Pyramid of Khafre

The Pyramid of Chephren, IV ruler of the IV dynasty was the cenotaph erected by the sovereign himself on the plain of Gizadurante the Old Kingdom and called "Wr Kafre" or "Great is Kafre".

The pyramid of Khafre is the second largest after the famous pyramid of his father Cheops.

In the lower half it has large rough and irregular blocks arranged with poor precision, while towards the top these appear more evenly arranged.

Over the millennia, various seismic movements have caused the movement of some millimeters of the stones.

The pyramid appears higher than that of Cheops because it was built on a 10-meter high rock base. Its height would appear even greater if it were not without part of the top and the pyramidion.

It has the peculiarity of being the only pyramid that keeps at the top a part of the white limestone roof of Tura that originally covered the entire structure.

The base is covered with "variegated Ethiopian stone" (as defined by Herodotus) or red and gray Aswan granite.

It has two entrances due to a change in the initial project: one at about 11.54 meters high, the other at ground level, which is the one currently used for visits.

Map: Pyramid of Khafre