For more than 4000 years the Giza pyramids have been standing still on the west bank of the Nile witnessing with mighty the turn of history in Egypt and the whole region.
For years and years, the pyramids have encouraged a lot of people from all around the world to visit Egypt, go through a tedious and tiring journey through the desert country to just take a glimpse of one of humanity’s mightiest structures.
In this article, we will display what made the pyramids the world’s most wondrous destination by displaying some of the unique facts about it.
Not the first pyramids in Egypt
Giza Pyramids aren’t the first to be built on this structure in old Egypt. Tombs for old Egyptian nobles, kings, and queens were constructed under pyramids many years before.
Djoser built a step pyramid in Saqqara was erected 2630 BCE and the Red Pyramid of King Sneferu was built sometime between 2613 and 2589 BCE, which is many years before even the start of work on Khufu Pyramid.
A complex of tombs
Each pyramid is a complex of tombs that includes special rooms for the king’s wives, his pets, his main belongings to use in the afterlife, and many other treasures.
Stood tall
The pyramid stayed the longest man-made structure on earth for thousands of years. As a matter of fact, the pyramids stayed for the biggest bulk of human history as the mightiest building, then surpassed by Lincoln Cathedral after 3 millennials, exactly in 1311 CE. The cathedral was 525 feet higher than the Khufu Pyramid.
Building materials
Around 2.3 million blocks were used in building the pyramid supplied from a quarry in Aswan, 525 miles up the Nile river. Each block weighs around 2.5 tons on average, while the whole pyramid’s weight is around 6.5 million tons.
A series of ramps
Experts have theorized that the great Egyptian pyramid was actually built using a system of ramps. They were utilized to raise the huge blocks and move them to their dedicated location. Also wooden and bronze levers were used to position the stones.
Internal structure
The pyramid contains three burial chambers dedicated to housing King Khufu, his goods and treasures he should take in his afterlife. Upon entering the pyramid there is a passage descending about 354 feet and leading to the pyramid’s bedrock.
A victim of loots
The pyramid has been subject to a series of loot over the history stealing the King’s and Queen’s treasures. Remains of humans were discovered inside the pyramid supposed to be for looters who lost their lives to find the king’s inheritance.
Khafre and Menkaure
Khufu’s son and grandson built burial sites for themselves on the same location to the great pyramid. Their pyramids had the same structures; Khafre’s is 446 foot and Menkaure’s is 213.
Skilled laborers built the pyramid
Historians believe that highly skilled laborers built the pyramid including stone masons, engineers, architects, surveyors, builders, and other craftsmen.