reason for this is erosion or damage resulting from the fall of the stone cladding. It is also possible that this was deliberately done during construction. As Vito Maragioglio and Celeste Rinaldi note, the pyramid of Menkaure no longer has such a concavity of the sides. I.E.S. Edwards explains this feature by the fact that the central part of each side was simply pressed inward from a large mass of stone blocks over time. [ ]

As in the 18th century, when this phenomenon was discovered, today there is still no satisfactory explanation for this feature of architecture.

Observation of the concavity of the sides at the end of the 19th century, Description of Egypt

Tilt angle

It is not possible to accurately determine the original parameters of the pyramid, since its edges and surfaces are currently mostly dismantled and destroyed. This makes it difficult to calculate the exact angle of inclination. In addition, its symmetry itself is not perfect, so deviations in numbers are observed with different measurements.

Geometric study of ventilation tunnels

The study of the geometry of the Great Pyramid does not give an unambiguous answer to the question of the original proportions of this structure. It is assumed that the Egyptians had an idea about the Golden Ratio and the number pi, which were reflected in the proportions of the pyramid: for example, the ratio of height to base is 14/22 (height \u003d 280 cubits, and base \u003d 440 cubits, 280/440 \u003d 14 / 22). For the first time in world history, these values ​​were used in the construction of the pyramid at Meidum. However, for pyramids of later eras, these proportions were not used anywhere else, as, for example, some have height-to-base ratios, such as 6/5 (Pink Pyramid), 4/3 (Chefren's Pyramid) or 7/5 (Broken Pyramid).

Some of the theories consider the pyramid to be an astronomical observatory. It is alleged that the corridors of the pyramid point exactly towards the "polar star" of that time - Tuban, the ventilation corridors of the south side - to the star Sirius, and from the north side - to the star Alnitak.

Internal structure

Cross section of the pyramid of Cheops:

The entrance to the pyramid is at a height of 15.63 meters on the north side. The entrance is formed by stone slabs laid in the form of an arch, but this is a structure that was inside the pyramid - the true entrance has not been preserved. The true entrance to the pyramid was most likely closed with a stone plug. A description of such a plug can be found in Strabo, and its appearance can also be imagined based on the surviving slab that closed the upper entrance to the Bent Pyramid of Snefru, the father of Cheops. Today, tourists enter the pyramid through a 17-meter gap, which was made in 820 by the Baghdad caliph Abdullah al-Mamun 10 meters lower. He hoped to find the innumerable treasures of the pharaoh there, but found there only a layer of dust half a cubit thick.

Inside the pyramid of Cheops are three burial chambers located one above the other.

Funeral "pit"

Underground Chamber Maps

A descending corridor 105 m long, inclined at 26° 26’46, leads to a horizontal corridor 8.9 m long leading to the chamber 5 . Located below ground level in a rocky limestone base, it was left unfinished. The dimensions of the chamber are 14 × 8.1 m, it is elongated from east to west. The height reaches 3.5 m, the ceiling has a large crack. At the southern wall of the chamber there is a well about 3 m deep, from which a narrow manhole (0.7 × 0.7 m in cross section) stretches southward for 16 m, ending in a dead end. Engineers John Shae Perring and Richard William Howard Vyse cleared the floor of the chamber in the early 19th century and dug a 11.6 m deep well in which they hoped to find a hidden burial chamber. They were based on the evidence of Herodotus, who claimed that the body of Cheops was on an island surrounded by a channel in a hidden underground chamber. Their excavations turned up nothing. Later research showed that the chamber was left unfinished, and it was decided to arrange the burial chambers in the center of the pyramid itself.

Ascending Corridor and Queen's Chambers

From the first third of the descending passage (after 18 m from the main entrance) upwards at the same angle of 26.5 ° there is an ascending passage to the south ( 6 ) about 40 m long, ending at the bottom of the Great Gallery ( 9 ).

At its beginning, the ascending passage contains 3 large cubic granite "plugs", which, from the outside, from the descending passage, were masked by a block of limestone that fell during the work of al-Ma'mun. Thus, for the first 3000 years from the construction of the pyramid (including during the era of its active visits in Antiquity), it was believed that there were no other rooms in the Great Pyramid except for the descending passage and the underground chamber. Al-Ma'mun failed to break through these plugs and simply hollowed out a bypass in the softer limestone to the right of them. This passage is still in use today. There are two main theories about plugs, one of them is that the ascending passage has plugs installed at the beginning of construction and thus this passage was sealed by them from the very beginning. The second asserts that the present narrowing of the walls was caused by an earthquake, and the plugs were previously located within the Great Gallery and were used to seal the passage only after the burial of the pharaoh.

An important mystery of this section of the ascending passage is that in the place where the traffic jams are now located, in a full-size, albeit shortened model of the pyramid passages - the so-called test corridors north of the Great Pyramid - there is a junction of not two, but three corridors at once, the third of which is the vertical tunnel. Since no one has been able to move the traffic jams so far, the question of whether there is a vertical hole above them remains open.

In the middle of the ascending passage, the construction of the walls has a peculiarity: the so-called “frame stones” are installed in three places - that is, the passage, square along the entire length, pierces through three monoliths. The purpose of these stones is unknown. In the area of ​​the frame stones, the passage walls have several small niches.

A horizontal corridor 35 m long and 1.75 m high leads to the second burial chamber from the lower part of the Grand Gallery in a southerly direction. . Behind the western wall of the passage there are cavities filled with sand. The second chamber is traditionally called the "Queen's Chamber", although according to the rite, the wives of the pharaohs were buried in separate small pyramids. The "Queen's Chamber", lined with limestone, has 5.74 meters from east to west and 5.23 meters from north to south; its maximum height is 6.22 meters. There is a high niche in the eastern wall of the chamber.

Blueprint of the Queen's Chamber ( 7 )

Niche in the wall of the Queen's Chamber

Corridor at the entrance to the Queen's Hall (1910)

Entrance to the Queen's Chamber (1910)

Niche in the Queen's Chamber (1910)

Ventilation duct in the queen's chamber (1910)

Corridor to ascending tunnel ( 12 )

Granite Plug (1910)

Corridor to the ascending tunnel (left - closing blocks)

Grotto, Grand Gallery and Pharaoh's Chambers

Another branch from the lower part of the Grand Gallery is a narrow almost vertical shaft about 60 m high, leading to the lower part of the descending passage. There is an assumption that it was intended for the evacuation of workers or priests who were completing the "sealing" of the main passage to the "King's Chamber". Approximately in the middle of it is a small, most likely natural extension - the "Grotto" (Grotto) of irregular shape, in which several people could fit from strength. Grotto ( 12 ) is located at the "junction" of the masonry of the pyramid and a small, about 9 meters high, hill on a limestone plateau lying at the base of the Great Pyramid. The walls of the Grotto are partially reinforced with ancient masonry, and since some of its stones are too large, there is an assumption that the Grotto existed on the Giza plateau as an independent structure long before the construction of the pyramids, and the evacuation shaft itself was built taking into account the location of the Grotto. However, taking into account the fact that the shaft was actually hollowed out in the already laid masonry, and not laid out, as evidenced by its irregular circular section, the question arises of how the builders managed to accurately reach the Grotto.

The large gallery continues the ascending passage. Its height is 8.53 m, it is rectangular in cross section, with walls slightly tapering upwards (the so-called “false vault”), a high inclined tunnel 46.6 m long. 1 meter wide and 60 cm deep, and on both side protrusions there are 27 pairs of recesses of unclear purpose. The deepening ends with the so-called. The “Big Step” is a high horizontal ledge, a platform of 1 × 2 meters at the end of the Great Gallery, directly in front of the entrance to the “entrance hall” - the Anterior Chamber. The site has a pair of recesses similar to the ramp recesses, recesses at the corners near the wall (the 28th and last pair of BG recesses). Through the "entrance hall" the manhole leads to the burial chamber "King's Chamber" lined with black granite, where an empty granite sarcophagus is placed. The lid of the sarcophagus is missing. Ventilation shafts have mouths in the "King's Chamber" on the southern and northern walls at a height of about a meter from the floor level. The mouth of the southern ventilation shaft is badly damaged, the northern one appears undamaged. The floor, ceiling, walls of the chamber do not have any decorations or holes or fasteners of anything related to the time of the construction of the pyramid. The ceiling slabs have all burst along the southern wall and do not fall into the room only due to the pressure of the overlying blocks by the weight.

Above the "King's Chamber" there are five unloading cavities with a total height of 17 m discovered in the 19th century, between which monolithic granite slabs about 2 m thick lie, and above - a gable limestone ceiling. It is believed that their purpose is to distribute the weight of the overlying layers of the pyramid (about a million tons) in order to protect the "King's Chamber" from pressure. Graffiti has been found in these voids, probably left by workers.

Interior of the Grotto (1910)

Grotto drawing (1910)

Drawing connecting the Grotto with the Grand Gallery (1910)

Tunnel Entrance (1910)

View of the Grand Gallery from the entrance to the premises

Grand gallery

Grand Gallery (1910)

Drawing of the Pharaoh's Chamber

pharaoh's chamber

Pharaoh's Chamber (1910)

Interior of the vestibule in front of the king's chamber (1910)

Channel "ventilation" at the south wall of the king's room (1910)

ventilation ducts

From the “King’s Chamber” and the “Queen’s Chamber” in the north and south directions (at first horizontally, then obliquely upwards) the so-called “ventilation” channels 20-25 cm wide depart. At the same time, the channels of the “King’s Chamber”, known since the 17th century, through, they are open both from below and from above (on the faces of the pyramid), while the lower ends of the channels of the "Queen's Chamber" are separated from the surface of the wall by about 13 cm, they were discovered by tapping in 1872. The upper ends of the shafts of the "Queen's Chamber" do not reach the surface of about 12 meters, and are closed with stone "Gantenbrink Doors", each with two copper handles. Copper handles were sealed with plaster seals (not preserved, but traces remained). In the southern ventilation shaft, the “door” was discovered in 1993 using the Upuaut II remote-controlled robot; the bend of the northern mine did not allow then to find in it the same “door” by this robot. In 2002, using a new modification of the robot, a hole was drilled in the southern "door", but a small cavity 18 centimeters long and another stone "door" were found behind it. What lies next is still unknown. This robot confirmed the presence of a similar "door" at the end of the northern channel, but they did not drill it. A new robot in 2010 was able to insert a serpentine television camera through a drilled hole in the southern “door” and found that the copper “handles” on the other side of the “door” were designed in the form of neat hinges, and separate badges were applied in red ocher on the floor of the “ventilation” shaft. Currently, the most common version is that the purpose of the "ventilation" ducts was of a religious nature and is associated with the Egyptians' ideas about the afterlife journey of the soul. And the “door” at the end of the channel is nothing more than a door to the afterlife. That is why it does not go to the surface of the pyramid. At the same time, the shafts of the upper burial chamber have through exits to the outside and inside of the room; it is not clear if this is due to some change in ritual; since the outer few meters of the facing of the pyramid have been destroyed, it is not clear whether the "Gantenbrink Doors" were in the upper shafts. (could be in the place where the mine was not preserved). In the southern upper mine there is a so-called. "Cheops niches" - strange expansions and grooves, which, perhaps, contained a "door". In the northern upper there are no "niches" at all.

The pyramid of Cheops was built around 2600 BC.

The pyramids are shrouded in mystery to this day. Many scientists have devoted their entire lives to unraveling the great construction and purpose of these majestic structures. However, for several millennia, starting from the first research of Herodotus and ending with the present day, they have not brought the expected success. The main questions remained unanswered - who? when? why? We will tell you about the most reliable assumptions and versions collected by the best scientists over several centuries and related to the history of the Egyptian pyramids.

Already in antiquity, the pyramids were considered one of the main wonders of the world! Their number was about 100 pieces, located along the banks of the Nile River. If you look at all the pyramids from above, then their location is similar to a map of the starry sky. The largest, main pyramids are in Giza. The world-famous sphinxes, as well as temples and tombs of the pharaohs, are also located here. A very important factor of the pyramids is that all their faces are clearly located along the magnetic poles of the Earth! You probably already know the name of the three main pyramids? If not, then be sure to remember - the pyramid of Cheops, Mikerin and Khafre.

The largest pyramid - Cheops was erected by Khufu, who at that time was the pharaoh. The estimated most accurate date of construction is 2590 BC. The height of the pyramid is more than 146 meters, the length of each side is more than 241 m. The edges are located on the cardinal points with amazing accuracy, the angle of inclination is 52 degrees. The pyramid of Cheops occupies an area of ​​5.4 hectares, the base is aligned with the horizon with an accuracy of 3 centimeters. The pyramid consists of more than 2,350,000 stone blocks, each of which weighs about two and a half tons! Initially, the pyramid was covered with a white sandstone cladding to give it an accurate shape and long-term preservation. Unfortunately, the lining has not survived to this day.

The entrance to the pyramid is at a height of 14 meters. Inside there are no decorations, no inscriptions and drawings. For that, there are three chambers, the lower of which is located at a depth of 30 meters relative to the ground. The room is carved into the rock, in order to get to it you need to overcome 120 meters of a narrow corridor (1.1x1.0) at an angle of 27 degrees. After that, the remaining 9 meters, the angle changes to zero relative to the horizon. The tunnel ends with a burial chamber measuring (8.0x14.0x3.0).

Now the passage to the lower tier is closed, for which you can go up the stairs, and then along the corridor of 40 meters, which leads to the queen's chamber. The room with dimensions (5.5x5.2x6.3) is located clearly in the middle, at a height of 20 meters from the ground. There are two ventilation shafts in the walls, directed exactly to the north and south, but not facing the street.

Even higher is the "Great Gallery" - a corridor more than 48 meters long, with a ceiling height of 8.4 meters and an angle of inclination of 26 degrees. The walls are lined with polished limestone slabs in eight layers. At the end of the corridor is the main room - the tomb of the pharaoh with dimensions (10.5x5.3x5.8). The chamber is lined with black Aswan granite, each block of which weighs no less than thirty tons! Moreover, all the blocks are so well polished and fitted that even the thinnest knife blade cannot pass between them. The ceiling consists of 9 monoliths, each weighing more than 400 tons. Above them are unloading chambers 17 meters high, designed to keep the pharaoh calm. A gable roof was built over them, made of huge blocks that take on the weight of more than a million tons! We also note that the pharaoh's sarcophagus is much wider than the entrance to the chamber, and most likely it was hewn right here, from a large block of granite.

There are also ventilation chambers (0.2x0.2) with the exact north-south direction, but unlike the queen's chamber, here they go outside. In 817, Caliph Mamun was able to enter the tomb of the pharaoh, but found only an empty sarcophagus there, the remains of Cheops were never found.

The finds near the pyramid are also interesting. For example, in 1953, during excavations, the oldest ship in the world was discovered - a wooden boat, about 44 meters long, built without nails from cedar. On the wooden elements of which traces of silt were found, which means that at one time the boat was used for its intended purpose. Ancient writings state that the pyramid was surrounded by a stone wall, which was 10 meters high and 3 meters wide. Nearby were located two temples - upper and lower. The upper one was to the east of the pyramid, built of Turkish limestone, it contained about 40 granite pillars. The lower temple was used for the first part of the funeral ceremony.

The essence of the whole system of buildings was most likely this - initially the remains of the pharaoh were delivered along the Nile to the lower temple, where, after the necessary preparations, they were sent to the upper temple along a long connecting corridor. In the upper temple, among the many columns, a funeral service and prayers for the repose of the pharaoh took place. After that, the body was taken to the lower chamber of the pyramid, where the pharaoh was carefully immured. On the four sides of the pyramid, immured in the rocks, there were four boats intended for traveling in the afterlife. The main pyramid was accompanied by three small satellite pyramids (base length 49 m), located in the same way as the upper temple, in the east. Moreover, each next of which (from north to south) is less than the previous one. It is believed that the companion pyramids were intended for the wives of the pharaoh.

There are other theories about the purpose of the pyramids. In those distant times, the pharaohs were ruled by a group of priests who possessed unearthly knowledge. It was a separate caste of people who called themselves the chosen ones. They knew mathematics, medicine, astronomy and other sciences very well. The level of education of the priests was many times higher than our understanding of the world. This knowledge was inaccessible to the common man. The priests themselves chose their students, dedicating and teaching them in underground rooms located under the pyramids. The teachings assumed a connection with the universe and awareness of the essence of earthly existence. After that, the student was subjected to trials in the labyrinths of the pyramids, then in a secret sanctuary, under pain of death, they achieved complete obedience and an oath of non-disclosure of secrets. The priests could predict the future, thanks to their connection with the higher powers of the universe. Let's make a reservation right away, later the chosen ones disappeared, due to the so-called disconnection.

Modern scientists have found many confirmations of this - the 33-year duration of Christ, the date of the beginning of the Second World War. Back in 1964, Charles Smith suggested that the pyramids store information for understanding the prophecies from the Bible from the beginning of time to the second coming of God.

In 1994, a discovery was made using computer simulations to explain the location of the three main pyramids, which correspond exactly to the positions of the three stars in Orion's Belt, which at the time were crossing the Giza meridian. If this assumption is correct, then the age of the pyramids can be increased to 10,400 BC! The same Sphinx is a confirmation of this theory, because its gaze is turned exactly to the point where this constellation was located.

With the help of modern equipment, hidden tunnels were discovered under the sphinx itself, which, according to the legend, should lead to a chamber containing a capsule with a message for all mankind. Indeed, the chamber was found, it contained a black granite sarcophagus, unfortunately it turned out to be empty. For that, drawings were found on the walls of the tunnel leading to the chamber, which are predictions of the future of mankind. From there, it became known that our civilization is waiting for a series of cosmic cataclysms that will nightmare "Earth" for several millennia.

Cheops pyramid. Device. Riddles. Pyramids on the map. Dimensions. A photo

During the construction of the most grandiose monument of antiquity, the pyramid of Cheops, more than one year was spent and a huge number of slaves were involved, many of whom died at the construction site. So the ancient Greeks claimed, among them Herodotus, one of the first historians who described this grandiose structure in detail.

But modern scientists do not agree with this opinion and argue: many free Egyptians wanted to work at a construction site - when agricultural work ended, it was a great opportunity to earn extra money (they provided food, clothing and housing here).

For any Egyptian, it was a duty and a matter of honor to participate in the construction of the tomb for their ruler, since each of them hoped that a piece of Pharaonic immortality would also touch him: it was believed that the Egyptian ruler had the right not only to life after death, but could also take with him their loved ones (usually they were buried in the tombs adjacent to the pyramid).

True, ordinary people were not destined to get into the afterlife - the only exception was slaves and servants, who were buried with the ruler. But everyone had the right to hope - and therefore, when the housework was over, for many years the Egyptians rushed to Cairo, to the rocky plateau.

The Pyramid of Cheops (or, as it was also called, Khufu) is located near Cairo, on the Giza plateau, on the left side of the Nile, and is the largest of the tombs located there. This tomb is the highest pyramid on our planet, it was built for more than one year, it has a non-standard layout. Quite an interesting fact is that during the autopsy, the body of the ruler was not found in it.

For many years now, it has been exciting the minds of researchers and admirers of Egyptian culture, who have been asking themselves the question: were ancient people able to build such a structure and was the pyramid the work of representatives of extraterrestrial civilizations who built it with only one clear purpose?

The fact that this stunning tomb almost immediately entered the list of the ancient seven wonders of the world does not surprise anyone: the dimensions of the Cheops pyramid are amazing, and this, despite the fact that over the past millennia it has become smaller, and scientists cannot determine the exact proportions of the Cheops pyramid in condition, since its edges and surfaces were dismantled for their needs by more than one generation of Egyptians:

• The height of the pyramid is about 138 m (it is interesting that in the year when it was built, it was eleven meters higher);
• The foundation has a square shape, the length of each side is about 230 meters;
• The area of ​​​​the foundation is about 5.4 hectares (thus, five of the largest cathedrals of our planet will fit on it);
• The length of the foundation along the perimeter is 922 m.

Pyramid building

If earlier scientists believed that the construction of the Cheops pyramid took the Egyptians about twenty years, in our time, Egyptologists, having studied the records of the priests in more detail, and taking into account the parameters of the pyramid, as well as the fact that Cheops ruled for about fifty years, refuted this fact and came to the conclusion that it was built for at least thirty, and maybe as much as forty years.

Despite the fact that the exact date of construction of this grandiose tomb is unknown, it is believed that it was built on the orders of Pharaoh Cheops, who presumably ruled from 2589 to 2566 BC. e., and his nephew and vizier Hemion was responsible for the construction work, using the latest technologies of his time, over the solution of which many learned minds have been struggling for many centuries. He approached the matter with care and meticulousness.

Preparation for construction

More than 4 thousand workers were involved in the preliminary work, which took about ten years. It was necessary to find a place for construction, the soil of which would be strong enough to support a structure of this magnitude - so the decision was made to stop at a rocky site near Cairo.

To level the site, the Egyptians built a square-shaped waterproof rampart using stones and sand. In the shaft, they cut channels that intersect at right angles, and the construction site began to resemble a large chessboard.

After that, water was launched into the trenches, with the help of which the builders determined the height of the water level and made the necessary notches on the side walls of the channels, after which the water was lowered. All the stones that were above the water level were cut down by the workers, after which the trenches were laid with stones, thus obtaining the foundation of the tomb.

Stone work

The building material for the tomb was mined in a quarry located on the other side of the Nile. To get a block of the required size, the stone was cut down from the rock and hewn to the desired size - from 0.8 to 1.5 m. Although on average one stone block weighed about 2.5 tons, the Egyptians also made heavier specimens, for example, the heaviest a block that was installed above the entrance to the "Pharaoh's Room" weighed 35 tons.

With the help of thick ropes and levers, the builders fixed the block on wooden skids and dragged it along the log deck to the Nile, loaded it onto a boat and transported it across the river. And then again they dragged along the logs to the construction site, after which the most difficult stage began: a huge block had to be pulled to the topmost platform of the tomb. How exactly they did it and what technologies were used is one of the mysteries of the Cheops pyramid.

One of the versions proposed by scientists implies the following option. Along an angled brick rise 20 m wide, a block lying on skids was pulled up with the help of ropes and levers, where it was laid in a place clearly intended for it. The higher the pyramid of Cheops became, the longer and steeper the ascent turned out to be, and the upper platform decreased - therefore it was more and more difficult and dangerous to lift the blocks.

The workers had the hardest time when it was necessary to install the “pyramidon” - the uppermost block 9 meters high (which has not survived to this day). Since it was necessary to lift a huge block almost vertically, the work turned out to be deadly, and at this stage of the work many people died. As a result, the pyramid of Cheops, after the completion of construction, had more than 200 steps leading up and looked like a huge stepped mountain.

In total, it took the ancient Egyptians at least twenty years to build the body of the pyramid. Work on the "box" was not yet completed - they still had to be laid with stones and made so that the outer parts of the blocks became more or less smooth. And at the final stage, the Egyptians completely faced the pyramid from the outside with white limestone slabs polished to a shine - and it sparkled in the sun like a huge shiny crystal.

The plates on the pyramid have not survived to this day: the inhabitants of Cairo, after the Arabs sacked their capital (1168), used them in the construction of new houses and temples (some of them can be seen on mosques today).

Drawings on the pyramid

An interesting fact: the outer side of the pyramid body is covered with curvilinear grooves of various sizes. If you look at them from a certain angle, you can see the image of a man 150 m high (perhaps a portrait of one of the ancient gods). This drawing is not alone: ​​on the northern wall of the tomb, one can also distinguish a man and a woman with their heads bowed to each other.

Scientists claim that these Egyptians caused the grooves several years before they finished building the pyramid body and installed the top stone. True, the question remains open: why did they do this, because the plates with which the pyramid was subsequently decorated hid these portraits.

What did the Great Pyramid look like from the inside?

A detailed study of the Cheops pyramid showed that, contrary to popular belief, there are practically no inscriptions or any other decorations inside the tomb, except for a small portrait in the corridor leading to the Queen's Room.

The entrance to the tomb is located on the north side at a height exceeding fifteen meters. After the burial, it was closed with a granite plug, so tourists get inside through a gap that is ten meters lower - it was cut down by the caliph of Baghdad Abdullah al-Mamun (820 AD) - the man who first entered the tomb in order to rob it. The attempt failed because, apart from a thick layer of dust, he found nothing here.

The Pyramid of Cheops is the only pyramid where there are corridors both leading down and up. The main corridor first goes down, then branches into two tunnels - one leads down to the unfinished burial chamber, the second goes up, first to the Great Gallery, from which you can get to the Queen's Room and the main tomb.

From the main entrance, through a tunnel leading down (its length is 105 meters), one can get into a burial pit located below ground level, the height of which is 14 m, the width is 8.1 m, the height is 3.5 m. Inside the room, near on the southern wall, Egyptologists discovered a well, the depth of which is about three meters (a narrow tunnel leading to a dead end stretches south from it).

Researchers believe that this room was originally intended for the Cheops crypt, but then the pharaoh changed his mind and decided to build a tomb for himself higher, so this room remained unfinished.

You can also get to the unfinished funeral room from the Great Gallery - at its very entrance begins a narrow, almost vertical shaft 60 meters high. It is interesting that in the middle of this tunnel there is a small grotto (most likely of natural origin, since it is located at the point of contact between the masonry of the pyramid and a small hump of the lime board), which could accommodate several people.

According to one hypothesis, the architects took this grotto into account when designing the pyramid and originally intended it for the evacuation of builders or priests who were finishing the ceremony of “sealing” the central passage leading to the tomb of the pharaoh.

The Pyramid of Cheops has another mysterious room with an incomprehensible purpose - the "Queen's Chamber" (like the lowest room, this room is not completed, as evidenced by the floor on which they began to lay tiles, but did not finish the work until the end).

This room can be reached by first going down the corridor 18 meters down from the main entrance, and then climbing up the long tunnel (40 m). This room is the smallest of all, located in the very center of the pyramid, has an almost square shape (5.73 x 5.23 m, height - 6.22 m), and a niche is built into one of its walls.

Despite the fact that the second burial pit is called the "queen's room", the name is erroneous, since the wives of Egyptian rulers were always buried in separate small pyramids (there are three such tombs near the tomb of the pharaoh).

Previously, it was not easy to get into the "Queen's Chamber", because at the very beginning of the corridor that led to the Great Gallery, three granite blocks were installed, disguised with limestone - therefore, it was previously believed that this room did not exist. Al-Mamunu guessed about its presence and, being unable to remove the blocks, he hollowed out a passage in softer limestone (this move is still being exploited).

At what stage of construction the plugs were installed is not exactly known, and therefore there are several hypotheses. According to one of them, they were mounted even before the funeral, during construction work. Another claims that they did not exist at this place before, and they appeared here after the earthquake, rolling down from the Great Gallery, where they were installed after the funeral of the ruler.

Another secret of the Cheops pyramid is that exactly where the plugs are located, there are not two, as in other pyramids, but three tunnels - the third one is a vertical hole (although no one knows where it leads, since granite blocks with no one has moved yet).

You can get to the tomb of the pharaoh through the Grand Gallery, which is almost 50 meters long. It is a continuation of the corridor going up from the main entrance. Its height is 8.5 meters, while the walls at the top narrow slightly. In front of the tomb of the Egyptian ruler there is an "antechamber" - the so-called Prechamber.

From the Ancillary Chamber, a manhole leads to the "Pharaoh's Chamber", built from monolithic polished granite blocks, in which there is an empty sarcophagus made from a red piece of Aswan granite. (an interesting fact: scientists have not yet found any traces and evidence that there was a burial here).

Apparently, the sarcophagus was brought here even before the start of construction, since its dimensions did not allow it to be placed here after the completion of construction work. The tomb is 10.5 m long, 5.4 m wide and 5.8 m high.

The biggest mystery of the Cheops pyramid (as well as its feature) are its shafts 20 cm wide, which scientists called ventilation ducts. They start inside the two upper rooms, first going horizontally and then sloping outward.

While these channels in the pharaoh's room are through, in the "Queen's Chambers" they begin only at a distance of 13 cm from the wall and do not reach the surface at the same distance (at the same time, they are closed at the top with stones with copper handles, the so-called "Ganterbrink doors") .

Despite the fact that some researchers suggest that these were ventilation ducts (for example, they were designed to prevent workers from suffocating during work due to lack of oxygen), most Egyptologists still tend to think that these narrow channels had religious significance and were able to prove that they were built, given the location of astronomical bodies. The presence of channels may well be associated with the belief of the Egyptians about the gods and the souls of the dead who live in the starry sky.

At the foot of the Great Pyramid there are several underground structures - in one of them, archaeologists (1954) found the oldest ship on our planet: a wooden boat made of cedar disassembled into 1224 parts, the total length of which in the assembled state was 43.6 meters (apparently , it was on it that the pharaoh was supposed to go to the Kingdom of the Dead).

Is this tomb Cheops

In the past few years, Egyptologists have increasingly questioned the fact that this pyramid was actually intended for Cheops. This is evidenced by the fact that there are absolutely no decorations in the burial chamber.

The pharaoh's mummy was not found in the tomb, and the builders did not complete the sarcophagus itself, in which it was supposed to be,: it was hewn rather roughly, and the lid was completely missing. These interesting facts enable fans of the theories of the alien origin of this grandiose structure to claim that representatives of extraterrestrial civilizations built the pyramid, using technologies unknown to science and with an incomprehensible purpose for us.