Pyramids come from the ancient Egyptian period of which The Great Pyramid of Giza tops the list. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World from ancient times and the only one to remain pristine. Another name for this defining symbol of Egypt is the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops located near the city of Cairo on the Giza plateau. The Pyramid of Giza was built for the fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu and was also named after him. It is the oldest and largest among the three pyramids in the Giza Pyramid Complex.

History:

The purpose of the Pyramids was to house the remains of the deceased monarchs who ruled over ancient Egypt. People in ancient Egypt believed in life after death and the ruler wished to live a lavish life even after they were dead. These massive tombs were built to bury them as mummies and store their precious items which they might need in their afterlife. We all know this as a cemetery but it’s a lot more than that. The inside of the Pyramid has wonderful scenes that depict the whole life of ancient Egyptians.

The Great Pyramid had a record of the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3000 years until Lincoln Cathedral came into existence. It was built over a span of 20 years, finished in around 2560 BC. It was originally 146.6 meters (481 ft) tall but after the removal of its casing due to erosion, it was left with 137 meters (449.5 ft) in height with a base of 23.044 meters (756 ft) on each side.

Materials and Construction:

Due to its large scale, its construction has always been a point of curiosity. Some theories suggest that 400,000 workers joined their hands together for the construction of this massive structure. An estimated of 2.3 million stone blocks were used in the construction of The Great Pyramid of Giza, which are believed to be transported from nearby quarries. These stones weigh between 2 to 80 tonnes each, which consists of 5.5 million tonnes of limestone, 8,000 tonnes of Granite and 500,000 tonnes of mortar. The largest granite stone weighed approximately 80 tonnes which according to modern standards, seems impossible to raise and position. Hence, The construction methods of such a massive man-made structure with minor errors and perfect proportion can only be guessed as there are no records of how the Pyramids were built.

Interior:

The entrance to The Giza Pyramid is on the North and is 17 meters (56 ft) above the ground level. If we see the inside of the Great Pyramid, it is divided mainly into three chambers. King’s chamber is higher up and the lowest chambers near the bedrock left unfinished. are known to be his Queen’s which are believed to be for Pharaoh Khufu and his wives respectively. The third is the Grand Gallery, which is known as the passage to the royal burial chambers. It measures 2.13 meters (7 ft) in width. 46.6 meters (153 ft) long and nearly 8.8 meters (29 ft) high. This passage has nothing but only walls lined with massive granite blocks, no murals, no carvings, no decoration at all. Small tunnels and air shafts lead to the chambers from outside but there are no direct shafts from outside to the King’s Chamber.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the most amusing examples of perfect proportions due to its massive structure, built during such ancient times. It is known as an ancient engineering marvel due to its perfectly aligned orientation with the north-south axis of the earth. Moreover, its exhilarating construction is also a marvelous achievement and is respected even today as it still stands with relatively minor damages. These tombs are an example of the perfection of the desired shape and the accuracy that has been achieved in maintaining the angle from the base to the apex.

Even after so much research and sayings, we are still not clear about this mysterious structure and it still is a maze for all of us. Pyramids of Egypt are the true examples of preserving the past. The detailed symbolism of these architectural structures also provides up with a deeper understanding of the journey and the lives of the Egyptians. No doubt, the Great Pyramid of Giza has been on the list of Seven Wonders of the World. These gigantic tombs were built to hold out against the elements of time and were meant to last forever, which they are truly fulfilling.