Thanks to the new external hard drive I just bought and the new photo organizing software I have I have found the digital copies of the photos I took while in Egypt in 1993.
Have been wanting to find them so that I could use some of them in this blog.

Today's topic will be pyramids

The first pyramid built in Egypt was the Step Pyramid which can be found at Saqqara.
This pyramid was build by the Pharaoh Djoser (Zozer) during the 3rd Dynasty of the Egyptian  Old Kingdom. The pyramid originally stood at 62 metres high and was encased with polished white limestone. Underneath the pyramid stretch nearly 6km of tunnelled chambers and galleries which connect to a central shaft 28 metres deep.

 Step Pyramid of Djoser

The more famous pyramids are the pyramids at Giza. The largest of these being one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. 

 Pyramids of Giza

The largest of these pyramids, the pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) was built over approximately 20 years in the 4th dynasty by Pharaoh Khufu. This pyramid was the tallest man made structure in the world for over 3,800 years originally standing at 146.5 metres high. The original entrance to the tomb in 17 metres above ground level. Tourists today enter via the robbers tunnel dug by workmen employed by Caliph al-Ma'mun around 820AD.

 Camel ride up to pyramids 1993. the robbers entrance into the Great Pyramid can be seen between me and the camels head

 

In front of the great Pyramid 1993

The second pyramid was built by Khufu's son Khafre (Chefren) and is 136.4 metres high. It stands on bedrock 10 metres taller than that of Khufu's so appears taller. 

There are two entrances into this pyramid, one is 11.54 metres up the face of the pyramid and the second at it's base, it is through this second entrance that tourists now enter.

Looking down into entrance at base of pyramid of Khafre

 Inside the burial chamber of the pyramid of Khafre

Me near the base of Khafre's pyramid, this gives an idea of the size of the blocks of stone that made up these amazing structures

The third and smallest pyramid at Giza was built by Menkaure. This pyramid originally stood at 65.5 metres.

  Looking towards the pyramid of Menkaure from next to the pyramid of Khafre

 At the end of the twelfth century al-Malek al-Aziz Othman ben Yusuf, Saladin's son and heir, attempted to demolish the pyramids starting with Menkaure's pyramid. They found it almost as expensive to destroy as to build. They stayed at their job for eight months. They were not able to remove more than one or two stones each day at a cost of tiring themselves out utterly. Some used wedges and levers to move the stones while others used ropes to pull them down. When it fell it would bury itself in the sand requiring extraordinary efforts to free it. Wedges were used to split the stones into several pieces and a cart was used to carry it to the foot of the escarpment, where it was left. Far from accomplishing what they intended to do they merely spoiled the pyramid by leaving a large vertical gash in its north face and proved themselves incapable. - Wikipedia

 Further interest 
My Flickr account
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/ali_gata1970/
 Photo Blog
http://aligatasblog.blogspot.co.nz/
 


Note : I completely forgot to add I have received email back from 'Commonwealth War Graves Commission' with info on the location of Uncle Allan's grave at Commonwealth Cemetery at El Alamein.  
Grave location - Block I, row F, grave 24.