Pyramid of Khafre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pyramid of Khafre |
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The pyramid in 2014
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| Khafre | |
| Coordinates | 29°58′34″N 31°07′51″E / 29.97611°N 31.13083°E |
| Ancient name |
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| Constructed | c. 2550 BC |
| Type | True pyramid |
| Height | Currently: 136.4 metres (448 ft) {br/}Original: 143.5 m (471 ft; 274 cu) |
| Base | 215.25 metres (706 ft; 411 cu) |
| Volume | 2,211,096 cubic metres (78,084,118 cu ft) |
| Slope | 53°10' |
The pyramid of Khafre is a famous ancient monument in Ancient Egypt. People also call it the pyramid of Chephren. It stands right in the middle of the three giant Pyramids of Giza. This grand monument is the second tallest and second largest of the whole group. It is very special because it is the only one of the three pyramids that still keeps its smooth cladding stones near the top. Builders made it as a magnificent royal tomb for the Fourth-Dynasty Pharaoh Khafre. This powerful king ruled during the Old Kingdom of Egypt over 4,500 years ago.
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How Big Is the Pyramid of Khafre?
The giant pyramid has a wide square base measuring 215.5 meters on each side. In ancient Egyptian measurements, that equals about 411 cubits. The monument rises high into the desert sky to a height of 136.4 metres (448 ft). In ancient times, before its tip broke away, it was 143.5 metres (471 ft) tall.
Ancient builders constructed this wonder with massive limestone blocks. Many of these stones weigh more than two tonnes each. The sides of Khafre's pyramid rise steeply at an angle of over 53 degrees. This slope is slightly steeper than the neighboring pyramid of Khufu, which has an angle of around 51 degrees.
Many visitors think Khafre's pyramid looks like the tallest pyramid in Giza. This clever visual trick happens because it sits on a natural hill of bedrock. This natural rock base is 10 meters higher than the ground under Khufu's pyramid.
Modern scientists have surveyed the building using high-tech electronic instruments. Their measurements show that the pyramid lines up almost perfectly with the four cardinal directions. It points directly toward true north with very tiny errors. This incredible accuracy shows that Old Kingdom builders used advanced surveying methods and studied Astronomy to align their structures.
Amazing Construction Secrets of Khafre's Tomb
Builders made clever use of natural landforms when they began construction. Just like the famous Great Pyramid of Giza, the builders used a natural rock outcropping in the core. The ground was not completely level on the plateau. To fix this, workers cut 10 meters of rock out of the northwest corner. They built up the southeast corner with heavy stone blocks to create a flat building site.
Workers used giant stones to construct the lower layers. As the pyramid grew taller, the stone blocks became much smaller. Near the very top, the blocks are only 50 cm (20 in) thick. The stone layers look rough and uneven in the lower half. In the midsection, workers laid a tidy band of regular masonry. At the northwest corner, the builders carved the natural bedrock into giant steps.
A smooth outer casing once covered the entire exterior of the building. The very bottom row of casing stones was made of tough pink granite. The rest of the outer surface was covered in bright white Tura limestone. This polished limestone shone brightly under the hot Egyptian sun.
Today, casing stones still cover the top third of the pyramid. However, the golden pyramidion capstone and part of the very top apex are missing. When experts look closely at the remaining casing stones, they notice something curious. The corner edges are not completely straight. Instead, they shift by a few millimeters. Some scientists believe this shift happened because of shaking from ancient seismic activity. Other experts suggest workers cut the stones before placing them because space was tight near the summit.
The Long History of Khafre's Pyramid
The pyramid has an exciting and mysterious history spanning thousands of years. Historians believe tomb robbers entered the pyramid during the ancient First Intermediate Period of Egypt. By the time of the New Kingdom of Egypt, when pharaohs built hidden tombs in the Valley of the Kings, people had entered most pyramids.
An Arabic writer named Ibn Abd al-Salam noted that people opened the pyramid in the year 1372. Visitors can still see an ancient graffito carved on the wall of the burial chamber. Experts believe this writing dates to that fourteenth-century opening.
Over centuries, people removed most of the white limestone casing stones to build other structures in Cairo. In 1646, an English professor named John Greaves wrote about the pyramid in his book Pyramidographia. He noted that the pyramid stones were not as huge as Khufu's, but its surface was remarkably smooth.
A famous Italian explorer named Giovanni Belzoni began modern exploration of the tomb on March 2, 1818. Belzoni searched the north side and found the hidden entrance. He hoped to discover ancient treasure inside the burial chamber. Instead, he found an empty room with an open sarcophagus and a broken stone lid on the floor. Belzoni proudly painted his name and the date inside the chamber.
In 1837, engineer John Perring carried out the first complete survey of the interior passages. Later, in 1853, a French archaeologist named Auguste Mariette began excavating Khafre's valley temple. In 1858, Mariette made a fantastic discovery in the temple. He uncovered a diorite statue of Khafre, which is one of the greatest masterpieces of ancient art.
Exploring Inside the Great Chambers
Two separate entrances lead into the heart of the pyramid. The upper entrance sits 11.54 m (37.9 ft) up the northern face. The second entrance opens at the base of the pyramid directly below it. Neither passage lines up with the exact center of the building. Instead, both passages sit 12 meters to the east.
The lower passage is carved entirely out of solid bedrock. It slopes downward, runs level, and then climbs back up to meet the upper corridor. Why did builders make two entrances? Some experts believe the architects originally planned to make Khafre's pyramid much larger toward the north. Another popular theory is that the builders simply changed their architectural plans while construction was already underway.
Off the lower passage, explorers found a side room. It is the same length as the King's Chamber in Khufu's pyramid. Scholars wonder whether this room was a storage room for sacred offerings or an ancient serdab statue chamber.
The main burial chamber sits carved into a deep pit in the bedrock floor. Its ceiling is made of pointed limestone beams forming a strong gabled roof. The room is rectangular, measuring 14.15 by 5 m (46.4 by 16.4 ft). Inside this chamber sits the royal sarcophagus, carved out of one solid block of black granite. Belzoni looked inside the stone box and found bones belonging to an animal, likely a bull. Another pit in the stone floor once held a special canopic chest for the king's preserved organs.
Looking for Hidden Rooms with Cosmic Rays
In the 1960s, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist named Luis Alvarez tried an exciting high-tech experiment. He wanted to search for secret hidden chambers without damaging the ancient monument. Alvarez teamed up with Egyptian scientist Ahmed Fakhry and other researchers.
The team placed sensitive particle detectors inside the burial chamber. These detectors tracked tiny cosmic ray particles called muons passing through the rock. The project stopped briefly during the 1967 Six-Day War, but the scientists soon resumed their study. In 1969, Alvarez reported to the American Physical Society that they found no new secret rooms in the surveyed areas.
The Surrounding Pyramid Complex
The Small Satellite Pyramid
Directly south of Khafre's main pyramid stood a smaller satellite pyramid. Today, almost nothing remains of this small tomb except the outline of its stone foundation. Archaeologists explored its underground passages and found a tiny niche containing pieces of ritual wooden furniture.
Magnificent Temples of Stone
Khafre's religious temples have survived in much better condition than those of his father Khufu. East of the pyramid stands the mortuary temple. Although it is mostly in ruins, visitors can still see its impressive floor plan. It was the first temple to include five classic parts: an entrance hall, a columned courtyard, five niches for royal statues, five store rooms, and an inner sanctuary. Huge megalithic stone blocks were used to build it. Some of these stones weigh an astonishing 400 tonnes.
A long stone causeway stretches 494.6 metres (541 yd) from the mortuary temple down to the famous Valley Temple. This lower temple is made of massive blocks sheathed in polished red granite. Inside, tall square pillars supported the roof, and the floor shone with white alabaster.
The Valley Temple contains a welcoming vestibule and a large pillared hall. In ancient times, 23 beautiful statues of Khafre stood secured into sockets in the floor. Later rulers, including pharaoh Ramses II, may have removed some of these statues to reuse the stone.
The Great Sphinx of Giza
Guarding the eastern side of the complex is the world-famous Great Sphinx of Giza. This colossal sculpture features the body of a lion and the head of a king wearing a royal headdress. Ancient stone carvers shaped the giant statue out of the natural limestone bedrock. Many historians believe the face of the Sphinx was modeled directly after Khafre himself.
Gallery
{gallery mode="packed"} File:The Pyramid of Khofru 1.jpg|Initial ramp pass File:The Pyramide of Khofru 6.jpg|Top part of the inclined passage, with high ceiling File:The Pyramide of Khofru 4.jpg|Straight section of the passage File:The pyramide of Khofru 2.jpg|Burial chamber File:The Pyramide of Khofru 3.jpg|Khafre's sarcophagus File:The Pyramide of Khofru 5.jpg|Exit from burial chamber; square hole: possible 'air shaft' File:S10.08 Gizeh, image 9936.jpg|Valley Temple to the east of the pyramid of Khafre File:Cairo. Subterranean temple LCCN92501066.jpg|Subterranean temple, 1860 File:Giza Plateau - Great Sphinx temple- area where statues used to be.JPG|Depressions in the floor of the Valley Temple that once held the statues of Khafre File:Khafre statue.jpg|Khafre Enthroned, one of the statues of the Valley Temple File:GEM, December 22nd, 2025, by Dyolf77, ZVE07664.jpg|Another statue of Khafre from the Valley Temple, now at the Grand Egyptian Museum File:Khephren 007.jpg|Pillared hallway of the Valley Temple File:Khafre 5 storage rooms.jpg|Remains of the magazines of the Mortuary Temple {/gallery}
Related Pages
- Egyptian pyramid construction techniques
- List of Egyptian pyramids
- List of megalithic sites
- List of tallest structures built before the 20th century
