Further along the southwest diagonal is the smallest of the three, the pyramid of Khephren's son, Menkaure. It is also the most unusual. First of all, it is not entirely limestone. The uppermost portions are brick, much like the Black and White Pyramids at Dahshur, though separated from them by several centuries. One theory is that Menkaure died before his pyramid could be completed, and the remaining construction was hastily done to finish in time for the burial. It is also not along the diagonal line that runs through the Great Pyramid and the Second Pyramid, but instead is nearly a hundred meters to the southeast. This error, if error it is, is of a magnitude not in keeping with the mathematical skill known to have been possessed by the ancient Egyptians. However, an idea has emerged in the last few years that the three large pyramids of Giza are actually meant to be in an alignment resembling that of the three "belt" stars in the constellation Orion: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. This theory is largely discounted by the majority of Egyptologists, but some do believe it is a point to ponder.

Giza can be subdivided into two groupings of monuments, clearly defined and separated by a wadi. The larger grouping consists of the three "Great" pyramids of Khufu, Khephren, and Menkaure; the Sphinx, the pyramids of the queens, attendant temples and outbuildings, and the private mastabas of the nobility. The second grouping, located on the ridge to the southeast, contains a number of private tombs of citizens of various classes. While the majority of the monuments of the larger grouping are made from limestone that was quarried and transported to the site, the tombs of the smaller grouping are simply carved out of the native living rock.

All three pyramids stand empty, possibly plundered during the political unrest that ended the Old Kingdom when the monarchy collapsed. Yet there are the occasional surprises. Airtight pits along the southern and eastern walls of Khufu's pyramid are believed to contain boats (not small ritual boats, but fully-functional funerary barges with 40-ton displacements, one such was excavated in 1954); and most recently, evidence has been found of a tunnel linking a hidden chamber within the Great Pyramid with a previously unknown chamber beneath the Sphinx. What treasures and discoveries lie within these areas remains to be seen, but it is hoped that the wait will not be long.

The advantages of Giza for a burial site are numerous, and it is fairly easy to see why it was chosen. It is high and flat ground overlooking everything. Any monument placed there would be seen from far away, especially if traveling via the Nile. It also has a ready supply of limestone on-site, eliminating the need to transport the blocks over a protracted distance.

Since around the Fifth Century BC and up until recently stone from the monuments was taken and used to build buildings in nearby Cairo. First the polished white limestone "casing" was taken, then the softer core stones. Many of Cairo's oldest buildings are built partly from stones from the pyramids. This destruction continued well into the Nineteenth Century until preservation efforts and a resurgence of national pride put a stop to it. It is believed that had the pyramids not been vandalized, that they would still remain to this day much as they were when they were built. As the saying goes, "Man fears Time, but Time fears the Pyramids."

Exactly how big Giza is may never be known. Excavations have continued to find new tombs and artifacts since Bezoni, Caviglia, Perring, and Vyse began the first systematic study of Giza in the early 1800s. It has been explored and excavated more thoroughly than any other site in Egypt, possibly more than any other site in the world, yet no one believes it is anywhere near completion.

One thing the Sphinx illustrates very well is the shifting nature of its environment. It has been repeatedly covered up by the desert then revealed either through the efforts of man or the unpredictable forces of nature. Even the ancient Egyptians had to adapt, building an adjoining altar on top of another that had been swallowed by the sand. The ancient Greeks would come to this place and marvel at the half-man, half-beast resting in the desert. In fact, it was they who christened it the "Sphinx," naming it after a mythical winged creature in their own culture. Evidence of Greek life in the area can be found in a bit of ancient graffiti scratched into the paws of the Sphinx -- it is a poem of peace. Later, the Romans would build a stairway and a ramp over both altars after they had vanished under the sands of time. In 1816, a French expedition uncovered part of the limestone monster, but only managed to dig away at the rear portion because of the shifting sand. Then in 1925 yet another expedition managed to clear the front part of the Sphinx, revealing its true form. It was all these layers of buildings underneath the sand that has given rise to the myths of hidden chambers and buried treasures in the desert.

Those rumors led to fortune-seekers burrowing into the monument. Since it was first uncovered, the Sphinx has been repeatedly patched and repaired over more than 3,000 years. In fact, the first recorded patch-up job was ordered by Pharaoh Tutmosis IV when he was just a prince about 1500 BC. Some jobs were of a better quality than others. A restoration project started in 1990 and lasting seven years used more than 100,000 stones to restore the Sphinx's body, but the rising Nile water table continues to wreak havoc on the monument.

It seems there are as many rumors surrounding what happened to the Sphinx's nose and beard than there are theories about who built it and why. One popular theory is that Napoleon's French solders shot it off because he considered it a threat to his power. Another version of this tale has Turkish soldiers joining in for target practice. One of these older theories has a Muslim Fatmid personally taking an axe to the Sphinx between 969 and 1071 because he thought it was a symbol of a pagan religion. Another puts the loss of the nose at about 1300 AD. There is one fact, however -- part of the Sphinx's beard was recovered from the sand during excavation and is now in the British Museum in London.

Fortunately, Philae was saved from drowning. In 1977, a coffer dam was constructed around the temples and the water was pumped out. Then the temples were carefully dismantled with every block assigned a number and its position noted. A nearby higher island called Agilkai was modified to resemble Philae and the temples were reassembled. In 1980, Philae was once again opened to the public.

If time permits, a night visit for the Sound and Light Show is very worthwhile as the temples look stunning under floodlights. Shows are presented in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Arabic. The language and time schedule should be checked before going.