Chefren's Pyramid*
Strangely enough, Chefren's Pyramid appears to be the largest
from most angles on the plateau. We certainly found it the most picturesque, both because
of it's central location and towering height, and because of it's unique texture. Near
the top of the pyramid, several of the casing stones are still intact giving the pyramid
its characteristic appearance.
The first two pictures above were taken from Menkaure's
Pyramid - Menkaure's Mortuary Temple is visible at the bottom of the photos. Cairo is
also somewhat visible on the right side of the leftmost picture. The picture on the right
was taken from the base of the pyramid - it captures to a small degree the overpowering
magnitude of this mountain of stone.
As with all the other pyramids of Giza (and Dashur) it is
essentially anonymous. The attribution of this pyramid to the pharaoh Chefren is based
upon Herodotus' account and the surrounding funerary complex that makes repeated references
to Chefren. However, the pyramid itself, inside and out, is completely devoid of writings.
It's ironic that Egyptologist's and historians in general criticize Herodotus so vehemently
in some respects and in others cling to his account as though it were gospel.
The fact that these sites lack writings so completely is remarkable
in Egypt - both earlier and later pyramids (according to the accepted chronology) are
literally filled with inscriptions. The Egyptians from the beginning were obsessed with
covering every available surface with text, and yet a handful of sites at Giza, Dashur,
and Abydos are completely blank. This fact in itself sets these sites apart.
Chefren's is the first pyramid we had the opportunity to enter.
At first we were annoyed that we couldn't go in together - we weren't allowed to take our
backpacks in so one of us had to wait outside with them. However, I (being the first in)
quickly realized why: there just wouldn't have been the space for me to get down the shaft
with my backpack on! Youch.
Our first thoughts were of course to curse the bastard Belzoni
for his desecration - actually, come to think of it, I'm surprised the pyramid hasn't
been attributed to Belzoni since his name is so prominently displayed...
Grafitti Inside Chefren's Pyramid
The primary chamber of interest inside Chefren's Pyramid (and
the only one open to tourists) is not only the site of Belzoni's egotism, but also houses
the "sarcophagus". I use quotes, because there is little to no evidence that the
the pyramids were tombs and many scholars have argued that they were never intended as
such.1
Sarcophagus Inside Chefren's Pyramid
Unfortunately, because of the crowds we had no time alone inside
and gaudy tourists bouncing around taking pictures were most distracting and not conducive
to contemplation. However, on out return trip to the plateau, Pam went back in and had
much better luck - she even had several minutes alone and the chance to lay in the
sarcophagus. She came out understandably thrilled.
* There are two sets of names commonly used for the pharaohs to whom the
pyramids are attributed: Cheops / Khufu - the Great Pyramid; Chefren / Khafre - the second
largest of the three; and Mycerinus / Menkaure - the smallest. They are the Greek / Egyptian
names respectively - throughout these pages I will use Cheops, Chefren, and Menkaure. I don't
care about consistency - they're the names that I like, so there.
1 John Anthony West, Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval, etc.
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