Page 113 - اثار مصر الفرعونية2

Today, the pyramid of Khufu, though lacking its original
luster, remains perhaps the most visited site in Egypt. It is said
that "Man fears Time, yet Time fears the Pyramids" Hence, the
pyramid of Khufu, though not the oldest in Egypt, nevertheless
has become a symbol of long lasting durability, and it is probably
for this reason more than any other, that one can still find it
pictured on the reverse of the US Dollar Bill.

The upper or King's Chamber:

Within the short passageway between the upper end of the
Great Gallery and the Queen's Chamber, there is the last plugging
block preventing access to the pharaoh's burial chamber. It
consists of three pink granite monoliths that were originally held
vertical by means of ropes and a pulley and then lowered to form
a barrier Beyond it, in the king's Chamber in the 50th course of
masonry, Khufu was probably buried. This chamber, which
measures 10.45 meters long, 5.20 meters wide and 5.80 meters
high, is truly a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian architecture,
made entirely of pink granite. It had to be built to resist an
enormous amount of pressure. Its flat ceiling is composed of nine
huge blocks with a combined weight of over four hundred tons.
Above it are no less than five, carefully designed relief chambers
which, in modern times, were discovered by the crude act of
using dynamite to create an intrusive passageway. So well
designed is this structure that, over the past four and a half

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