Egypt

Where are the pyramids in Egypt?

The location of the pyramids in Egypt

Most of the Egyptian pyramids are located near Cairo, and most of them are concentrated in the south of Cairo, 60 km from the city, where the pyramids are distributed within a group of large tombs or funerary cities as they are called, which are spread throughout the various areas of Cairo, including; Abu Rawash, Giza, Zawiya Al-Arian, Abu Sir, Saqqara, Al-Leach, and Dahshur. It is noteworthy that the number of the royal pyramids reaches 54.

All the pyramids are located to the west, and the ancient Egyptians chose the western bank of the Nile as a site for building the pyramids to their spiritual belief that the western side represents the world of the dead because the sun sets there, so they built their tombs to the west, while the eastern side, where the sun rises, represents the world of the living, so they established their cities there.

The west side was not the only criterion for determining the location, but the height of the land was a prerequisite; This is to avoid exposure to water due to the flooding of the Nile River.

The proximity of the site to the Nile River is also taken into consideration. In order to facilitate the transportation of high-quality limestone, which was used in the construction of the pyramid on the other side of the river, the site was also chosen on a strong rocky patch of the desert plateau, in order to support the weight of the pyramids without the risk of collapse or cracking, as well as taking into account its proximity to the capital, in order to facilitate The King should visit it and monitor the progress of the work on an ongoing basis.

The site of the pyramids of Giza

The most famous of all the pyramids is located in the city of Giza, south of Cairo, one of the suburbs of the Egyptian capital, 25 km from the city of Cairo, and 8 km from the Nile River. It is named after the Giza plateau located on the western bank of the Nile, where the plateau dominates Giza is on the Nile Valley, which is some tens of meters from its summit.

The site of the pyramids of Dahshur

The village of Dahshur is located 40 km southwest of Cairo, and is famous for its amazing ancient buildings. For the queens and nobles of the ruling dynasty from the city of Memphis until the thirteenth dynasty.

The main pyramids in Egypt

Step Pyramid of King Djoser

The pyramid of Djoser is the oldest pyramid in ancient Egypt. It was built to bury the pharaoh Djoser in the 27th century BC. It is located northwest of the ancient city of Memphis. The height of the pyramid is approximately 613 meters, and it was built like other pyramids of limestone.

Khufu pyramid

Known as the Great Pyramid of Giza; It is the largest among the major pyramids three in Giza, the only pyramid which ranked as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and represents the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu, and historians remind us that the construction of the pyramid needed to 100,000 men, to work over 3 months of each year, built and took Between 10 and 20 years old, the pyramid is surrounded by many main edifices, including 3 pyramids belonging to the wives of King Khufu, two temples, in addition to a small pyramid belonging to the Great Pyramid, and small terrace tombs.

The pyramid of Khufu is one of the most monuments known around the world, and is this huge structure ‘s Dead Sea interior dimensions build stunning, with an pyramid area with the exception of the interior rooms and the base rock 2.3 million m 3 , the length of its base 227.5 meters and reaches a height to 137.2 meters.

Khafre’s pyramid

The pyramid of Khafre is the second largest of the three pyramids of Giza after the pyramid of Khufu, where the pharaoh Khafre, son of King Khufu was buried. The pyramid of Khafre is famous for the presence of the Sphinx as an external part of it, and the pyramid is located 160 meters southwest of the Great Pyramid, with a base area of ​​210.5 meters, With a height of 135.5 meters, it is noteworthy that the pyramid appears at first sight larger than the pyramid of King Khufu due to the height of the land on which it was built, and the top of the pyramid still retains its external structure of limestone, and the distinctive design of the funerary temple can be distinguished from the eastern side of the pyramid.

Menkaure pyramid

It is the third main pyramid of the pyramids of Giza, and was built to be a tomb for Pharaoh Menkaure, and is the smallest of the three pyramids of Giza in terms of size, however, it is considered a huge structure with a height of up to 62 meters, and a base length of up to 108 meters, as it was built of large limestone It is reported that, on the southern side of the pyramid, there are 3 smaller, incompletely built pyramids that constitute tombs of Pharaoh Menkaure’s relatives.

Pyramid of Djedaf Ra

The pyramid of Jaddef Ra is located in the Abu Rawash area, which makes it the closest pyramid to the north of Egypt. It was built by King Jaddef Ra, son and successor of King Khufu. The pyramid of Jaddef Ra was considered one of the largest pyramids in ancient Egypt, and only ruins remain.

From the belief of archaeologists in the past that the pyramid was not completed, the current archaeologists confirm that it was complete and equal in size to the pyramid of Menkaure, the third largest of the pyramids of Giza.

It is also believed that the pyramid of Jaddef Ra was considered the most beautiful of the Egyptian pyramids, due to its external facade built of polished and imported granite, and limestone. It is worth noting that the ancient name of the pyramid was the star-studded sky of Jaddef-Ra.

Other amazing pyramids in Egypt

Egypt has many amazing pyramids scattered south of Cairo, including the following:

Lahon pyramid. Userkaf’s pyramid. Hawara section pyramid. Tate pyramid. Unas’ pyramid. Meidum pyramid. The leaning pyramid of Sneferu. The Red Pyramid of King Sneferu.