Giza
|
The Great Sphinx of Giza with Khafre's pyramid in the background. |
Giza (
Arabic, الجيزة,
transliterated al-ǧīzah; pronounced in the
Egyptian Arabic dialect of
Cairo eg-Gīza; also sometimes rendered in
English as Gizeh, Ghizeh, or Geezeh) is a town in
Egypt on the west bank of the
Nile river, some 20 km southwest of central
Cairo and now part of the greater Cairo metropolis. It is the capital of the
Al Jizah Governorate, and is located in the northeast of this governorate, near its border.
Giza is most famous as the location of the
Giza Plateau: the site of some of the most impressive ancient monuments in the world, including a complex of
ancient Egyptian royal mortuary and sacred structures, including the
Great Sphinx, the
Great Pyramid of Giza, and a number of other large
pyramids and temples.
Giza was once used as a meridian reference point for determining a base longitude, presumably at the site of the Great Pyramid. See
Prime Meridian.
Giza's most famous archeological site, the
Giza Plateau, holds some of the most astonishing
monuments in
Ancient Egyptian history. Once thriving with the
Nile that flowed right into the Giza Plateau, the
Pyramids of Giza were built overlooking the Ancient Egyptian capital of
Memphis, which was near modern day
Cairo during the time of construction.
The city itself has seen some changes over time. Changes in
infrastructure during the different occupations of
Egypt by various rulers, including the
British in the 19th and early 20th century, focused on the construction of
roads,
streets, and
buildings in the area. It is commonly misunderstood that the Giza area is a complete
desert area; however, Giza has become a thriving centre of
Egyptian culture and is quite heavily populated, with many facilities and buildings in the current area. Giza saw much attention in particular to its vast amount of
Ancient Egyptian monuments found on the
Giza Plateau, and has astonished thousands of visitors and tourists over the years. Giza's infrastructure saw much attention from both the British government prior to the Egyptian Revolution, as well as the current
Egyptian government due to the city's importance in
tourism.
Parts of Giza include Alharam famous in the past for its night clubs, Zamalek predominately populated by middle class egyptians & relatively recently overpopulated Almohandeseen.
Access to the city of Giza, which has its own
Governorate adjacent to the governate of
Cairo, is dependent on
Cairo International Airport, since no official International Airport has been built in Giza yet.
Upon reaching Cairo, most tourists use official tours to visit the pyramids where they are accompanied by an official tour guide. Giza is still accessible by the
Cairo Metro system or by
taxi, though these methods tend to be more frustrating to foreign tourists.
Giza is also known for its appearance as a dig and discovery site in the fictional universe of
Stargate. An interplanetary transportation device is found and is the central basis for a movie and 2 popular television shows.
Gizeh is also the name of a very old brand of cigarette rolling papers in Germany. Gizeh has been around for more then 80 years and is the #1 selling brand in Germany's Tabakladen (kiosk tobacco stores and outlets).
*
Giza Plateau*
Great Sphinx*
Pyramids of Giza*
Giza on
Wikitravel*
Gizeh Rolling Paper collection at Rollingpapers.net collector's site.
طظ
