埃及的金字塔（Pyramids）建于4500年前,是古埃及法老（即國(guó)王）和王后的陵墓.陵墓是用巨大石塊修砌成的方錐形建筑,因形似漢字“金”字,故譯作“金字塔”.埃及迄今已發(fā)現(xiàn)大大小小的金字塔110座,大多建于埃及古王朝時(shí)期.在埃及已發(fā)現(xiàn)的金字塔中,最大最有名的是位于開羅西南面的吉薩高地上的祖孫三代金字塔.它們是大金字塔（也稱胡夫金字塔）、海夫拉金字塔和門卡烏拉金字塔,與其周圍眾多的小金字塔形成金字塔群,為埃及金字塔建筑藝術(shù)的頂峰.
大金字塔是埃及現(xiàn)存規(guī)模最大的金字塔,被喻為“世界古代七大奇觀之一”.它建于埃及第四王朝第二位法老胡夫統(tǒng)治時(shí)期（約公元前2670年）,原高146．59米,因頂端剝落,現(xiàn)高136．5米,塔的4個(gè)斜面正對(duì)東南西北四個(gè)方向,塔基呈正方形,每邊長(zhǎng)約230多米,占地面積5．29萬(wàn)平方米.塔身由230萬(wàn)塊巨石組成,它們大小不一,分別重達(dá)1．5噸至160噸,平均重約2．5噸.據(jù)考證,為建成大金字塔,一共動(dòng)用了10萬(wàn)人花了20年時(shí)間.

1989年3月16日,埃及考古工作者在開羅西南部金字塔區(qū)一座金字塔底的淺坑中
挖掘出一具4400年前古埃及王妃的木乃伊.

第二大金字塔是古埃及第四王朝（約公元前2575年至公元前2465年）的第四位法老海夫拉的陵墓,因此被稱為海夫拉金字塔,塔高143．5米.舉世聞名的獅身人面像便緊挨著海夫拉金字塔,據(jù)傳人面是海夫拉的模擬像.長(zhǎng)期以來(lái),由于該金字塔內(nèi)的濕度過(guò)大、通風(fēng)較差,墓室內(nèi)部的墻壁出現(xiàn)裂縫.1992年,海夫拉金字塔又經(jīng)歷了一次強(qiáng)度為5．4級(jí)的地震,受到了部分損壞.此后經(jīng)過(guò)兩年多的全面修繕,于2001年7月重新開放.
門卡烏拉金字塔的底邊邊長(zhǎng)108.5米,塔高66.5米.1839年,一名英國(guó)探險(xiǎn)家首次打開這座金字塔,在墓室中發(fā)現(xiàn)一具花崗巖石棺及法老木乃伊.但裝運(yùn)這些文物的船只在返回英國(guó)途中遭遇意外,石棺和木乃伊都沉入大西洋.
1993年初,考古學(xué)家在吉薩省的金字塔區(qū)考察時(shí),意外地發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)規(guī)模龐大的古墓群,里面共有160多個(gè)古墓,墓里的象形文字記錄了金字塔修建時(shí)的情況.墓壁上有繪畫,生動(dòng)地展現(xiàn)了金字塔修建時(shí)的情況.這群古墓造型多樣,用料不一.有的墓如金字塔形狀,有的呈圓形拱狀,有的是長(zhǎng)方形平頂斜坡式造型.用料主要有3種：土磚、玄武巖和花崗石.為了進(jìn)一步研究新發(fā)現(xiàn)的古墓,埃及文化部成立了一個(gè)科研小組,有關(guān)金字塔建造者之謎將會(huì)進(jìn)一步被揭開.1996年7月,埃及又決定開放位于開羅以南約35公里的達(dá)舒爾的4座金字塔.
這4座金字塔中有兩座是為古埃及第四王朝的法老薩夫羅建造的,距今近4600年,其中的一座造型獨(dú)特,被稱為“彎曲金字塔”或“折角金字塔”,其底部為邊長(zhǎng)188米的正方形,高約98米.它的奇特之處在于它的每面具有兩個(gè)坡度.考古學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn),古埃及人在施工時(shí),先以54度的傾角修建,到一定高度后,又改為以43度的傾角繼續(xù)向上建造,直至完工.這樣金字塔的四面看起來(lái)便是彎曲的.為薩夫羅國(guó)王所建造的另一座金字塔所用的建筑材料為顏色發(fā)紅的石灰石,因此被稱為“紅色金字塔”.1996年8月,埃及考古工作者在開羅西南吉薩金字塔群附近清理門卡烏拉金字塔底座時(shí),偶然發(fā)現(xiàn)兩尊罕見的拉美西斯二世石像,這是在金字塔高地首次發(fā)現(xiàn)與拉美西斯二世有關(guān)的文物.
新發(fā)現(xiàn)的兩尊石像位于第三座大金字塔門卡烏拉金字塔旁,它們被雕刻在同一塊石頭上,高3．5米、重約4噸.其中一尊反映了拉美西斯二世的真面目,另一尊則集拉美西斯二世和荷拉·烏赫梯神像于一體. 拉美西斯二世是古埃及第19王朝著名法老（約公元前1304－前1237年）.

一男子騎著駱駝從埃及開羅近郊的吉薩金字塔附近經(jīng)過(guò)（攝于1962年）.

吉薩金字塔屬于埃及古王國(guó)（公元前3200－前2270年）時(shí)期的文物,而拉美西斯二世則生活在埃及新王國(guó)（公元前1560－前1100年）時(shí)代.考古專家認(rèn)為這一重要發(fā)現(xiàn)可能有助于人們揭示金字塔地區(qū)更多秘密.
近十年來(lái),參觀金字塔的大量游人使金字塔內(nèi)部濕度不斷上升、化學(xué)物質(zhì)增加,從而損害了金字塔的牢固性.為了更好保護(hù)金字塔這一珍貴古跡,1995年4月,埃及政府宣布1995年為保護(hù)金字塔年.
埃及金字塔是從早期的王陵馬斯塔巴墓發(fā)展開來(lái)的.建筑金字塔的歷史從第三王朝到第十三王朝,跨越了10個(gè)朝代.金字塔閃耀著古埃及人民智慧和力量的光芒.直到今天,規(guī)模宏大、建筑神奇、氣勢(shì)雄偉的金字塔依然給人留下許多未解之謎.神秘的埃及金字塔吸引許多科學(xué)家、考古學(xué)家和歷史學(xué)家前往探究,也吸引世界各地的無(wú)數(shù)游客前去觀光游覽.
A Short Introduction to The Pyramids of Egypt
by Jimmy Dunn

Though we have a comprehensive site on the Pyramids of Egypt, this is a summary overview for those who would like to digest just a little less information.
The Great Pyramids of Giza are some of the most famous manmade objects in the world, and they have been famous since ancient times. In fact, the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) is the only "Wonder of the Ancient World" that still survives. However, there are actually over one hundred Pyramids in Egypt, including at least eight more at Giza (two belonging to kings and six to queens).
Many Egyptologists have somewhat different views on exactly why the ancient Egyptian kings built Pyramids as their tombs, but all of them seem to agree that it had to do with their worship of the sun god, Re (Ra). Most believe that the Pyramid was symbolic of the Benben, a mound that rose from the waters during the creation of the earth, in ancient Egyptian mythology, which was closely associated with Re as the creator god.
How pyramids were built is also a matter of some controversy. Traditional views, regarding the length of time and the labor force of workers required has changed in recent years. Most Egyptologists no longer believe that many slaves were used, and it is probable that much of the most difficult work of hauling the large blocks up ramps was probably performed using beasts of labor such as oxen. Experiments have also demonstrated that it probably took less time to build them then we originally thought. One reason is that there were probably not as many solid blocks used as we once believed. Rubble and sand were instead used to fill pockets surrounded by solid stone, in many instances.
The Pyramids of Giza are very important, and world famous, but they are not the only important pyramids in Egypt. For example, The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara (Sakkara) is extremely important as the first pyramid built in Egypt, though it is not a true, smooth sided one. There are also a number of pyramids in and around Dahshur that are important because they show the evolution, including the failures and the first success of the pyramid builders, as they tried to build the first true, smooth sided pyramid. Other later pyramids are less spectacular, sometimes made of mudbrick and therefore not as well preserved today, but still important, because they are the first to be decorated with inscriptions and various scenes. For example, the ruined pyramid of Unas at Saqqara was the first one that we know of to be inscribed with the 128 magical spells of the Pyramid Text.
The importance of other pyramids, particularly those of a late date, is less obvious to most people, but not to Egyptologists. They reveal the gradual change that the Egyptians made in their religion, as it concerns death and the afterlife, towards the worship of a god named Osiris. The Pyramid of Ahmose at Abydos must also be important to us, because it marks the very end of the Pyramid Period. It was the last pyramid ever built by the kings.
Just about every pyramid, grand and small, is located within just a few miles of Egypt's modern capital, Cairo. However, this is because Cairo is very near the ancient capital known as the White Walls, though most people know it better by its Greek name, Memphis. Most of the pyramids are clustered in several specific areas that we refer to as pyramid fields, though pyramid fields are almost always a part of a larger necropolis (cemetery) containing other types of tombs. The major ones are the Giza Plateau, of course, Saqqara (Sakkara), Dahshur, Abusir, Abu Rawash. Other Pyramids are somewhat scattered out between Dahshur and the Fayoum just south of Cairo. Still other less well known pyramids are scattered about in places such as Zawiyet el-Aryan (which is between Giza and Abusir and Mazghuna. Some Egyptologists believe that, in reality, this dense region of pyramids between Giza and Saqqara may have been one huge necropolis (cemetery).
All of these pyramids are near Cairo, but there are a few others that are further south. One building which was probably the pyramid of Khui, though it is very ruined, is located in Dara, which is about in the middle of the Nile Valley, called Middle Egypt. The last pyramid built by Ahmose I is even further south, at Abydos. The only other pyramids built for burial purposes that we know of in Egypt were the non-royal pyramids of the workers who lived at Deir el-Medina on the West Bank at Luxor (ancient Thebes). There are, however, a series of small step pyramids that were not tombs, that stretch from Seila in the north to Elephantine Island in the south. We are really not very sure of the purpose of these small pyramids. However, we should also note that the Nubians, who lived further south in what is now the Sudan, also built pyramids used for tombs, though their royal pyramids were more similar to the non-royal ones at Deir el-Medina.
Pyramids in Egypt were only one type of tomb used mostly to bury kings and sometimes queens during a specific period of time. The "Pyramid Age" lasted from about the 3rd Dynasty reign of Djoser (2630 BC) until the Reign of Ahmose I, which ended in about 1514 BC. However, few of the kings after the 12th Dynasty (ending in about 1759 BC) seem to have built pyramids. Before the Pyramid Age, kings were buried in tombs known as mastabas, because from a distance they look like Arabic benches, and that is the term in Arabic for a bench. After the Pyramid Age, kings were buried in rock cut tombs that they tried to hide from tomb robbers. There was no structure above ground at the tomb to give its location away.
However, after the very earliest period of Egyptian history, the tombs of kings were almost always complexes, having other buildings and structures other than the tomb itself. Almost all royal tombs, including pyramids, had a mortuary temple where priests were supposed to take care of the king's soul (known as his Ka). During the Pyramid Age, the mortuary temple was located right next to the pyramid itself, though after the Pyramid Age, the mortuary temple was separated from the tomb so that the tomb's location would be less obvious to grave robbers. Other structures usually included a valley temple, usually near the Nile River, which was sort of an entrance to the complex, a causeway, which was a corridor that led from the valley temple to the mortuary temple, and usually a "cult pyramid", which was a smaller pyramid set next to the larger one. We think that the cult pyramid was probably built for the king's Ka. Usually, the pyramid complex was surrounded by a wall, known as an enclosure wall. Pyramid complexes also typically contained other tombs or smaller pyramids belonging to the king's wives and other family members, and there were also pits dug for boats, which were the boats that carried the dead king in his funeral, or were symbolic boats for his journey through the afterlife. Other parts of the greater pyramid complex might include storage buildings, a village for the workers who built the pyramid, and housing for the priests who took care of the dead king.