Great Pyramids & Sphinx Back to Egypt Page
Each of the three biggest pyramids have over 2 million blocks weighing 2 tons each -- the lengths of each side only varies less than 2 inches all the way around !!
The second tallest pyramid still has it's limestone cap -- all the pyramids once had smooth sides with limestone coating, but the limestone was removed by later Kings to build their temples.
We're about a half mile away taking these pictures so you can see the grand scale of the pyramids.
The city of Giza encroaches on the Giza plateau in the background.
The tombs of all the pyramid workers are in the foreground.
You can't climb the 3 big ones, but when the tourist police aren't around, you can scale a little ways up without getting caught :-)
This is the smallest of the 3 - a later King who didn't like the King who built the small one tried to destroy it.
He spent 8 months trying to dismantle it and this vertical scar is all they could get done in 8 months !
The building in the foreground is the "Solar Boat" Museum where they excavated a full size ancient boat
It's a funerary boat that the Ancient Egyptians believe would carry the Kings body through the afterlife
We went inside the pyramid of Khufru -- tiny little tunnel (Brady could almost stand up in it), no ventilation, so hard to breathe, but worth it.
The burial chamber inside the middle of Khufru's pyramid ...
Ibn Tulun Muslim Mosque (oldest mosque in Cairo)
Brady putting on his shoe covers so we could enter the Mosque -- the Ibn Tulun Mosque is the oldest mosque in Cairo and is still open as a Tourist mosque.
As a non-muslim, you cannot enter active Muslim mosques, so they keep the Ibn Tulun open for tourist viewing.
The kids up in the prayer platform of the Mosque.
The "Citadel" walled city up on the hill -- taken from the Minaret of the Ibn Tulun Mosque.
Egyptian Museum in Cairo -- no pictures allowed but fantastic Ancient Egyptian treasures displayed.
My camera accidentally went off and took this picture of the main gallery on the first floor when the guards weren't looking -- oops ....
Step Pyramids at Saqqara (Pharoaic burial place for Memphis, the 2nd capital of Upper Egypt)
The step pyramids are the earliest in Ancient Egypt -- the earliest tombs were called mastabas, with a low, flat roof --
The Step Pyramid of Djoser (above), architected by Imhotep was the first attempt to stack 6 mastabas on top of one another.
This area called Saqqara is a burial area covering over 4 square miles -- over 80% of it has yet to be discovered under the sand.
One of the ongoing Egyptian Tomb Excavations at Saqqara.
The "bent pyramid" in the distance -- it became unstable so had to be shrunk as it went up -- also the Red Pyramid at Dashur in the background.
Local Traffic and Scenes around Cairo
Stayed at the Hilton World Trade Center in Central Cairo along the Nile River -- view from the balcony.
Local traffic in suburban Cairo -- hauling Cattle in the back of a pickup truck & Camel wandering through traffic .....
Strolling along the Promenade along the Nile River in Downtown Cairo ...
Egyptian Teenage Party Boat -- playing some loud music for the kids to jam to along the river cruise ....
Cairo Tower along the Nile.
Egyptian Women in the traditional headdress "hegab" .
All the Arab women were carrying their babes on their shoulders like this -- little suckers apparently learn to hold on very young :-)
Strolling through the oldest Bazaar in Cairo -- Khan al Khalili
Muslim men taking one of their frequent breaks to pray facing Mecca 5 times a day.
They're not kidding around with their warnings on the cigarrette packs :-)
