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	{{short description\|Site of the largest known collection of pyramids, in Egypt}}		{{short description\|Site of the largest known collection of pyramids, in Egypt}}
	[[~~Image~~:~~Giza-pyramids~~.~~JPG~~\|thumb\|300px\|~~From north to south: parts of the city of Giza, the [[Giza Necropolis]], and part of the~~ Giza plateau]]		[[File:Plateau_de_gizeh.glb\|thumb\|300px\| Giza plateau]]
	The '''Giza Plateau''' ({{langx\|ar\|هضبة الجيزة}}) is a limestone [[plateau]] in [[Giza]], Egypt, the site of the [[Fourth Dynasty]] [[Giza pyramid complex]], which includes the pyramids of [[Pyramid of Khufu\|Khufu]], [[Pyramid of Khafre\|Khafre]] and [[Pyramid of Menkaure\|Menkaure]], the [[Great Sphinx of Giza\|Great Sphinx]], several cemeteries, a workers' village and an industrial complex. It forms the northernmost part of the {{Convert\|160\|km2\|sqmi\|abbr=on}} [[Memphite Necropolis\|Pyramid Fields]] in the [[Western Desert (Egypt)\|Western Desert]] edge of the Nile Valley that are part of the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]], '''Memphis and its Necropolis'''.<ref>{{Cite web \|last= \|first= \|title=Memphis and its Necropolis; the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur \|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/86/ \|access-date=2023-01-21 \|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre \|language=en}}</ref>		The '''Giza Plateau''' ({{langx\|ar\|هضبة الجيزة}}) is a limestone [[plateau]] in [[Giza]], Egypt, the site of the [[Fourth Dynasty]] [[Giza pyramid complex]], which includes the pyramids of [[Pyramid of Khufu\|Khufu]], [[Pyramid of Khafre\|Khafre]] and [[Pyramid of Menkaure\|Menkaure]], the [[Great Sphinx of Giza\|Great Sphinx]], several cemeteries, a workers' village and an industrial complex. It forms the northernmost part of the {{Convert\|160\|km2\|sqmi\|abbr=on}} [[Memphite Necropolis\|Pyramid Fields]] in the [[Western Desert (Egypt)\|Western Desert]] edge of the Nile Valley that are part of the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]], '''Memphis and its Necropolis'''.<ref>{{Cite web \|last= \|first= \|title=Memphis and its Necropolis; the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur \|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/86/ \|access-date=2023-01-21 \|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre \|language=en}}</ref>

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{{short description|Site of the largest known collection of pyramids, in Egypt}}
[[Image:Giza-pyramids.JPG|thumb|300px|From north to south: parts of the city of Giza, the [[Giza Necropolis]], and part of the Giza plateau]]
The '''Giza Plateau''' ({{langx|ar|هضبة الجيزة}}) is a limestone [[plateau]] in [[Giza]], Egypt, the site of the [[Fourth Dynasty]] [[Giza pyramid complex]], which includes the pyramids of [[Pyramid of Khufu|Khufu]], [[Pyramid of Khafre|Khafre]] and [[Pyramid of Menkaure|Menkaure]], the [[Great Sphinx of Giza|Great Sphinx]], several cemeteries, a workers' village and an industrial complex. It forms the northernmost part of the {{Convert|160|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} [[Memphite Necropolis|Pyramid Fields]] in the [[Western Desert (Egypt)|Western Desert]] edge of the Nile Valley that are part of the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]], '''Memphis and its Necropolis'''.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Memphis and its Necropolis; the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/86/ |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref>

The plateau is elevated approximately {{Convert|60|m|ft}} above sea-level.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://elevation.maplogs.com/poi/giza_plateau_al_haram_giza_governorate_egypt.321594.html| title=Elevation of Giza Plateau, Al Haram, Giza Governorate, Egypt|publisher=elevation.maplogs.com}}</ref>

== Geology ==
The Plateau is composed of the [[Eocene|Middle Eocene]]-aged [[Limestone|limestones]] of the [[Mokattam Formation]], which were used to later construct the pyramids. The plateau's elevation over the surrounding region appears to originate from a major [[Zanclean|Early Pliocene]]-aged [[marine transgression]] potentially linked to the [[Zanclean flood]], which eroded much of the surrounding rock and formed the steep escarpment. The cliffs of the Giza plateau would have overlooked an expanded [[Mediterranean Sea]] around this time.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Aigner |first=Thomas |date=1983-07-01 |title=A pliocene cliff-line around the giza pyramids plateau, Egypt |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0031018283900299 |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |volume=42 |issue=3 |pages=313–322 |doi=10.1016/0031-0182(83)90029-9 |issn=0031-0182|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Pyramid complex and Great Sphinx ==
=== Giza pyramid complex ===
{{Main|Giza pyramid complex}}

[[File:Pyramids_of_the_Giza_Necropolis.jpg|thumb|[[Pyramids of Giza]][[File:Bruy004reiz03ill128.gif|thumb|A sketch made by Dutch traveller Cornelis de Bruyn on his journey through Egypt in 1698.]]]]
The Giza pyramid complex (مجمع أهرامات الجيزة), also called the Giza necropolis and also known as the Pyramids of Giza or Egypt, is the site on the Giza Plateau in Giza, that includes the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]], the [[Pyramid of Khafre]], and the [[Pyramid of Menkaure]], along with their associated pyramid complexes and the [[Great Sphinx of Giza]]. All were built during the [[Fourth Dynasty of Egypt|Fourth Dynasty]] of the [[Old Kingdom of Egypt|Old Kingdom]] of [[Ancient Egypt]], between 2600 and 2500 BC. The site also includes several cemeteries and the remains of a workers' village.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/sites/2739/full/ |title=Giza Plateau |author= |date= |website=Digital Giza |publisher=[[Harvard University]] |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>

The Giza pyramid complex consists of the [[Great Pyramid of Giza|Great Pyramid]] (also known as the Pyramid of Cheops or [[Khufu]] and constructed c. 2580 – c. 2560 BC), the somewhat smaller [[Pyramid of Khafre]] (or Chephren) a few hundred metres to the south-west, and the relatively modest-sized [[Pyramid of Menkaure]] (or Mykerinos) a few hundred metres farther south-west. The [[Great Sphinx]] lies on the east side of the complex. Current consensus among Egyptologists is that the head of the Great Sphinx is that of [[Khafre]]. Along with these major monuments are a number of smaller satellite edifices, known as "queens" pyramids, causeways pyramid temples, valley temples, harbours, three cemetery fields and a workers' town.
=== Great Sphinx of Giza ===
{{Main|Great Sphinx of Giza}}
[[File:Great Sphinx of Giza May 2015.JPG|thumb|[[Great Sphinx of Giza]]]]
The Great Sphinx of Giza is a [[limestone]] statue of a reclining [[sphinx]], a [[Legendary creature|mythical creature]] with the head of a human, and the body of a lion. Facing directly from west to east, it was carved out of a low lying spur of the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza. The face of the Sphinx appears to represent the [[pharaoh]] Khafre.

The original shape of the Sphinx was cut from the [[bedrock]], and has since been restored with layers of [[limestone block]]s. It measures {{Convert|73|m|ft|abbr=on}} long from paw to tail, {{Convert|20|m|ft|abbr=on}} high from the base to the top of the head and {{Convert|19|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide at its rear haunches. Its nose was broken off between the 3rd and 10th centuries AD. The Arab historian al-Maqrīzī, writing in the 15th century, attributes the loss of the nose to Muhammad Sa'im al-Dahr.<ref name="Egyptology">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rdI96px90kUC&dq=al+minufi&pg=PA89|title=Egyptology: The Missing Millennium : Ancient Egypt in Medieval Arabic Writings|author=Okasha El Daly|date=12 November 2005|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=9781844720637|accessdate=12 November 2021|via=Google Books}}</ref>

The Sphinx is the oldest known [[monumental sculpture]] in Egypt and one of the most recognisable statues in the world. Archaeological evidence suggests that it was created by ancient Egyptians of the [[Old Kingdom]] during the reign of Khafre (<abbr>c.</abbr> 2558–2532 BC).

==Modern history==
[[File:Pyramids from afar (2).tif|thumb|The Plateau seen from afar in 1955]]

Modern Giza is accessed by two main roads.<ref name="LonelyPlanet">{{cite book|last1=Firestone|first1=Matthew|title=Egypt|date=2010|publisher=The Lonely Planet|isbn=9781742203324|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tU7KBLLxRx8C&q=giza+plateau%2C+tourist&pg=PA145|access-date=1 November 2016}}</ref> The road from the north leads to Khufu's pyramid; the other to near the [[Great Sphinx of Giza|Sphinx's]] front court, from the east. They cross the [[Nile River]] from the east bank and follow the causeway westward. Dominating the plateau and running in a southwest diagonal through the site are the three pyramids of the [[pharaoh]]s [[Khufu]], [[Khafre]], and [[Menkaure]].

==Survey==
The Giza Plateau Mapping Project (GPMP) was undertaken in 1984, "an effort to better understand the social and economic forces that supported pyramid construction."<ref name=aera1>{{cite web|url=http://www.aeraweb.org/gpmp-project/giza-meter-by-meter/|title=Giza, Meter by Meter: High-precision measure of the landscape|author=Mark Lehner|author-link=Mark Lehner|publisher=aeraweb.org}}</ref>

[[Mark Lehner]] and his team produced an accurate map of the natural and cultural features of the entire Giza Plateau. Survey data suggested to Lehner possible locations for the city of the pyramid builders, so in 1988 the mission of the GPMP was extended to excavate and survey those areas.<ref name=aera1/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://en-gb.topographic-map.com/places/Giza-Plateau-9635873/ Topographic Map of the Giza Plateau]

{{Memphis Necropolis}}
{{Giza}}

{{Coord|29|58|34|N|31|07|58|E|region:EG_type:landmark|display=title}}

[[Category:Giza Plateau| ]]
[[Category:Plateaus of Egypt]]
[[Category:Squash venues]]
[[Category:Geography of Egypt]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Egypt]]

Giza Plateau - Revision history

OpenDEM 1 at 12:29, 16 August 2025

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wikipedia>Szmenderowiecki: Restored revision 1291871680 by OAbot (talk): This is English, not German Wikipedia