Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1908-09-09
Under the Shadow of the Great
Egyptian Pyramid
CAIRO, EGYPT.l
August 6, 1906j

Gu the greater pOTGlOu VI Guo SIOUe,
have seen all the principal structure
of this great world, but to my min
nothing have ever seen can in an,
way be compared to the Sphinx anC
Pyramids of Egypt. The desire of Iif,
since five years of age is gratitied am
satisfied and / am not disappointed.
Not being a writer of any note, dc
not, dear reader, expect too much of me
but will to the best Of my ability give
you as perfect a description of the
Sphinx and Pyramids as l can. Two
friends, my Arab interpreter and my
self take carriage ard drive through
the elegant Sharia Kasi.N Nil where
many prominent buildings are situated
past the military barracks and the
State museum. The great Nile bridge is
soon reached, stretching its length Of
four bundled yards to Ghezlreh Island
and nearly always congested with
heavy traffic. Numberless camels,
horses, mules and donkeys, pulling
strangely constructed two wheeled We
hicles bringing provision which the
markets of the great town need. Having
safely crossed the world famed bridge
we come to what is perhaps one of the
most delightful parts of the trip. The
drive along the Pyramid road which is
lined, on both sides for a distance of
six and half miles with acacia trees and
terminates directly facing the great pile
Of stone known as the Cheops Pyra-
mid. Here at this point almost an
army Of Arabs, camels and donkeys |
wait ones arrival After being seated on
a camel each Of us (and not very COM
ortable either we proceed on our
Quincy.
First we visit the Sphinx and
hough its features are greatly mutt
ated, still various strong expressions
AN be noted. may remind the read
r that this celebrated statue is hewn
'ut of the living rock with a few ad-
itions of masonry where necessary.
he face was once most brilliantly
olOred and even now bears traces of
amt. The length Of the body Of the
pink is about one hundred and fifty
9et. The head is thirty feet long and
he face fourteen feet wide. From +
be top of the head to the base of the 8
CURE is about seventy feet. The paws +
% fifty feet in length, The figure is G
'garded as Of immense antiquity, hay o
& been in existence when Cheops n
AIRED the great Pyramid. Between its
Avs sacrifices were offered to the di-
nifty which it was supposed to repre-
MT. Within the last few years many
cavatiOns have been made around it }
1t the sands OF the desert seem to '
ow in about as fast as they are dug i
t. A little to the south of SPHINX 2
ands the remains of the large granite Il
d lime stone temple excavated in y
%, commonly known as the temple of
e SphiI x. Statues of King Chephren al
W in the Cairo museum were fC und &c
the bottom of the big well in one of
e chambers, hence it has been gener-
y supposed that he was the builder
the giant monument close by. Near 10
is the tomb Of numbers made for lie
lafrank royal relative and prizes q
Chephren who built the second ~
ramid. 1t is called the tomb of
nbers because the mum bers of cat
possessed by the occupant of the
ND are engraved on the walls. The he
ramids of Abu ROush are six miles de
rth of the great Pyramids. The w
ramids OF Abusir lies eight miles to Of,
south of the great Pyramids of pc
lzeh. Originally they were fourteen ia
number and the largest were built ~
the Kings Of the Fifth dynasty. l
not visit the above but could see
of them very distinctly. Ly
low last but not least | will give you ee'
escription in detail of the three arg- hin
Pyramids which are situated light of
nd near the Sphinx, The great Ply cal
lid, the largest OF the three at Ghizeh i ~
built by Khutu or Cheops the
md king of the fourth dynasty, b.
1913 who called it "Kbut." His .
ie was found written in red ink rec
II the blocks OF stone inside it. All say
: sides at the base measure in length tho
feet each. Its height now is 451 feet INV
it is said to have been originally eve
ut 4S1 feet. The stone used in the q
'truction of this Pyramid was
lght from Tourah and Mokattam -,
the contents amounted to $1,000, PHI
cubic feet. The flat space at the lust
Is about 30 feet square. At the Felt
st estimate there were employed In DIIe
obstruction 100000 men every dey Hill
nore than twenty years. Now | Cor
grant that the stones were brought
Tourah and Mokattam which is a :. a
more than five hundred miles cIoi,
the Pyramid. The three uu- SecC
erble questions in Try mind are, lhll
were the stones gotten out of the - -
ry? How were they conveyed to the
of building2 and how were they
up after being on the ground?
stones visible to the eye are all A,
from one by one foot square to II and
feet, which | measured myself pers
lot only is it that size but is granite othe
polished. The entrance to the in T re- :,
: Of this great Pyramid is about Hon
feet from the ground; long pas cont
leads to the Kings chamber in orue
Of which lies the empty, coverless i'm,
IN red Ora MITE sarcOphaOua of