Giza – Cairo
Currently one of the districts of Cairo, Giza, it extends on the west bank of the Nile. In the times of the Old Kingdom, it was a necropolis of the nearby capital, Memphis. The pyramids dominate the residential buildings, some houses were built almost right next to the monuments.
When Napoleon sees! the pyramids said: "From the top of these buildings forty centuries look at you". This miracle of the ancient and modern world dates back to the reign of Khufu, called from the Greek Cheops (ok. 2620—2580 p.n.e.), Chafre, called Chefren (ok. 2570-2530 p.n.e.), and Menkaure, called Mykerinos (ok. 2539-2511 p.n.e.). The most important buildings covering an area of approx. 2 thousand. m2 of necropolises belong:
Cheops pyramid with three satellite pyramids for the royal family. Pyramids Chefrena, lower temple of Khafre and the Sphinx, The Mykerinos pyramid and the three satellite pyramids. You can see mastabas of members of the royal family around, and also dignitaries (Khufu's mother's tomb – Queen Hetepheres, mastaba dostojnika Szeszemnefera i inne).
You pay approx. 20 EGP, although some drivers demand a lot more. City buses from Midan Ramsis and Midan Tahrir also go to the monuments. It's best to go here early in the morning. The famous Mena House stands right at the entrance to the pyramids, hotel, where famous travelers lived, rich people, and even some archaeologists. Be very careful with scam guides, as well as hustlers. Sometimes you have to pay dearly for photographing the camel itself in front of the pyramid.
You should allocate approx. half a day (when you plan to go inside and want to see everything carefully and without rush). At high noon, some tourists disappear, However, there are Polish trips, which come here despite the scorching heat, to po 1,5 hours to shelter from the heat in a nearby perfume or papyrus store. So let's remember, that due to the heat, sightseeing at this time does not make much sense. You can also risk watching in the early afternoon, but then it is hot on the plateau and for sure there are no more tickets to the inside of the pyramids. In the evening there is a light and sound show on the plateau.
Hiring a horse or camel at the pyramids is an extremely expensive pleasure. However, it is best to move around the area on foot - the hike is not too exhausting. Many tourist offices take visitors to the viewpoint above the pyramids and to the parking lot at the Sphinx. However, it is impossible to get close to the Pyramid of Mykerinos from there, or quietly walk around the Pyramids of Khafre.
People suffering from claustrophobia, should think about it, whether to enter the pyramids. Three of them stand on a plateau, none of which casts a shadow on the neighboring plateau. The entrances to them form a line that corresponds to the apparent movement of the Polaris in the sky 4,5 thousand. years ago. The inner chambers face the Land of the Dead, that is, the West. The so-called vents in the Great Pyramid, that is, the holes for the pharaoh point toward the stars of Orion's Belt and Sirius, occupying an important place in beliefs about the afterlife. W 1993 r. German researchers using an automatic probe have discovered, that the ventilation ducts in some place partition the door with copper handles. During subsequent research (w 2002 r.) the probe drilled a hole in the stone door for a camera. Turned out, that a bit further there is another door. To reach them, you would have to destroy the stone wall with handles. The head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities did not agree to this, dr Zahi Hawass, who claims, that the search for a secret chamber in the pyramid, to mrzonka. Some researchers hold it against him and believe it, that it is blocking independent research. It is impossible to completely understand all the puzzles and secrets. Even modern scientists feel in the dark in a maze of unproven hypotheses and assumptions.