The Pyramid of Khafre was built by the son and successor of Khufu (Greek: Cheops), Pharaoh Khafre (Greek: Chephren). He reigned from approximately 2558 to 2532 BC, also during the Old Kingdom period (4th Dynasty). After the death of his great father, whose pyramid consumed colossal resources, Khafre faced a difficult task: to affirm his power without yielding in grandeur to his predecessor, while likely operating under conditions of a depleted treasury and public fatigue.
His ingenious solution was not to build a pyramid taller than his father`s (the Pyramid of Khafre is slightly smaller), but to achieve visual dominance over the entire Giza plateau. He chose a higher area of the rocky plateau for construction and gave his tomb a steeper angle of inclination for its sides. As a result, despite its smaller absolute size, the Pyramid of Khafre, especially when viewed from certain angles (e.g., from the Sphinx), appears to be the tallest in the ensemble.
Architectural Parameters and Stellar Orientation
• Original Height: 143.5 m (471 ft).
• Current Height: 136.4 m (448 ft).
• Base Side Length: 215.25 m (706 ft).
• Angle of Inclination: 53°10` (steeper than the Pyramid of Khufu`s 51°50`), which creates the illusion of greater height.
• Orientation: Like the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre demonstrates flawless cardinal alignment with an error of less than 6 arc minutes. This confirms that the builders of the 4th Dynasty possessed supreme geodetic knowledge that was not lost.
Unlike the Pyramid of Khufu, whose air shafts have clear astronomical correlations, the internal structure of Khafre`s pyramid is simpler: a single burial chamber carved into the bedrock foundation, not built within the pyramid`s body. However, its entire funerary complex—the pyramid, the upper and lower temples, the covered causeway, and the colossal statue of the Great Sphinx (whose face, according to the most convincing theory, is a portrait of Khafre himself)—forms a unified architectural and religious ensemble dedicated to the solar cult and the affirmation of the pharaoh`s divine nature.
The Unique Feature of the Pyramid of Khafre
The most famous distinguishing feature of the Pyramid of Khafre is the smooth casing of Tura limestone preserved at its very apex. These are not just random fragments but a neat pyramidal "cap" crowning the structure.
History: In antiquity, all the great pyramids were covered with polished, gleaming white limestone blocks that shone in the sun. Over time, this casing was stripped away for building materials in Cairo.
Why did it survive here? The reason is physical inaccessibility. The upper rows of casing are so high and steep that removing them, without risking lives or erecting scaffolding as grand as that used during construction, was economically unfeasible. This "cap" gives us an invaluable idea of how all the Giza pyramids looked upon completion: not as rough stone mountains but as perfect, smooth, shining "benches of the pharaohs" upon which they were to ascend to the sun.
Mysteries of the Pyramid of Khafre
Double Burial Chamber: Inside the pyramid, there are two entrances (north and a higher south entrance) leading to two connected chambers. The lower chamber is carved into the bedrock and was left unfinished. Why did the plans change? Was the upper chamber a backup or the original main one? The mystery of the mid-construction design change remains unsolved.
Granite Sarcophagus: In the upper chamber stands a magnificent, perfectly polished sarcophagus made from a single block of granite with a massive, also granite, lid. When Giovanni Belzoni discovered it in 1818, only animal bones (likely from a bull), sacrificed in a later era, lay inside. The pharaoh`s mummy and burial goods were looted in deep antiquity. The fate of Khafre`s body remains unknown.
The Sphinx: Part of Khafre`s Complex: The main mystery directly linked to the pyramid is the Great Sphinx. Most Egyptologists believe it was carved on Khafre`s order, and its face is a portrait of the pharaoh. The enigmas of the Sphinx (its date, water erosion, possible hidden chambers beneath it) automatically become mysteries of Khafre`s entire complex, part of a unified theological and architectural design.
The Mystery of the Upper Temple: The granite temple at the eastern foot of the pyramid is one of the finest examples of ancient Egyptian temple architecture. Dozens of majestic statues of Khafre made of diorite were discovered there (now housed in the Egyptian Museum), but its internal ritual life and the exact purpose of all its rooms have not been fully reconstructed.
The Pyramid of Khafre is a monument not only to strength but also to wisdom. Pharaoh Khafre, without surpassing his father in absolute dimensions, surpassed him in the architectural and ideological harmony of his complex. His pyramid, crowned by a summit untouched by time, together with the eternal guardian Sphinx, creates the most recognizable and cohesive silhouette of the Giza plateau.
