Some very simplified, incomplete timelines and who's whoEarly Dynastic Period 3150-2686 BCEFirst and 2nd dynasties: Ancient capital city of Memphis was founded as the capital of Egypt by semi-mythical King Menes. The rulers were buried in tombs at Saqqara, where the first pyramids were built.Zoser (Djoser; c 2667-2648 BCE)As the second king of the 3rd dynasty, Zoser was buried in Egypt's first pyramid, the world's oldest monumental stone building, designed by the architect Imhotep.Sneferu (c 2613-2589 BCE)The first king of the 4th dynasty and responsibe for four pyramids built. His final resting place was the Red (Northern) Pyramid in Dahshur. It was Egypt's first true pyramid and a model for the pyramids in Giza.Khufu (Cheops; c 2589-2566 BCE)The son and successor of Sneferu, he was the second king of the 4th dynasty. Best known for Egypt's largest pyramid, the Great Pyramid at Giza.Khafre (Khephren, Chephren; c 2558-2532 BCE)He was the younger son of Khufu and the fourth king of the 4th dynasty. He built the second of Giza's famous pyramids and the model for the face of the Great Sphinx.Menkaure (Mycerinus; c 2532-2503 BCE)The son of Khafre and the fifth king of the 4th dynasty and built the smallest of Giza's three huge pyramids.Hatshepsut (c 1473-1458 BCE)Egypt's most famous female pharaoh.
Amenhotep III (c 1390-1352 BCE)
The ninth king of the 18th dynasty, Amenhotep III's reign marks the zenith of Egypt's culture and power. He is the creator of Luxor Temple and largest funerary temple marked by Colossi of Memnon.
Nefertiti (c 1338-1336 BCE)Famous for her painted bust in Berlin.Tutankhamun (c 1336-1327 BCE)The 11th king of the 18th dynastry, Tutankhamun's fame is due to the great quantities of treasures discovered in his tomb in 1922.Ramses II (c 1279-1213 BCE)The son and successor of Seti I, Ramses II fought the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh and built temples including Abu Simbel and the Ramesseum.Ramses III (c 1184-1153 BCE)Second king of the 20th dynasty, Ramses III was the last of the warrior kings.
Who knew of many years not venturing into the Africa continent, I returned again just a year after. We had about 4 days plus in Cairo in total. This is due to buffer time to get between locations. Sis arrived Cairo in the evening and I reached just before midnight. She had an unplanned adventure of trying to get hold of the airport transfer driver as he didn't hold a card at the airport for pick up and also moving hotels because the hotel we booked was said to be undergoing maintenance. I was forwarded a selfie of the driver and a photo of the car with carplate number in Arabic that I don't know how to read.
Based on the itinerary I saw online, most seems to mention to spent half a day in Giza. We left just before closing so getting to GEM at the same day was out of the question. We went by Uber and we didn't know at that time that this Uber driver was one of the few that didn't try to make us pay cash or cancel on us.
The Great Pyramid entry ticket during our visit was EGP 700 per person and we decided to pay for entrance to the Great Pyramid of Khufu which cost EGP 1500 per person. We got the tickets at the ticket counter on the day of visit.
Great Pyramid of Khufu
The Great Pyramid of Khufu, originally stood at 150 metres high and incorporates some 2.3 million stones blocks. Each block averagely weighed more than 2.5 tonnes. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the biggest pyramid and was built by teams of skilled labourers, and not slaves. The biggest pyramid is the Great Pyramid of Cholula in Puebla, Mexico.
The queue to enter the Great Pyramid of Khufu. I wouldn't describe it as hard if you don't have any medical issues or not claustrophobic but the spaces were tight especially since this was a very popular pyramid to enter. Also it was very warm and humid inside. There were also stretches of low ceiling so it could be tricky if you are tall.
The main burial chamer is a small room with a large open sarcophagus in the centre.
Pyramid of Khafre and the Sphinx
Slightly smaller than the pyramid of his fater, Hufu, Khafre's pyramid is at 144 m in height and was known as "Great is Khaefre". It looks taller than the pyramid of Khufu as it lies at a higher elevation and at a steeper angle. It is actually smaller but most complete in relation to its surrouding complex, which includes the Sphinx. The top part of the pyramid retains its limestone outer casing.
The nose of the Sphinx was damaged in the Middle Ages. Its head and chest were subjected to several additions including a false beard, and it has been altered and mutilated througout its 4,500-year history.
In the front of the Sphinx was the "Dream stela" of Tuthmosis IV. It was said that an 18th Dynasty prince called Tuthmosis fell asleep in the shade of the Sphinx while hunting. He dreamt that the god Horemakhet prophesied that he would become king if he cleared the sand covering much of the statue. The prince carried out the rquest, became Tuthmosis IV, recorded the incident on a stela and set it on the ground.
The third of the royal pyramids at Giza was begun by Menkaure, the successor of Khafre. It was still unfinished when Menkaure died and hurriedly completed by his son, Shepseskaf, whose own tomb is at Saqqara.
If you noticed the change in the photos, we stayed till evening. The initial plan was to go to Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on the same day but obviously that didn't happen.
We encountered some issues to find a driver through Uber. By the time a driver accepted the ride, it was getting dark fast, it was winter after all. What was worse was the driver wanted us to pay him cash, twice the fare on Uber. With the difficulties of getting an Uber, it was getting dark and our first full day in Cairo, we decided to stay with this driver. We managed to haggle down the price though we still paid more than the fare on Uber. From this time onwards, we included enough buffer time whenever we need to call for a ride.
Side note: Eid Mubarak
