After a business trip to Cairo, Egypt in May 2002 we stayed on for a few days and did some of the sights in and around Cairo. Of course we wanted to see Great Pyramid of Giza so we spent a couple of days visiting this incredible sight.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex bordering present-day El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact. 

Up on the Giza Plateau close to the city of Cairo it really was a different world and the immensity and complexity of these structures were immediately apparent.

After doing a tour of the Giza Plateau and seeing the pyramids and the sphinx we really wanted to be able to do the visit inside the Great Pyramid which required getting tickets which were strictly restricted. So to be able to secure the tickets we moved hotels to the Mena House Hotel which was located right outside the main entrance to the Giza Plateau. The hotel offered an incredible close view of the Great Pyramid so we could lie by the swimming pool and gaze over to the pyramid.

The next morning, and very early before all the tour buses arrived, we walked over from our hotel to the entrance to the pyramid complex so we could secure tickets to enter inside the Great Pyramid.

We were the very first visitors in that morning so got a wonderful opportunity to climb inside the Great Pyramid with no one around. After crawling in the narrow entrance we then had to climb up the steep incline of the Grand Gallery to the King’s Chamber right in the centre of the pyramid. The feeling here was just so intense and incredible.

Inside the King’s Chamber there was only one stone “coffin shaped” structure carved from solid stone which has been said to be a sarcophagus. All the stonework that made up this chamber was just so accurately placed and constructed with hardly any gap or join.

Climbing back down the inside of the pyramid we quickly returned to the heat and the sunshine outside. We then walked around this incredible structure in awe at the size and number of large blocks of stone that it was made from.

We visited the restored Khufu Ship which is an intact full-size vessel from Ancient Egypt that was sealed into a pit in the Giza pyramid complex at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza around 2500 BCE. The ship is now preserved in the Giza Solar boat museum. The ship was almost certainly built for Khufu (King Cheops). Like other buried Ancient Egyptian ships, it was apparently part of the extensive grave goods intended for use in the afterlife, and contained no bodies, unlike northern European ship burials.

We had a guide who took us around to a quieter side of the pyramid complex and showed us some areas that were actively still being excavated.

He pointed out small gaps in the rocks that led to underground chambers – there is still so much to be found and investigated here at this incredible site.

After this fascinating visit to the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Giza Plateau I finished the visit by a short game of golf at the small golf course that adjoined the Mena House Hotel. This has got to be one of the most unique golf courses I have ever played with the most incredible backdrop of the pyramids.

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Passionate Photographer …. Lost in Asia

Stuart Taylor of HighlanderImages Photography has been making images for over 30 years and can offer a diverse range of photo imaging services with a focus on Asia and a documentary/photojournalistic style. These services include planning and executing a photo shoot on location but importantly all the post-processing and image preparation needed for the specific finished media format required by the customer. Stuart’s experience and knowledge in all of these aspects make HighlanderImages Photography a one-stop-shop for a comprehensive and professional image production service.

Stuart can be available for a variety individual assignments or projects and he specialises in areas such as photojournalism, commercial, architectural, real estate, industrial, interior design, corporate, urbex, adventure, wilderness, and travel photography. 

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E-Mail : staylor@highlanderimages.com

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