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The Giza pyramids site is situated at a
few kilometers from the Cairo south. The Giza pyramids site
has two important groups of constructions, which are separated
and defined by a wadi. The three pyramids of Khafre, Menkaure
and Khufu, as well as the Great Sphinx represent the larger
group; this group also includes private mastabas made for the
nobles, mortuary temples and small pyramids. On the south East
area is placed the later group made from several private tombs
that belonged to the people of different classes. The deference
between the pyramids from the former group and the pyramids of
the second group is that the first ones were made from limestone
brought from stone quarries while the monuments of the second
group are made from local rocks. It seems that Giza has it role
of necropolis since the pharaohs` reign begun. There were some
discoveries made on the Giza site that proves that fact: a tomb
dating from the rule of the Pharaoh Wadj (who belonged to the
First Dynasty reign) and jars in a tomb of the Pharaoh
Ninetjer from the Second Dynasty. Of course, the pharaoh Khufu
is the one who made from Giza the necropolis that can be seen
today. To build the complex, the pharaoh even destroyed some old
tombs. His pyramid is the largest one, dominating the site.
Unfortunately, it were some periods when stones from the
monuments were taken by the people living in the Cairo's
vicinity to use them in the constructions of some buildings. Not
only that the white limestone stones were taken but also the
soft stones. This vandalize of the pyramids stopped in the 19th
century and if it wouldn't had existed, the actual pyramids
would have looked very much like their initially structure. |
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