Who is King Chephren?
King Chephren was one of the most important kings of the 4th dynasty in ancient Egyptian history. He is the son of King Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza. He ruled Egypt from 2558 to 2532 B.C. during the old kingdom (2686-2150 BC). His name means “The Appearing of Ra.” He had many wives, but his main wife was Queen Mereceankh, and he had 12 sons and 3 daughters. He desired to continue his father’s legacy, so he constructed the second-largest pyramids at the Giza Complex. He also constructed the Great Valley temple and the legendary Sphinx.
Pyramid of Chephren
The second pyramid of the Giza complex was constructed during the 4th dynasty in 2540 BC. The Egyptian name of the pyramid is “Wer(en)-Khafre” which means “Khafre Is Great.“. It was constructed out of Tura limestone blocks, each weighing two tons with some pink granite slabs in the inner structure, which reaches a height of 136.4 (448 ft.) on a base of 215.5 m (706 ft.).
The Sphinx of King Chephren
Next to the Valley temple, there is the Great Sphinx which is a mythological creature with a body of a lion and a human face and it has been built to guard the area and protect it from tombs of robbers. it stands at a height of 240 ft. (73 m) long and 66 ft. (20 m). It is believed to hold the face of the Khafre king Kefren and can be found within the plateau in front of the great second pyramid. The Sphinx is surrounded by many questions, mysteries, and a number of unanswered questions about its true age, origin, and purpose.
The Valley Temple of Chephren
The blocks of the Valley Temple are made of Red Granite and still remain in a very good state of preservation today. Also, there are big statues of King Chephren that have been discovered at The Valley temple and they are now located at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, those statues are made out of diorite is a very hard material to carve and all statues protect the main deity during the ancient Egyptian period.
