Pyramid of Khafre, Smooth-sided pyramid in Giza, Egypt
The Pyramid of Khafre is the middle of the three pyramids at Giza, with a base of 215.5 m and a present height of 136.4 m. Its lower two-thirds are rough limestone courses; the top third keeps smooth Tura limestone casing, darker beige, ending below the missing pyramidion. The slope is 53°08', steeper than Khufu's.
Khafre, son of Khufu, built the pyramid around 2558–2532 BC as his tomb. Arab historian Ibn Abd al-Salam recorded that it was opened in 1372, and an Arabic graffito on the burial chamber wall probably dates from then. Giovanni Belzoni found the original north entrance on 2 March 1818 and entered an empty chamber with an open sarcophagus and its broken lid on the floor.
The mortuary temple east of the pyramid set the pattern for later royal temples: an entrance hall, an open court, five statue niches, five storerooms and an inner sanctuary. About fifty life-size statues of Khafre once stood here, later removed and recycled, possibly by Ramses II. A paved causeway 494.6 m long and 4.5 m wide linked it to the valley temple near the Sphinx.
Two entrances open on the north face: the upper one 11.54 m up the masonry, the lower one at the base, both offset 12 m east of the centreline. The lower passage is cut entirely through bedrock, descending, running level, then rising to the burial chamber. Expect low, cramped sections and uneven footing.
The casing stones at the top are Tura limestone, but the lowest course of casing was pink granite. Their corner edges are staggered by a few millimetres, possibly from seismic settling or from blocks cut to shape before placement.
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