The World and Its People Part 62

CHAPTER Lx.x.xIV.

GIZEH AND ITS PYRAMIDS.

On the opposite side of the river from Cairo, about three miles southwest, lies the village of Gizeh. It is situated not far from the boundary of middle Egypt just where the line of the great pyramids begins.

The neighborhood about Gizeh is somewhat noted, for it has twice been a.s.sociated with the fate of Egypt in decisive battles--in 969 A.D. with the Fatimite army, and in 1798 with the French army under Bonaparte.

Ancient Gizeh was adorned with beautiful palaces and magnificent mosques. It was once a favorite resort for the merchants of Cairo, when they wished to be set free from the cares of a business life. Nothing remains now on the ancient site but a mere village. Piles of rubbish are all that mark the spot where magnificent buildings once stood.

One ancient custom still prevails in modern Gizeh, the process of hatching eggs in ovens. This custom has descended from the time of the Pharaohs.

Stretching north and south for many miles between the verdant valley of the Nile and the Libyan desert beyond, at an elevation of one hundred feet above the level of the Nile, rises a barren plateau, lying at a distance of about ten miles west of Memphis and running parallel with the river.

To the ancient kings of Egypt this rocky ridge, beneath which the _Sun_, the chief deity of the Egyptians, appeared to sink to rest, seemed the most fitting site upon which to build their tombs. Sitting in their palace at Memphis and viewing this western plateau, they could but meditate upon the time when their sun of life should sink and they be called to the abode of the G.o.ds.

It was the custom to hew out chambers in the rocks on the sides of the hilly ridge, in which to place the bodies of the common dead. The king, who had reigned over his subjects in life, felt it but a fitting monument to his memory that his sepulcher should be of the most magnificent proportions.

The royal sarcophagus was usually placed in a s.p.a.cious chamber under a grand monument of stones. Little by little the heap began to take more definite shape under the hands of the builders, until it a.s.sumed the immovable form and severe aspect of a pyramid.

Gradually the structure became more and more regular in the character of its interior and in the outline of its exterior, till it finally stood sharply defined against the sky, the pride of the builders and the marvel of future ages.

It is said by one authority that there were about seventy of these pyramids erected along the plateau west of Memphis, between Abu Roash and Dashur. Among them were some especially noted for their size and magnificence.

According to an ancient writer, the usages and customs of the Egyptians were directly opposite to those of other nations. It was the custom for the women to be employed in business and trade, while the men stayed at home to spin and attend to domestic affairs. This gave rise to the extraordinary law by which the daughters, not the sons, were obliged to provide for their parents.

In carrying burdens, the men bore them upon the head, the women upon the shoulder. Bread was kneaded with the feet, and mortar mixed with the hands. In all other countries the cattle were separated from the members of the household, but in Egypt men and beasts dwelt together.

According to this author, the Egyptians were the first to a.s.sert the immortality of the soul. They believed that the soul, after the corruption of the body, entered some animal, and by a continuous change pa.s.sed successively into the different kinds of creatures belonging to the air, earth, and water. After a lapse of three thousand years it again dwelt in a human body.

The utmost care was employed to preserve the body as long as possible, that the soul might be obliged to continue with it. As the body was thus cared for, or embalmed, no labor nor cost was spared in building the sepulchers, which were termed _eternal mansions_. Their houses were built with much less care and expense, for they considered them but inns where men abode as travelers for a few years.

Many of the embalmed bodies, or mummies, have been brought from Egypt and placed in national museums. Some of the coffins in which they lie are very thick. They are generally of sycamore, which does not decay so easily as some wood. Some are of stone, others of cloth pasted together, making them very strong.

The top of the coffin is usually cut into the shape of a head, with a face resembling a woman's painted on it. Some of these coffins are handsomely marked with hieroglyphics. The body of the coffin is plain, with a broad pedestal at the lower end on which it can rest in an upright position.

The embalmed body appears wrapped in a shroud of linen upon which are fastened many linen scrolls painted with sacred characters. The face is covered with a headpiece of linen fitted with plaster. On this the countenance of the deceased is represented in gold.

The whole body is swathed with linen bands with great neatness and skill. There cannot be less than one thousand yards of these linen bands upon a single body.

The great pyramids of Gizeh have a situation on a hill six miles west of the Nile and at a distance of ninety miles from the Mediterranean Sea.

They are three in number.

There is a fine highway, built at some elevation above the plain and shaded by acacia trees, running from Cairo to these pyramids, a distance of about eight miles. As we cross the river by means of a modern iron bridge, we behold from the center of it a series of most beautiful pictures.

The Nile, even at its lowest stage, impresses us as a n.o.ble river. It is the longest river of the eastern continent, and is exceeded in length only by the Amazon and the Mississippi. True, the volume of its waters is doubtless exceeded by that of several others, since the amount is diminished by the light rainfall and the narrow watershed of the latter half of the course.

Gazing at the Nile, we can but reflect upon what it has done and what it now does for Egypt, and we realize that its flood is one of the greatest blessings, if not one of the greatest wonders in the world.

We cross the bridge, and the road we follow leads to the western hills, on the northern extremity of which stand the pyramids of Gizeh, at an elevation of one hundred feet above the sea. The whole of this region was, from the earliest period, one of the cemeteries of old Memphis, which was the residence of the ancient Egyptian kings.

The largest and most ancient of the pyramids was built by Khufu. Within the solemn stillness of the chambers of the pyramid of Khufu the stone coffin which contained the royal mummy was placed. Upon the walls was sculptured the story of the dead king's deeds. A stone sealed the pa.s.sage leading to these silent chambers. Three hundred and sixty thousand men were employed for twenty years in building this pyramid.

Another of these pyramids, Cheops, was built by the brother and successor of Khufu. It is constructed of huge blocks of red granite upon a vast ledge of hard limestone rock. This ledge is one hundred and thirty-seven feet above the level of the Nile.

History states that the pyramid was originally built in layers which formed steps. These were covered either with marble or alabaster, making a fine smooth surface. The footprints of Time have removed this outer covering, and the foundation steps, once rough, are now worn smooth by the feet of travelers. Cheops covers an area of thirteen acres.

The pyramid has a length of seven hundred and fifty-seven feet on each side. Originally it stood four hundred and eighty feet high; twenty feet have, however been removed.

Two hundred and six steps, or layers of stone, lead to the top, a tedious climb, requiring almost as much courage and zeal as to scale the Alps. The ascent is usually made from one of the corners by winding back and forth over the angle in a zigzag direction.

It is not safe to attempt to make the ascent without suitable guides, for one soon becomes dizzy and helpless. A little girl carrying a jar of water usually accompanies the traveler, who frequently finds it necessary to avail himself of her proffered services. The descent is less dangerous but quite as exciting, for the guides, taking the traveler by the hand, leap down the steps at a merry rate. It is with a feeling of relief, no doubt, that the traveler finds himself standing on mother earth again.

The third pyramid was built by Menkera, a successor of Khufu. In the central vault the mummy of Menkera was found. The sarcophagus, in which it lies, is of blue basalt, and contains the following description, "Osiris, King Menkera, ever-living one. Thy mother Nut is outstretched over thee; in her name of the mystery of the sky may she deify thee and destroy thy enemies, King Menkera, ever-living one."

According to accounts handed down from the Egyptian priests, the immense ma.s.ses of stone used in the construction of the pyramids were brought from Arabia. They were put into place by building up huge mounds of earth beneath them, and allowing them to slide into position, as if from an inclined plane. It is certain that stone such as was used in the pyramids is not to be found within many miles of these structures.

Various reasons have been a.s.signed for the building of the pyramids other than that they were intended as burial places for kings.

Some writers believe that their dimensions were meant for the basis of a system of weights and measures. Some have discovered a geometrical design in the construction, and believe that they were intended for teaching astronomy. Others argue, that only a "divine origin, plan, and purpose could account for the wonderful skill and hidden mysteries of the great monuments."

The wonderful Sphinx of Egypt is supposed to have been planned by the monarch Khafra.

"This great image stands north of the second pyramid of Gizeh. The effigy is the symbolical form of the G.o.d _Harmachu_, meaning Horus the Resplendent, to whom the adjacent temple was dedicated.

"The figure is hewn out of the solid rock. It has the body of a crouching lion and the head of a man capped and bearded. It is one hundred and ninety feet high.

"Between the paws, which are extended to a distance of fifty feet, is a monumental stone bearing the name of Khafra, who is said to have dedicated the image. The shoulders are thirty-six feet in breadth. The head measures from top to chin twenty-eight feet and six inches.

"The drifting sands of centuries have fallen around the mighty effigy, until only the solemn visage, looking out towards the Nile, and a small part of the shoulders and back remain above the level of the desert."

CHAPTER Lx.x.xV.

HELIOPOLIS, THEBES, AND KARNAC.

About ten miles northeast of Cairo lie a few crumbled stones and a single obelisk; these are all that remain of the ancient city of Heliopolis. This obelisk, the oldest in Egypt, was erected by the second king of the fourth dynasty, about two hundred years before the dawn of the Christian era.

Heliopolis was not only a famous city of the ancient world, but it was the seat of learning as well. One of its greatest attractions was the Temple of the Sun, possibly the most celebrated building in Egypt.

This temple has been described as standing in an area which measured a mile in length and half a mile in width. The approach to it was by an avenue lined with colossal sphinxes.