Egypt: Pyramids et al 2023

Prior to visiting the great pyramids in Giza we visited the 3rd and 4th dynasty prototypes that went into their construction: the Djoser step, Bent and Red pyramids.

The Djoser pyramid was the first pyramid departing from mudbrick tombs and using stacking to end up with a six-step pyramid.

The Bent pyramid was an attempt at a smooth-sided pyramid, but they were too ambitious with the angle of inclination and noticed halfway through that the structure was unstable, so they backed off from the initial 54 degree angle to 43. Hence the bent appearance. The Bent pyramid still has much of the smooth outer layer, which they somehow laid on top of rectangular blocks and fit together with remarkably small gaps.

The Red Pyramid stuck to 43 degrees and demonstrated a large smooth-sided pyramid. They were good to go with the great pyramids.

One can enter the Red Pyramid and descend a small passageway deep into the interior. I imagine there weren't wooden steps and handrails back in the day. And of course there were people at the entrance willing to take your photo on exit - for a fee. It wasn't really optional.

Near Djoser, we also popped over to the Tomb of Mehu also in Saqqara. He was a Vizier, so the highest ranking non-royal of the day. It was discovered in 1940, but not opened to the public until 2018. It has vivid wall art showing a lot of contemporary life scenes.

We also visited the ruins of Memphis, a longtime ancient capital of Egypt. Notable in the Mit-Rahineh museum is an enormous limestone statue of Ramses II (aka Ramses the Great, who littered Egypt with statues of himself, notably in Luxor and Abu Simbel).

The highlight (and buildup) of course was the Great Pyramids, also from the 4th dynasty (~2550 BCE). The three pyramids were built for three pharaohs in succession - Khufu (aka Cheops), Great Pyramid; and then for Khafre and Menkaure. There were also a few much smaller Queens’ pyramids around the great pyramids.

There are a lot of superlatives that go with these pyramids, including something like 2.5 million blocks in the Great Pyramid, many in the 2-3 ton range and up to 80 tons. The original surfaces were smooth white limestone capped with gold. Almost all of that is gone now; the great pyramid still has a bit of the white limestone at the top (probably harder to steal). I still find it hard to imagine how they engineered layering those smooth faced stones on top of rectangular ones while maintaining very tight tolerances.

We don't turn down the chance to ride camels, and next to the pyramids was not to be missed. It was only a 15' ride, but still fun and a reminder that riding camels requires accommodating to their gait. Once you stop fighting them, it's great fun.