According to toppharmacyschools.org, Giza (al-Giza) is an area on the western outskirts of the capital of Egypt, known for the largest concentration of tourists per square meter. Giza is located on the plateau of the same name, strictly in the west of Cairo along the Pyramids Road, which connects a large metropolis with dusty wonders of the world – the ancient pyramids. It is here that one of the main attractions of Egypt, if not the whole world, is located.
Today, almost every schoolchild knows the concept of the “Pyramid of Giza”, and a little over a century ago, the Pyramids Road was a backwater road that ran along irrigation fields to a tiny village. From the 20th century, Giza began to grow rapidly, and the number of tourists also increased. The fields were built up with cafes and restaurants, shops and nightclubs. It cannot be said that the authorities were very opposed to this, after all, tourism brings considerable income to the country’s budget.
How to get to Giza
Metro line No. 2 connects Cairo with Giza, but, for obvious reasons, does not reach the pyramids themselves. You need to get off at the Giza station, from there to the monastery of archaeologists a couple of km, 15-20 minutes by minibus or buses No. 900 and 997 along Al-Haram avenue (passage 4 EGP). You can, of course, get there by taxi: the pyramids are not so far from the center of the capital.
In addition, large white air-conditioned buses number 355 and 357 run from the center of Cairo to Giza. Departure every 20 minutes from the airport and Heliopolis, they also stop on demand at the Abdel Menem Riyad station, near the Egyptian Museum.
Attractions and attractions in Giza
The “visiting card” of Egypt is the local pyramids of Cheops, Khafre and Mykerin. Today, these names do not surprise anyone, but even in ancient times they were considered one of the seven wonders of the world. The largest is the pyramid of Cheops, the second pharaoh of the IV dynasty. Its base is a square with a side of 227.5 meters, height – 146.6 meters (now 9 meters lower, since the upper stones fell during earthquakes). Date of construction: around 2590 BC. e.
Impressed by the banal facts, let’s “run” through the interior, which in fact is not much of what it is: inside the Cheops pyramid there are no inscriptions or bas-relief. There are only three burial chambers, finished with granite slabs with a sarcophagus. Here at one time they did not find either a mummy or funeral utensils, apparently, everything was stolen before the arrival of tourists. On the south side of the pyramid is the Solar Boat, about 44 meters long – one of the five on which Cheops was supposed to go to the other world.
The boat was built of cedar without a single nail and at one time even managed to swim on the Nile, as evidenced by the ancient remains of silt on its stern.
The second largest pyramid is the pyramid of Pharaoh Khafre, built 40 years later than Cheops. It is not much smaller: the side of the square base is only 215 meters, the height is 136 meters. And finally, the third is the pyramid of Menkaure, the construction of which was completed in 2505 BC. e.
In addition, the Giza complex includes valley temples, roads, a temple of the dead, and small pyramids. The lower temple is known as the site of the mummification of Khafre, where 25 statues of pharaohs once stood. Small pyramids served as tombs for the wives of pharaohs, priests and high officials. At the very foot of the Giza plateau is located the Great Sphinx – a lion with a human head (Mamluk soldiers shot off his nose) 73 meters long, 20 meters high.
Light and Music Show
Every evening, a light and music show takes place near the pyramids, during which a bright spotlight alternately illuminates one or another Giza landmark, during which there is a fascinating story about Ancient Egypt and the history of the construction of the pyramids (including in Russian).
