Pyramids Chefrena
Pyramids Chefrena – Situated a bit higher, than the previous one, Pyramids Chefrena (Chafre) gives the impression of being taller. Its undamaged top with limestone cladding makes an amazing impression. The building was erected by one of Khufu's many sons, approx. 2550 r. p.n.e. Out of the entire group of pyramids, this one is the most fully preserved tomb complex. Originally she had 143,5 m in height, the length of the side of the base was 215,5 m, and the angle of inclination of the walls 53 ° 10 '. It was one of the last to lose its face.
It has two entrances on the north side. One of the entrances is located at a height 11 m, the second at ground level a few meters from the pyramid. Long in modest interior, narrow corridors lead to a horizontal passage, ending with a burial chamber. Its lower part is carved in primeval rock, the top and the tent soffit are inside the core. Finally, a sarcophagus made of beautifully polished granite was embedded in the floor of the room. There were probably canopic urns in the niche at the south wall. Giovanni Belzoni, the discoverer of the entrance to the pyramid and its first European explorer wrote his name and date there 1818 r.
The Chafre funerary complex is the best preserved example of this type of building from the Old Kingdom.
After the death of Pharaoh, the ruler's body was transported by barge to the west bank of the Nile, where they were embalmed in the lower mortuary temple, a po 70 days there was a ritual of cleansing and opening the mouth. The royal mummy then made its way up the ramp to the upper mortuary temple, where the next ceremonies took place.
Temple, to which the ramp led, it consisted of a pillared hall, courtyard, sanctuary and warehouses. Behind the vestibule, the road led to the courtyard, and then to sanctuaries with statues of the ruler in niches and on to the inner sanctuary. The upper mortuary temple was already destroyed in antiquity. On the sides are five boat compartments carved into the rock.
Lower Mortuary Temple
it is located on the edge of a sandy plain on the eastern side of the pyramid. Formerly it was called the temple of the Sphinx (from the statue standing next to it). W 1853 r. object unearthed by Mariette, who discovered the diorite statue of Khafre (at the Cairo Museum). The interior of the temple is made of local limestone and monolithic red granite blocks (from Aswan) it has been preserved in an almost perfect condition. They make an amazing impression when they are massive, stone, square pillars supporting even larger architraves. They used to stand here 23 statues of the king. From the northwest corner of the room, a corridor with an alabaster floor leads up the hill to the exit, where begins the rock-cut ramp leading to the upper temple at the eastern facade of the pyramid.