Pyramids of Giza

Pyramids of Giza

As you step out of Time Machine 7, you are hit by a wave of heat. You and Ms. Bamboo are draped in white to reflect the sun’s heat so both of you can stay cool. In the distance you can see a giant pyramid with two smaller pyramids. An Egyptian brings a camel to you and you get on, thus beginning your journey to the Pyramids of Giza. Meanwhile, Ms. Bamboo stays behind to sunbathe.

After traveling for three hours, you have finally arrived at the site of the pyramids. The largest pyramid, or the Great Pyramid, stands before you. You look up and are blinded by the shining gold peak of the pyramid. When you regain your sight, you see the Egyptian king before you. The pharaoh steps out of a mass of palm leaves used for shade and the queen follows him.

Then the king greets you, “Welcome to the Pyramids of Giza.”

There were a total of three pyramid located on the west side of the Nile River in Egypt. The largest pyramid was King Khufu’s pyramid. It is famously known as the Great Pyramid. Khufu supervised the building of his tomb, watching his slaves and Egyptian laborers drag large blocks of limestone up the ramps to the pyramid. He also made sure that the Valley Temple was being built. The temple was the chamber for the king’s mummified body until his pyramid was finished. The pyramid of King Khafre, who was the son of King Khufu, was the second largest and King Menkaure’s was the smallest. At the site there were another three miniature pyramids, or the queen’s tombs.

At the entrance of the Great Pyramids of Giza stands the majestic Sphinx. Its head is that of a human while its body is a lion’s. The Sphinx was carved out of solid rock by the Egyptians.

The pyramids were once covered in hieroglyphics inside out and it was believed that the Great Pyramid had a shiny gold peak. The pyramids still stand today, though with hardly any limestone left, towering above the small “benches” (in Arabic called “mastabas”), or flat-roofed tombs for officials, insignificant relatives of the royal family, and courtiers. Now the Great Pyramids of Giza are one of the greatest tourist attractions and have light effects, sound, and laser at night.

Author: Scarre, Chris

Title: Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World

Place of publication: London, England

Publishing company: Thames & Hudson

Author: Ash, Russell

Title: Great Wonders of the World

Place of publication: New York

Publishing company: Dorling Kindersley Publishing Inc.

Author: Perrottet, Tony

Date of publication: June 2004

Title of article: Journey to the Seven Wonders

Title of periodical: Smithsonian

Website URL: http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?vid=4&hid=115&sid=f78da4d9-3e86-48c7-afd7-500d80d39720%40sessionmgr106

Date retrieved: 2/8/08

Send mail to mbegosh@lebtwpk8.org with questions or comments about this web site. Last modified: 04/02/08

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Last modified: 04/02/08