The most ancient Egyptian civilization attracted the attention of researchers for many years, causing numerous disputes. Preserving many unsolved secrets, the culture presents many surprises.
The unique pyramids, built in the III millennium BC, amaze even modern professionals with unsurpassed craftsmanship and amazing processing of solid stone. No less a mystery are Egyptian sculptures carved from durable materials that have survived to this day.
The statue of the pharaoh Chephren from the memorial temple in Giza, made of diorite, has always interested scientists. Her mystery is that the local craftsmen did not have any tools that would allow them to process the strongest rock. According to archaeologists, the stunning historical monuments of ancient Egypt are made using technologies that are several times superior to modern ones.
Burial complex
Tourists from all over the world come to the Giza plateau, which is a huge city that stores the funerary structures of Egyptian pharaohs and queens. This complex is quite interesting for all travelers, allowing you to get closer to the secrets of the pyramids and touch a bygone civilization. Researchers working on its territory explain that the Giza plateau is not only an archaeological site, but also a religious one.
In addition to the well-known pyramid of Cheops, here is the tomb of the pharaoh Chephren, or Hafra, slightly inferior in size to the most famous building. This is a whole ritual complex, built by order of the ruler of Egypt, and many tourists consider it one of the most beautiful.
Some historical facts about the afterlife
In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh was incredibly revered by comparing him to God. Shrouded in great power, the rulers were educated people who participated in all the most important affairs of the country. The ideas of local residents about the afterlife had a great influence on the development and construction of the pyramids, which are actually tombs.
Attaching great importance to the cult of death, the pharaohs erected their tombs in advance. The Egyptians believed that the afterlife was a continuation of existence on earth, and the main condition for the transition to the other world was the mandatory preservation of the human body.
The right to immortality
It is no accident that the Egyptians embalmed the bodies of the dead so thoroughly and supplied the deceased with everything necessary, filling the tomb with various items that might be needed. According to the initial beliefs, only the pharaohs led the afterlife, but subsequently the Egyptian rulers were given the opportunity to bestow immortality on their loved ones and to know.
The end of the Ancient Kingdom was marked by the recognition of the right of every person to the afterlife.
Ruler of Egypt Chefren
Pharaoh Hafra, whose statue is of incredible interest, was the ruler of the IV dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Too few monuments of that time have come down to us, so many facts of his biography are not reliable, and even years of life cause discrepancies. Egyptologists believe that Hafra ruled the state for about 25 years.
Today Chefren is best known for erecting the second largest pyramid on the Giza plateau. The appearance of the pharaoh, who is the son of the famous Cheops (Khufu) and who took power after his father and brother Gedefr, was restored from the well-preserved statues of the tomb.
Sacred plateau
The plateau was originally considered sacred, and therefore funerary complexes were built on it. Pharaoh Hafra, thinking in advance about the transition to the underworld, ordered to erect a pyramid next to the tomb of Cheops.
Initially, the height of the pyramid was 144 meters, but over time it decreased slightly, which did not affect its good condition. Limestone became the main building material for her, and the base is lined with pink granite.
The canonical pyramid
Pharaoh Hafra wished that his tomb would exceed the size of his father’s pyramid, but during the construction it became clear that the construction of a huge complex is impossible for various reasons.
It is believed that the design of the pyramid and its layout with a courtyard, gallery and a special niche for ritual vessels in the tomb became canonical. According to a peculiar standard, all other funeral complexes began to be erected.
What did the memorial complex include?
Initially, a smaller burial structure was located next to the Chefren pyramid, from which nothing remains today. Most likely, the wife of the pharaoh was buried there.
The memorial temple, erected from huge granite boulders, was surprising in its power: the length of the blocks was 5 meters, and the weight of each of them reached forty tons. Until the XVIII century, it was in satisfactory condition, while the locals did not destroy the walls of the building. Inside it were numerous sculptures of the pharaoh.
The complex included a wall between structures, a road and a lower temple, in which a diorite statue of the pharaoh was discovered. Hafra, who dreamed of a magnificent design, thought about the compactness of the religious structure. Archaeologists working in the burial complex found that with its enormous area of free space there are not so many - less than 0.01 percent.
What is inside the pyramid?
The internal structure of the pyramid consisted of two chambers and entrances. There is a small tap into the room, which remained incomplete, and its purpose is unknown. An empty granite sarcophagus with a broken lid rests in a burial chamber carved inside a rock.
Through the dug tunnel, the robbers made their way inside, and all that was left to the archaeologists was a few dropped pearls and a cork of a ritual vessel on which the name of the governor of God was carved. There are no more rooms inside the pyramid.
Gradually, a real necropolis grew around her, in which the bodies of all members of the Chefren family rested.
Tomb of the priest and his relatives
Six years ago, archaeologists discovered, not far from all burials, the tomb of the priest of the pharaoh, who during his reign was led by a funeral cult. He was able to give immortality to all his relatives, and this building became evidence that ordinary Egyptians received the right to lead the afterlife.
Numerous statues of the pharaoh
Many rulers of Egypt and their relatives were buried on the sacred plateau, but some left no artifacts. But on the numerous statues found by archaeologists, the governor of God Hafr presented. The pharaoh of Ancient Egypt was depicted with a false beard and a scarf on his head, and not one of his statues looked like another. Researchers believe that in those days it was forbidden to make identical figures.
The sculptures, which originally rested in pits in one of the halls of the pyramid, were later thrown out of them, and their debris was found by a research group in 1860. Unfortunately, some sculptures lost their heads and torsos.
The well-preserved alabaster statue of Pharaoh Chefren, stored in the Cairo Museum, is known. Among the exhibits of a private collector is the head of the pharaoh with a white crown on. The University of Leipzig is proud of the images of a ruler in festive robes whose eyelids are decorated with copper plates.
The most famous sculpture of diorite
But the world-famous became a full-length dark, with light veins, diorite statue of the pharaoh. Hafra, who ruled Ancient Egypt, proudly sits on his throne, below which you can see the emblems of the lotus flower and papyrus. The king’s face is serene and does not express any anxiety.
A physically developed viceroy of God on Earth, dressed in a short loincloth, embodies perfect peace, and his gaze seems to be fixed on eternity.
Statue of Pharaoh Chephren from the temple in Giza
Behind the head covered with a ritual scarf is a falcon embracing and protecting the great pharaoh with outstretched wings. So depicted the symbol of the god Horus - the main celestial power that kept all the kings of Egypt and their land. One of Khafra’s hands lies relaxed on his knee, and the other is firmly clenched. At the bottom of the throne, next to the ruler’s bare feet, his names are embossed.
The polished statue of the pharaoh Chefren, the description of which causes numerous disputes among scientists, keeps unsolved secrets to this day. It is believed that such a realistic image is subject to the traditions of the ancient canons: in order for the soul of the deceased to enter the statue, it was necessary to recognize the statue. And only then did the spirit of the ruler fulfill requests and accept all sacrifices.
World masterpiece
We can say that it has become a real world masterpiece and an outstanding historical monument diorite statue of the pharaoh. Khafra (photo of the statue is presented in the article) is depicted as an indifferent ruler who is beyond human passions. It seems that the soul of the arbiter of fate soars somewhere high, not paying attention to the sea of life.
Who is that unknown sculptor who masterfully crafted the toughest rock and perfectly reproduced the smallest facial features, is still unknown. And was it a man?
The statue of Pharaoh Chefren, found in Giza in 1860, is one of the most valuable exhibits in the Cairo Museum. This is a vivid example of the highest level of development of ancient Egyptian culture and art.
Secrets of Chephren and Sphinx sculpture
The great interest not only ordinary lovers of ancient history, but also researchers around the world is a statue of the pharaoh. Khafra, considered among the Egyptians a revered deity, ordered his face to be carved on another grandiose statue, finally excavated under a millennial layer of sand in the 20th century.
We are talking about the most mysterious and monumental sculpture, exciting the minds of scientists, creative people and all travelers. An outstanding statue carved from limestone rock causes a lot of controversy. The greatest miracle of Egypt is considered as a single composition with the burial complex of Chefren, and the face of the Sphinx resembles the appearance of the pharaoh
Pyramid Guard
The guard of the pyramid carved from the rock, located at its foot, according to scientists, was built during the reign of Hafra. The Egyptians depicted him in the form of a lion looking to the East, and with his third eye he watched the sunrise and sunset shine.
The tsarist symbol, according to legend, is always awake so that the established course of the Sun is not violated. The ancient Egyptians believed that the depicted wild cats are perfectly visible at night, not closing their eyes for a second. The Sphinxes were erected in front of the pyramids, trying to protect the remains of their divine ruler from the attacks of robbers.
The statue, duplicating the face of the pharaoh, does not have a nose, which caused many theories about how this could happen. Some scholars are inclined to believe that the cannonball repulsed him during the war of Napoleon with the Turks, but many are sure that this part of the face was no longer several centuries before the event.
Riddles exciting scientists
There is not a single surviving ancient document of those times that mentions a huge statue twenty meters high and more than fifty-five long. Some researchers are sure that the Sphinx with the face of a lion was built by a certain civilization long before the ancient Egyptians, and the reigning Hafra wished to leave a memory about himself and ordered to redo the image, cutting down his image in it.
Many researchers are inclined to believe that the construction of the pyramid is closely connected with alien intervention, considering the twenty years of the construction of the unique monument to be too short for the erection of such a monumental building.
And the scientist R. Hogland, for a long time studying the images of the surface of Mars, discovered pyramids and statues with symmetrical human faces resembling Egyptian ones.
The energy emanating from the statue
The stone statue of the pharaoh Chephren with the falcon Horus amazes contemporaries with the special grandeur and jewelry accuracy of transmitting the expression on the face of the powerful king. The "living" energy emanating from the diorite sculpture is noted.
Each person is deeply impressed by the carved statue of the pharaoh. Hafra, depicted as realistically as possible, does not pay any attention to the earthly world, directing his proud gaze into the future.
Ancient Egyptian civilization is in no hurry to reveal all its secrets. Scientists involved in the study of the pyramids warn that new discoveries are sure to be a real shock to humanity. And we can only wait ...