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The second great pyramid of Giza — still crowned with a cap of its original casing stones, and appearing the tallest of the three thanks to its higher ground.الهرم الثاني من أهرامات الجيزة — ما زال متوّجًا بغطاءٍ من أحجار كسائه الأصلية، ويبدو الأطول بين الثلاثة بفضل أرضه الأعلى.
The second of Giza's three great pyramids was built by the pharaoh Khafre, son of Khufu, around 4,500 years ago. Though slightly smaller than his father's Great Pyramid, it often looks taller, because it stands on higher bedrock. Its most distinctive feature is the cap of original smooth casing stones still clinging to its summit — a precious glimpse of how all the pyramids once gleamed. Khafre's pyramid is also closely tied to the Great Sphinx, which guards its approach.
الهرم الثاني من أهرامات الجيزة الثلاثة بناه الفرعون خفرع، ابن خوفو، قبل نحو 4500 عام. ومع أنه أصغر قليلًا من هرم أبيه الأكبر، فإنه كثيرًا ما يبدو أطول، لأنه يقوم على صخرٍ أعلى. وأبرز ما يميّزه غطاء أحجار الكساء الملساء الأصلية الذي ما زال متشبّثًا بقمّته — لمحةٌ ثمينة لكيف كانت كل الأهرامات تتلألأ يومًا. ويرتبط هرم خفرع ارتباطًا وثيقًا بأبي الهول العظيم الذي يحرس مدخله.
The Second Great Pyramid · الهرم الثاني
A monument to rival his father’s.أثرٌ ينافس أثر أبيه.
The pyramid was built for Khafre (Chephren), a son of Khufu, around 2570 BC. Originally rising to about 136 metres, it is fractionally smaller than the Great Pyramid — yet from many viewpoints it appears the tallest of the three, an optical effect created by the higher patch of bedrock on which it sits. Like its neighbours, it was a vast feat of engineering and organisation, raised from over two million blocks of stone in the golden age of pyramid building.
The Crowning Casing · غطاء الكساء
How the pyramids once shone.كيف كانت الأهرامات تتألّق.
Khafre's pyramid is famous for the cap of smooth white casing stones still clinging to its very top. Originally, all three pyramids were sheathed in a brilliant outer layer of polished limestone that made them shine dazzlingly in the sun. Over the centuries this casing was stripped away to build medieval Cairo — but on Khafre's pyramid, that topmost layer survives, giving visitors a vivid sense of how smooth and radiant these monuments once appeared, like mountains of gleaming light.
Khafre’s Complex · مجمع خفرع
A pyramid and its guardian.هرمٌ وحارسه.
The pyramid is the centre of a larger complex. A long causeway once linked it to a beautifully preserved Valley Temple, built of massive granite blocks, near which stands the Great Sphinx — widely thought to have been carved for Khafre and to guard his monument. There was also a mortuary temple at the pyramid's base for the king's funerary cult. Together, the pyramid, Sphinx, and temples form one of the most complete and impressive royal complexes at Giza.
Quick Facts · حقائق سريعة
Sources include standard Egyptology references. Some figures are approximate.