The main attraction of Egypt are, of course, the pyramids. Millions of tourists come to this country all year round to see these magnificent structures with their own eyes. The largest pyramid of Giza is the pyramid of the pharaoh Cheops. At 160 meters from it is a similar structure, occupying the second place in its dimensions - the Chefren pyramid.
Presumably, the tomb for the son of Cheops - Chefren, was built in 2600 - 2450 BC. The construction was called Urt-Khafra, which means "Revered Khafra." Despite the fact that the Chefren’s pyramid is 8 meters smaller than the father’s one, visually it seems larger, because located on a high hill. In addition, she least affected by the destruction, compared with other pyramids.
During the reign of the pharaohs, Khefren's pyramid was only an element of a huge burial complex. This complex included a small companion pyramid, built for the wife of Hafra, a memorial temple, a fence wall, a temple in the valley, a road and a port. The Khafra temple structures, built of multi-ton limestone and granite blocks, became a kind of standard, according to which other pharaohs of the Old Kingdom built their pyramids.
The famous great Sphinx is another unique attraction that Egypt is famous for. The Hafra Pyramid and the statue of a lying lion with a human head are classic symbols of this country. The Great Sphinx is built next to the pyramid. This majestic monument is carved from limestone rock. Unfortunately, time did not spare him - the front part of the sculpture was streaked with cracks, and on the bow and chin there are significant spalls. But with their mutilations, the statue “owes” not only to the destructive power of time, but also to Muslim Arabs, who considered the Sphinx to be the personification of an evil spirit, so they tried to destroy it.
Ancient Egyptian chronicles say that not every mortal could come close to the place where the pharaoh was resting, because the pyramid of Chefren was the personification of the "eternal horizon", which the pharaoh left. Everyone could venerate the memory of “going beyond the horizon” in the memorial temple located not far from the pyramid - thus, mere mortals could not offend the greatness of the pharaoh.
Much attention was paid to the preservation of the myriad riches that filled the pantry tombs, because they were a serious temptation for many. The builders of the pyramid prepared in advance near the entrance a heavy castle stone that closes from the inside. After the funeral ceremony, the supports supporting this stone were knocked out from under it, and the entrance was thus blocked forever. The builders lowered the same stone into the crypt - this huge castle blocked the entrance to the corridor. Neither people nor demons could penetrate into such a tomb, therefore, the pharaoh could rest peacefully in his last refuge.
Alas, all these measures were in vain - the funeral shrines of the Egyptian rulers were sacked in ancient times. But our contemporaries, traveling to Egypt, can only contemplate the desert halls and wander through the complex interweaving of transitions located inside the pyramids.