Pharaoh Khafre or as the greek call him Chephren is one of the most important kings in Ancient Egyptian civilization. He is the Son of King Khufu the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza; He desired to follow the legacy of his father by constructing the second pyramid.
History and Family of Pharaoh Khafre
He ruled Egypt for 26 years from 2558 B.C to 2532 B.C during the old kingdom and was successes by his son Menkaure. His name means "the appearing of Ra", He had countless wives but his chief wife was queen Mereceankh. He also had 12 sons and 3 daughters.
Khafre sent various trading expedition to Sinai and Nubia during his reign. He is considered to be the builder of the 2nd largest Pyramid at the Giza Complex and the north side of Giza Complex is the house of mummification the valley temple.
The Great Pyramid of Khafre
The second pyramid of the Giza complex is the reason for his eternal fame. It was constructed during the 4th dynasty in 2540 BC in the old kingdom (2686-2134 BC).
The Egyptian name of the pyramid is "Wer(en)-khafre which means "Khafre is Great". It was built out of Tura limestone blocks with some pink granite slabs in the inner structure and it reaches the height of 136.4 (448 ft.) on a base of 215.5 m (706 ft.).
The Valley Temple
The blocks of the Valley Temple are made of Red Granite and still in a very good condition. It holds amazing carvings of many deities like Hathor.
It also contains some colossal statues of Pharaoh Khafre that are made out of Diorite which is located within the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The Sphinx
The Great Sphinx is the sole guardian of Egypt stands at 240 ft (73 m) long and 66 ft (20 m) high and is believed was built during the old kingdom in 4th dynasty, it is surrounded by great mysteries and many unanswered questions reviling its true age, origin, and purpose.
It is presumed that the statue holds the face of Khafre and can be found in the plateau in front of the second great pyramid. The Sphinx is a mythological creature with a body of a lion and a human face and it has been built to safeguard the area from any danger.
