Just as the Creator gave human beings after creating this earth beautifully, He also gave human beings a mind with great leadership, care and protection. Humanity has used this wisdom and leadership intelligence given to it directly from the Creator to do wonderful works passed down from generation to generation. But many of the wonderful works of human on this earth have raised questions for many of us because they were done in an age when there was no science and technology.
Because it is difficult to get complete information about the wonders of the time, in today's article we will look at the Great Pyramid of Giza as far as the generation has researched and learned.
Great Pyramid of Giza
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| Great pyramid of Giza |
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu.The pyramids are the largest and most recognized artifacts in the world. Built in the early 26th century BC during a period of around 27 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact. As part of the Giza pyramid complex, it borders present-day Giza in Greater Cairo, Egypt. Initially standing at 146.6 meters (481 feet), the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for more than 3,800 years. Over time, most of the smooth white limestone casing was removed, which lowered the pyramid's height to the present 138.5 meters (454.4 ft). What is seen today is the underlying core structure. The base was measured to be about 230.3 meters (755.6 ft) square, giving a volume of roughly 2.6 million cubic meters (92 million cubic feet), which includes an internal hillock.
The
Great Pyramid was built by quarrying an estimated 2.3 million large blocks
weighing 6 million tons in total. The majority of stones are not uniform in
size or shape and are only roughly dressed. The outside layers were bound
together by mortar. Primarily local limestone from the Giza Plateau was used.
Other blocks were imported by boat down the Nile: White limestone from Tura for
the casing and granite blocks from Aswan, weighing up to 80 tons, for the
King's Chamber structure.
There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid. The lowest was cut into the bedrock, upon which the pyramid was built, but remained unfinished. The so-called Queen's Chamber and King's Chamber, that contains a granite sarcophagus, are higher up, within the pyramid structure. Khufu's vizier, Hemiunu (also called Hemon), is believed by some to be the architect of the Great Pyramid. Many varying scientific and alternative hypotheses attempt to explain the exact construction techniques. A strong central government, and a surplus of wealth, was both vital to any efforts at pyramid building and these resources were passed from Sneferu, upon his death, to his son Khufu.
Who built the pyramids?
It was
the Egyptians who built the pyramids. The Great Pyramid is dated with all the
evidence, I'm telling you now to 4,600 years, the reign of Khufu. The Great
Pyramid of Khufu is one of 104 pyramids in Egypt with superstructure. And there
are 54 pyramids with substructure.
Who were the pyramids of Giza built for?
The
pyramids of Giza were royal tombs built for three different pharaohs. The
northernmost and oldest pyramid of the group was built for Khufu, the second king of the 4th dynasty. Called the Great Pyramid, it is
the largest of the three. The middle pyramid was built for Khafre (Greek:
Chephren), the fourth of the eight kings of the 4th dynasty. The southernmost
and last pyramid to be built was that of Menkaure (Greek: Mykerinus), the fifth
king of the 4th dynasty. It is 218 feet (66 metres) high, significantly smaller
than the pyramids of Khufu (481.4 feet [147 metres]) and Khafre (471 feet [143
metres]).
What is so special about pyramids?
The
Great Pyramids were simply grand tombs of powerful pharaohs. Three pyramids
were built at Giza, and many smaller pyramids were constructed around the Nile
Valley. The tallest of the Great Pyramids reaches nearly 500 feet into the sky
and spans an area greater than 13 acres.
Backstory
We are used to seeing the pyramids at Giza in alluring photographs, where they appear as massive and remote monuments rising up from an open, barren desert. Visitors might be surprised to find, then, that there is a golf course and resort only a few hundred feet from the Great Pyramid, and that the burgeoning suburbs of Giza (part of the greater metropolitan area of Cairo) have expanded right up to the foot of the Sphinx. This urban encroachment and the problems that come with it—such as pollution, waste, illegal activities, and auto traffic—are now the biggest threats to these invaluable examples of global cultural heritage.
Can you go inside or climb the pyramids of Giza?
The interiors of all three pyramids of Giza are open to visitors, but each requires the purchase of a separate ticket. Although tourists were once able to freely climb the pyramids that is now illegal. Offenders face up to three years in prison as penalty. In 2016 a teenage tourist was banned from visiting Egypt for life after posting photos and videos on social media of his illicit climb.
What do the pyramids of Giza represent?
Historians
continue to debate about the ancient Egyptians’ use of the pyramid form for the
royal tombs at Giza and in funerary sites elsewhere. Several theories have been
proposed about what the form represents: the pyramid may function as a stairway
for the pharaoh’s ka to reach the heavens, it could refer to the ancient mound
of creation, or it might symbolize sunrays spreading to the earth.
A reference to the sun
The shape of the pyramid was a solar
reference, perhaps intended as a solidified version of the rays of the sun.
Texts talk about the sun’s rays as a ramp the pharaoh mounts to climb to the
sky—the earliest pyramids, such as the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara—were
actually designed as a staircase. The pyramid was also clearly connected to the
sacred ben-ben stone, an icon of the primeval mound that was considered the
place of initial creation. The pyramid was viewed as a place of regeneration
for the deceased ruler.
Three pyramids, three rulers
The
three primary pyramids on the Giza plateau were built over the span of three
generations by the rulers Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. Each pyramid was part of a royal mortuary
complex that also included a temple at its base and a long stone causeway (some
nearly 1 kilometer in length) leading east from the plateau to a valley temple
on the edge of the floodplain
Conclusion
The
pyramids of Giza are the largest and most recognized artifacts in the world. The
pyramids were built to honor certain pharaohs of the fourth ruling dynasty of
Egypt that was known as the old kingdom. It was the first era of Egyptian
civilization that lasted from 2688 to 2181 BCE.
Dear readers, what do you think about human civilization on the great construction of theGreat pyramids of Giza? please write us your comments!