Pyramids*NEW

The Great Pyramids of Giza, right next to Cairo, were tombs for the Pharaohs at that time.

We were able to go inside the second largest pyramid the Great Pyramid of Khafre (the one on the back of the dollar bill) but were not allowed take any pictures or video inside! The tunnel within the pyramid is 3 feet by 3 feet and people will be going up and down the tunnel at the same time! I guess OSHA wasn't around at that time! Needless to say, if you have the slightest hint of claustrophobia, this is something that I would advise against. I didn't think I had claustrophobia until I got about 30 feet inside when I was rubbing shoulders with people coming the other direction, plus people behind me and in front of me! I continued on since this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, though I felt very uncomfortable! The tunnel starts down at about a 45 degree angle for about 75 feet. Then it opens up to 6 feet tall where the floor is now level (woo-hoo!). You'll walk straight about another 30 feet when you'll find another 45 degree, 3 feet by 3 feet tunnel which is only about 30 feet long. At the end of this tunnel is the actual burial chamber. The chamber is roughly 15 feet wide, 15 feet tall and 20 feet long. and contains the sarcophagus.

Below is a good web-site about the Pyramids (and Egypt). There is a "click-able" map on this particular page where you can find more information about all of the monuments at Giza.

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/giza.htm

The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops)

You can walk up to certain parts of it.

Or sit on it!

This section of the pyramid that's exposed represents the height at which the pyramid was originally supposed to be.

The king had other plans!

Nearby ruins

The Great Pyramid of Khafre

The Great Pyramid of Khafre, is on the back of the dollar bill. It sits adjacent to the "big" pyramid, though it's actually "taller" since it was built on slightly higher ground. The smoother section at the top is limestone. Like the Romans did to the Coliseum in Rome, they Egyptians removed materials from the bottom of this pyramid to use on some other project, they just didn't get to the top of it!