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Built around 2550 BCE, the Great Pyramid of Giza is considered one of the most iconic structures of Egypt.
It is the biggest of the pyramids, and the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.
The numbers associated to the Great Pyramid of Giza are impressive: a workforce of over 20 000 people, six million tons of stone, and twenty years of construction.
lt was a massive undertaking for a pharaoh's tomb.The construction of the Great Pyramid was also a display of power and opulence on the part of Khufu. Itis part of the pharaoh's vast funerary complex, which also includes two temples, three satellite pyramids, a causeway and a builders' necropolis. We can guess that the intent behind the construction of these monuments was Khufu's way of declaring himself one of the most powerful pharaohs to rule a unified Egypt.
New insights into engineering and ancient Egyptian culture are still being revealed over 4500 years later. For example, a recently unearthed papyrus offers a glimpse into the life of a tradesman at the time of the pyramid's construction. Also, a logbook belonging to a team leader during the building gives details on the craftsmen, their work schedules and the raw materials required.
It is interesting to note that by Cleopatra's time, the pyramid's celestial purpose, its construction and the function of its mysterious inner chambers was already unclear. Today, it is only through dedicated research that we have begun to grasp some of the Great Pyramid's mysteries.
The Egyptians had polished their design for centuries by the time work on the Great Pyramid began. Intended as a tomb for Khufu, the Great Pyramid's structural design has been considered to be nearly perfect by engineers and historians ever since.
Precisely oriented north-south to the four cardinal points of a compass, the length of each side of the Great Pyramid at its base was 230 meters, and its original height was 147 meters. The pyramid is a mere .05 percent error away from being a perfect square.
In order to achieve the shape of a true pyramid, the design required many considerations in the planning phases, as well as precision during execution. lt was especially critical that they control the angle of inclination on all sides at every stage of construction.
Materials for the Great Pyramid consisted of quarried limestone blocks, weighing between 2 to 15 tons each. The methods of moving these blocks into place is still debated by architects and Egyptologists. The precision of its design in an age with only soft metal tools, as well as the enormous scale of its construction, make the Great Pyramid one of the most impressive feats of human engineering.
It's estimated that it took between 600 000 and 2 million blocks of stone to build the Great Pyramid. Experts calculate it would have required men to move twelve blocks every hour around the clock for twenty years to place the 2.3 million stones the monument is made of.
While the interior chambers were built with red granite from Aswan, most of the pyramid was made from local limestone, weighing between 2 to 15 tons per block. There is debate on how the pyramid stones were moved into place. Recent research is exploring the idea that it was built around a large interior ramp.
The recently discovered logbook confirms that the high quality limestone of the outer casing was brought by boat across the Nile, from a quarry in Turah. Once complete, the smooth white polished stone of the Great Pyramid woutd've reflected the sunlight Like a beacon, earning it the name “The Horizon of Khufu".
Over the centuries, thieves and travelers attempted to access the Great Pyramid numerous times. Ancient writings describe details of its interior, proof that some made their way within, though who gained entrance first, and when, is unknown.
The main entrance of the Great Pyramid is located 17 meters above ground level. It faces north, likely in order to align with the North Star. Though the entrance passageway had been discovered in antiquity, any further access into the Great Pyramid was stopped by massive vertical slabs of rock. As such, present-day visitors to the pyramid must use the Robbers' Entrance.
(Behind the Scenes) The Robbers' Entrance is reported to have been opened in the 9th century by Caliph Al-Ma'mun. In search of treasure, the Caliph had his men dig their way inside the Great Pyramid. The most likely scenario is that they enlarged a corridor which had been created by tomb robbers during antiquity. As such, this is how the team can justify access to this wonder.
Attempts to gain entry to the Great Pyramid and uncover its potential secrets continued throughout the centuries.
In the 19th century, the belief that another entry existed at the south side resulted in a hole being blasted into the pyramid's side, with no results for the damage that was done.
While the search is still ongoing today to uncover more hidden rooms and passageways, conservation is the primary concern of all such efforts.