Pyramids (Memphis)

WHS#59

The Pyramids - the most famous symbol of the great civilization of Ancient Egypt. Their grandiosity has been admired across the world for millennia now. Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur was among the first few sites on the WHS list, and for good reason: It tells the complete story of the pyramid, from its conception as stacked mastabas in Saqqara to the trial-and-error (and eventually, successful) developments in Dahshur, to finally the greatest manifestation of the pyramids in Giza. I was lucky enough to visit this ancient world wonder in May 2018. I got to visit the Giza components on my first day exploring Egypt, and supposedly left it at that. However, due to the scheduled day reserved for Wadi al-Hitan becoming free as we couldn't get police clearance, I decided that I could check out the other components of this WHS for another half-day, this time visiting Memphis and Saqqara. From Saqqara, you get a decent view of the entire expanse of pyramid fields "from Giza to Dahshur," so I could say this was a complete experience of all 4 important components of this site. Yes, it was accidental. Yes, I wish I had gotten the chance to visit Wadi al-Hitan. No, I don't think Memphis and the pyramids represent the height of the Egyptian civilization's cultural and artistic legacy. And no, not all parts of the experience of visiting will be completely pleasant, whether it be the heat or …

Visited this site in March 2019. I voted for a guided tour in order to skip the hassles of bakshish boys and distances between Giza, Dahshur, Saqqara and Memphis. With early departure (07:00) and (unfortunately) skipping of certain Mastabas in Saqqara it was possible for me and my friend to cover all four sites, including interior visits to Red Pyramid; Teti Pyramid, Khufu (Cheops) Great Pyramid + Solar Boat Museum. 

There is probably not much could be added to decribe the iconic pyramids. For me the most amazing things are that in thousands of papyruses nothing is written about pyramid construction process and another thing that there is only one 3-inch tiny rough figurine of Cheops is left and known (to be compared with numerous colossal statues of Ramses II, who, in turn, saved GDP spendings of one more pyramid).  

I would recommend to arrange the guided tour in advance in order to be "protected" from sellers, trouts, bakshish boys, helpers, camel riders, etc. With our tour we were also able to enter with the car inside all 4 key sites and save a lot of time. Dahshur was the most deserted site. In Saqqara Djoser pyramid is still in scaffolding, but only on one side. I like interior chamber of Teti Pyramid covered with hieroglyphs (but looking suspiciously new).

There is no any queues for the interior chamber of Khufu (Cheops) Great Pyramid nowadays (as I understood in the past it was quite difficult to get …

I have visited the Giza Plateau a few times, most recently in October 2018. I entered the Giza Plateau just as it was opening and headed to the Great Sphinx, one of the world’s most ancient, largest and, with the body of a lion and head of a pharaoh, oddest monumental sculptures. After 4,500 years, the most popular view of the Sphinx has become that from Pizza Hut.

Due to switching to a new employer, I had some unexpected days off on my hands in late October to finish up my unused holiday allowance. Almost immediately I knew that I wanted to spend them on a city trip to Cairo – not too far away but good for 3 quality WHS within 5 days. I started my trip with a long-awaited visit to Memphis and the pyramid fields of Giza and Saqqara. The good thing about this WHS is that it covers the entire history of Egyptian pyramid construction, not just the big and famous pyramids of Giza.

My plan for the first day was to take a bus from the Egyptian museum to Giza. There should be 2 bus lines (355 and 357) that ply this route - but where do these buses stop? The surroundings of the museum are a jumble of multi-lane streets, a fly-over and a roundabout. There are many buses but no bus stops and I also did not see the 2 right bus numbers passing by. So I decided to switch to the metro, which turned out to be a lot easier. Metro station Giza is only 6 stops from downtown. From there I boarded a minibus that runs up and down the main street for the final kilometers towards the 'haram' (Arabic for 'pyramids').

This is the site where the ancient Egyptians perfected their art of building pyramids. Especially the great pyramids of Cheops and Chefren are perfect in …

I visited this WHS in March 2010. Visiting this WHS was a dream come true for me as I always had a passion for Egyptology. Considered as one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx need no introduction. The Bent Pyramid, the Red Pyramid and the remains of the Black Pyramid in Dahshur are close to a military area and are quite off the beaten track. The huge Ramses II statue and remains in Memphis are worth seeing if you're into Egyptology. The highlight of my trip was when I reached the heart of the Great Pyramid of Giza! There is absolutely nothing inside apart from an empty sarcophagus and an Italian archaeologist's graffiti signature, but I felt I had paid tribute to the world's best engineers, architects, astronomers and civilisation. The perfection of each gigantic slab of stone that make up this 5000 year old structure is simply incredible.

Yes, people "still" climb the Giza pyramid relative to the 30 years ago story posted. My two brothers, Jeremy and Jonas, and I climbed to the top of the Pyramid in May of 2000 (on an around the world trip with our mother and grandmother). We visited the site during the day and after the official closing asked our cash-paid "guide" if it was possible to climb to the top. He quickly responded with a "No! It is not possible." We had taken a picture of the three of us standing on the bottom level of the pyramid earlier in the afternoon and quickly had armed guards blowing whistles, waving their machine guns, and telling us to get off the pyramid. We continued to ask our guide about climbing the pyramid and he changed his answer to, "it is possible, but very expensive." We showed our desired to climb to the top but included that our funds were very limited. The price started at $500 per person for the climb. After a bit of negotiating, the price ended up at $50 each. The guide introduced us to a uniformed and armed guard that would meet us at the street in front of our hotel shortly before sunset that evening (our hotel was walking distance to the Pyramids - it is not in the middle of the desert as it would appear in the movies). We decided to have just $50 each and our IDs in our pockets, with no watches, …

I stayed at a budget hotel from which one could see the giza pyramids. Then I hopped on a taxi to make the obligatory stop to see them in person. I took the stairs up into the pyramid though it was not that impressive. The pyramids are best seen at sunrise or sunset. The sun plays tricks with the pyramids in the foreground. There was a brilliant silhouette where the pyramid looked black and it's edges lit up by the sinking sun chariot. The sphinx was nearby and camel rides were available for tourists. there was a small golf course closeby as well.

Some people have told me they found the Pyramids disappointing, but on both my visits I have come away highly impressed.

I think the problem is that, the media always stress the shear physical size of the pyramids, if you imagine them smaller than reality then they impress, but if you imagine them larger then you will be disappointed.

That said despite the crowds, It is incredible to visit something that people have travelled specifically to see for the last 4500 years!

Being a World Heritage site-tourist, visiting the pyramids of Giza and Dashshur for the first time in your life, is of course a very special experience. At least when you dream, think and plan ahead for it! But the realities of life can sometimes surprise you and maybe even spice things up a bit. After having spent a day in Cairo I hired myself a taxi-driver for a day. One of those thousands of black-and-white, worn down Peugeots that runs up and down the streets of Cairo each day. My driver Abu, a true Egyptian, proved to be quite a character and after having stopped for a couple of times on our way to Giza talking to his friends, he gave me a thorough (and very useful) instruction in how to fend of the camel- horse and souvenir hustlers, that despite the presence of the tourist police, constantly annoys the tourists.

So don’t for a second think you can wonder around the pyramids and the sphinx, peacefully dreaming about the pharaohs and life in by-gone eras. But if you constantly shout “La, Shokram (no thanks in Arabic), or even stronger expressions in English, you might stand a chance. At Dashshur, the situation was quite the opposite and my visit surprisingly peaceful.

But despite the downsides, the pyramids are still one of the most impressing sites I’ve ever visited during my World Heritage travels and for sure a number one place to visit for all people, whether you are interested in …

The Pyramids are by far Egypt's best known attraction and one of the top tourist sights in the world, and as such worthy of visiting once in a lifetime. I don't think they are the best Egypt has to offer - that would be Luxor and Thebes, Abu Simbel, and the Egyptian Museum -, but still you can't go to Egypt and seriously say you haven't seen the Pyramids. Why then did you go there in the first place?

Anyway, they are very impressive, and wandering at their bases (you can go inside, but apart from crawling through a long, dirty tunnel there is nothing to see or do since grave robbers were there before you) and also seeing the wonderful Sphinx is definitely a great experience.

What can I say that hasn't been said by someone else before me? These massive setinels of human history have earned their spot on the World Heritage List if only for the fact that they've survived this long. While not nearly as ornate as many Egyptian tombs, these are the granddaddy's of them all and I'd venture a guess that they're among the most recognizable icons on the planet

The Pyramids –Then and Now!

The growth in leisure travel over the last half century threatens to overwhelm many of the most famous WHS sites such as the Pyramids. With the continuing growth in travel, and all those millions in developing countries who will soon join the throng, I sometimes wonder whether, in 50 years or so, we will each take part in lotteries to be allocated our ticket for our “once in a lifetime visit” to eg the Pyramids (similar to what happens now to see the Bears at Churchill Falls in Alaska!!). It is an unfortunate fact that, whilst the numbers seeing the great sights of the world increase inexorably, the conditions under which they see them and the restrictions they face also become more limited and onerous. The ability “to do your own thing in your own way” is sacrificed in the name of “crowd management”

My first visit to the pyramids was in 1975. In those days it was a fairly relaxed place. Although there were ticket offices, entry through the “back door” of the nearby Mena suburbs was perfectly possible- security had not been strengthened in face of the threat of terrorism. The possibility of a massacre as at Queen Hashepsut’s tomb in 1997 had not been considered

So, it seemed perfectly natural at the time to consider whether we should attempt to climb to the top “for a better view”!! Reports from Victorian/Edwardian and “between-the-wars” upper class visitors often seemed to include such a …