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The Great Pyramid of Giza (also called the Pyramid of Cheops ) is located on the Giza Plateau - the city of Giza , the necropolis of ancient Memphis , now part of the capital Cairo .
This is the only wonder of the world that does not require descriptions of ancient historians or poets. It is the only wonder in the world that is not speculated about in terms of shape, size and presentation. It is the oldest and yet the only one that has survived time. Contrary to popular belief, only the Great Pyramid of Cheops, not all three Great Pyramids, is on the list of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest building in the world for more than 43 centuries, until the 19th century in 1889 when the Eiffel Tower was built . It was, at the beginning, 146 m (today 138 m) high, the side of 227 m and comprises 2,521,000 cubic m of stone. The faces of the pyramid were covered with polished limestone slabs. It was built by Pharaoh Khufu in the 4th Dynasty, around 2560 BC. to serve as his tomb.
The tradition of building pyramids began in ancient Egypt as a sophistication of the idea of the "mastaba" (platform) that covered the royal tomb. Later, several "mastaba" were used, as evidenced by the first pyramids, such as the Stepped Pyramid of King Zoser (Djoser), built by the famous Egyptian architect Imhotep .
According to Herodotus , its construction would have lasted over twenty years and 100,000 people would have worked on it. [3] The site was first prepared and the stone blocks were transported. Then a project was used for the exterior of the pyramid, a sanding that has disappeared over time. Although it is not yet known exactly how the stone blocks were laid, there were several theories: one of these theories refers to the construction of a straight or spiral ramp, which was raised as the pyramid rose. This ramp, covered with mud and water, made it easier to transport the pushed (or pulled) blocks to their place. Another theory suggests that the stone blocks were put in place using long levers.
When they conquered Egypt in 641 AD, the Arabs found the pyramid intact and after opening it, searching for the treasure of Cheops, the sarcophagus was empty.
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Throughout history, the pyramids of Giza have stimulated people's imaginations, calling them "Joseph's Granaries" or "Pharaoh's Mountains." When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798 the pride he felt then was expressed in the famous quote: Soldats! From the top of these Pyramids, 40 centuries contemplate us ("Soldiers! 40 centuries look at us from the top of the pyramid").
In recent years, three or four more rooms have been discovered near the burial chamber, one of which is the royal ship, and the others are being explored, revealing perhaps the last secrets of the Great Pyramid: the treasure and the mummy of the pharaoh.
Today, the Great Pyramid is included, along with the other pyramids and the Sphinx , in the tourist region of the Giza Plateau. Also in this area is the museum that houses the mysterious Solar Boat, discovered only in 1954, near the southern part of the pyramid. This boat is believed to have carried Khufu's body on his last voyage before being buried in the pyramid. It may also have served as a means of transportation in the afterlife, according to ancient Egyptian beliefs.
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When it was built, the Great Pyramid was 145.75 m high. Over time, it lost another 9 m from the top. It was covered with polished stone (part of which can still be seen at the top of Khefren's pyramid). The angle at which it is built is 54 degrees and 54 minutes. Each part of it is carefully oriented towards one of the local cardinal points, ie north, south, east and west. The horizontal perimeter of each section in the pyramid describes a square. The largest error between the side lengths is, surprisingly, less than 0.1%.
Each stone block out of the two million in total weighs more than 2 tons. It has been suggested that in the three pyramids there are enough stone blocks to build a wall 30 cm thick and 3 m high to surround France. The area occupied by the Great Pyramid can swallow St. Peter's Papal Basilica in Rome, the cathedrals in Florence and Milan, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral in London, all together.
On the north side is the entrance to the pyramid. The corridors and galleries either lead to the king's mortuary or have other functions. The king's chamber is located in the heart of the pyramid, and can only be accessed through the Great Gallery and an ascending corridor. The king's sarcophagus is made of red granite, as are the interior walls of the room. The most impressive is the stone with very finely polished sides above the entrance, over 3 m long, 2.4 m high and 1.3 m thick. All the stones inside fit so well that you can not slip any card between them. The sarcophagus is oriented in cardinal directions and is only 1 cm smaller than the entrance to the room. It was probably introduced during construction.
New theories have been proposed regarding the origin and purpose of the Giza pyramids ... Astronomical observations ... Places of worship .. Geometric structures built by a long-gone civilization ... Even theories about aliens have been proposed, without evidence clear ... But overwhelming historical and scientific evidence still supports the conclusion that the Great Pyramid, like other small pyramids in the region, was built by Egyptian civilization on the west bank of the Nile to serve as graves for their kings. Tombs where Khufu, Khefren and Menkaure could begin their mystical journey into the afterlife.
Herodotus said that the pyramid was built in 20 years, that is, 7300 days, (Khufu ruled for about 23 years), so all 2521,000 stone blocks of over 2 tons each were climbed on the pyramid during this time. This means that if you worked all year every day for the entire 20 years, then an average of 345.4 blocks of stone were added per day. If you worked 8 hours a day, then 43.2 blocks of stone per hour were added, ie almost 1 stone over 2 tons per minute. If you worked 24 hours a day, which is less likely, then an average of 14.4 stones per hour were added. But the stones had to be cut into the shape they had, and brought to the scene, some from a few hundred kilometers away. Several stones of up to 80 tons each were used in the king's room, and it was probably not easy for the Egyptians to raise them to the heart of the pyramid 50 meters above the ground. However, most of the stones weigh around 2,500 kilograms, so if 20 people crowded around the stone, which has an average of 127 cm x 127 cm x 71 cm[1] , and each lifted 125 kilograms, then the 20 people carrying 125 kilograms each had to climb the 71 cm high steps to climb the stone on the pyramid. Although there are over 60 pyramids in Egypt, only the 3 pyramids at Giza are built with such large stones.
Although apparently the pyramid has four sides, in fact it has eight sides. [4] A photo taken by chance by Brigadier General Groves and first published in 1929 shows a "side" of the pyramid divided in two, as it appears in the sun. Therefore, the Great Pyramid has eight sides and not four, but this dividing effect is not visible to the naked eye. [5]
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