More than 5,000 years ago, the Nile
River gave birth to one of the greatest civilization in the history of
the world – Ancient Egypt. Ruled over 3,000 years by kings called
Pharaohs, the Egyptians crafted intricate artwork, built great stone
monument and developed the world’s first national government. They
created the first form of the 365 day calendar and a kind of writing
called hieroglyphics, leaving behind a record of their world in words as
well as in stone.
The ancient Egyptians built great tombs,
many of which still stand today. But the Egyptians were not obsessed
with death; rather they were so in love with life that they wanted it to
go on forever. And so created tombs for they believed in immortality.
10. Temple of Hatshepsut
The Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut is
basically a tomb built for Queen Hatshepsut, who reigned over Egypt from
1479 BC to 1458 BC. The temple is located beneath on the west bank of
the River Nile, on the cliffs at Deir el Bahari near the Valley of the Kings.
The temple was built under the observation of Queen Hatshepsut’s chancellor, royal architect and possibly her lover Senemut. The temple also honored the glory of Amon-Ra,
the Egyptian sun god. The structure of the temple is heavily colonnaded
and is built into the face of a cliff that rises sharply above. The
Temple of Hatshepsut consists of three layered terraces of 30 meters
height. The terraces are inter-linked by long ramps and were once
surrounded by gardens.
9. Bent Pyramid
Located at the royal necropolis of Dahshur, the Bent Pyramid was the second pyramid built by Pharaoh Sneferu.
The pyramid has a unique and mysterious structure, as its base rises
from the desert floor at an angle of 55 degrees and then shows an
obvious change of a more gradual angle of 43 degrees, which gives the
pyramid its bent shape.
Archaeologists hold the theory that due
to the abruptness of the actual angle the weight to be added above the
inner chambers and passageways became too large, forcing the builders to
adopt a shallower angle. The Bent Pyramid is believed to be the
transition between the steps sided and the smooth-sided pyramids.
8. Pyramid of Djoser
The Pyramid of Djoser, also known as the Step Pyramid, is located at the Saqqara necropolis northwest of Memphis.
The Step Pyramids is known to be the very first pyramid built by the
ancient Egyptians. The pyramid was built as a tomb, which features a
vast mortuary complex in a huge courtyard, constructed for the burial of
Pharaoh Djoser by his Vizier Imhotep in the 27th century BC.
The pyramid stands 62 meters from the
ground and is made of six mastabas built on top one another. Like the
earlier tombs, the burial chambers of the Pyramid of Djoser are
underground, hidden in a maze of tunnels.
7. Luxor Temple
The Ancient Egyptian Temple complex, the
Luxor Temple is located on the east bank of the River Nile in the
ancient city of Thebes, which is now known as Luxor and lies on the east
bank of the River Nile. It was founded in 1400 BC during the New
Kingdom. The temple, known to be the southern sanctuary, was bestowed
upon the three Egyptian gods Amun, Mut, and Chons. The festival of Oput
was celebrated each year at the ancient temple of Luxor. During the
annual festival the statues of the three Gods were paraded to the temple
along the avenue of sphinxes that connect the 2 temples.
The ancient sections of the Luxor Temple were built under Queen Hatshepsut, and corrected by Tuthmosis III. These ancient sections still stand and are the baroque chapels that lie just behind the first pylon.
6. Great Sphinx
Located at the Giza Plateau on the west
bank of River Nile, The Great Sphinx is one of the largest and most
ancient monuments in the world. It is the largest monolith statue, made
of limestone and standing 20.22 meters high. The construction of the
Great Sphinx is believed to be done during the reign of Pharaoh Khafre of the Old Kingdom.
It is still debated that which pharaoh
makes the face of the Great Sphinx. In spite of contradictory data and
viewpoints over the years, the view established by modern Egyptologists
remains that the Great Sphinx was built in approximately 2500 BC.
5. Red Pyramid
Also known as the North Pyramid, the Red
Pyramid is the largest of the three major pyramids located at the
Dahshur necropolis. The pyramid got its name because of the rusty
reddish hue of its stones; it is the third largest pyramid of Egypt.
Built by Pharaoh Sneferu of the Old Kingdom, the Red Pyramid was first successful attempt at constructing a smooth-sided pyramid.
The Red Pyramid was the first tallest
man-made structure, being 104 meters tall. The Red Pyramid was closed to
tourists because of a nearby army camp. It is now normally open for
tourists and a somewhat invasive ventilation system has been installed
which pipes air down the entrance shaft to the interior chambers
4. Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings is a valley on
the west bank of the River Nile, opposite Luxor. It is the final resting
place of many kings and privileged nobles of the New Kingdom. The site
consists of two valleys, the East Valley where majority of the royal
tombs are situated, and the West Valley.
The tombs were constructed in the Valley
of the Kings from the 16th to 11th century BC, nearly 500 years.
Together the two valleys contain 63 tombs and chambers, with their sizes
ranging according to ranks, from a simple pit to a complex tomb of 120
chambers. The tombs of the kings and the royal family are decorated with
hieroglyphics from the Egyptian mythology that suggests the beliefs and
funeral rituals of the period. Except the famous tomb of Tutankhamun, all of the other tombs have been opened and robbed, but they still give an idea of the supremacy of the rulers of the time.
3. Abu Simbel
The two massive rock temples, Abu Simbel
is an archaeological site located on the western bank of Lake Nasser,
in southern Egypt. The twin temples are a part of the UNESCO World
Heritage Site. Originally carved out of the mountainside during the
reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, the Abu Simbel Temple was a lasting monument by the Pharaoh to his Queen Nefertari.
In 1960, due to fear of the temples
being submerged during the construction of Lake Nasser, the complex was
relocated to higher grounds, about 65 meters higher and 200 meters away
from the river. The Abu Simbel Temple still remains Egypt’s top tourist
attraction.
2. Karnak
The Karnak temple is a complex of many
ruined buildings, temples, pylons and other decayed structures. Even
though the Karnak is now in poor condition, a very few sites of the
ancient Egypt can ever be more impressive than Karnak. The temple is a
massive structure whose construction began at the time of the Pharaoh
Ramses II. The oldest and largest ancient religious site, Karnak
signifies the accomplishment of generations of Egyptian builders that
worked on it. It is located near Luxor, 500 km south of Cairo.
Karnak was constructed around 1570-1100
BC and consists of three main temples, some small enclosed temples and
several outer temples that located approximately 2.5 km north of Luxor.
The most famed structure of the Karnak is the Hypostyle Hall with an
area of 5,000 sq. meters, having134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows.
1. Pyramids of Giza
Located in the southwest suburban area
of Cairo, where many Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs lay at rest, the Pyramids
of Giza are situated. Built over a span of three generations of Khufu, his second son Khafre and then Menkaure, the Pyramids of Giza are the oldest and sole remnant of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The great Pyramids of Giza were
constructed to house the tombs of three powerful pharaohs, who reigned
from about 2550 to 2470 BC. Without the help of modern technology,
slaves piled up over 6 million limestone and granite blocks, some
weighing more than 40 tons. A new block was placed within every 2
minutes and the entire project was completed in 80 years.
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