What is the Great Pyramid of Giza? – Discover the story behind the great pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza It is an image that many people know, due to its reproduction on the Internet. However, most do not know its history as part of the Giza Necropolis. So, in this article we talk about this construction, which is the main one in the complex of three pyramids. In the same way, its characteristics, history and method of construction are explained.

What is the Great Pyramid of Giza?

Few of the works that were built in the ancient world have survived to the present day. However, there is one that is thousands of years old, with a lot of history told by hieroglyphs. In this sense, the complex known as the three pyramids is located in Egypt. Of which the central one stands out, the Great Pyramid of Giza. It is a magnificent stone structure that is considered the oldest construction of the known world.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest and oldest of the three pyramids found on the Cairo plateau. It was on the list of the 7 wonders of the ancient world and is the only one that still exists. There are many stories and theories about this construction because it is not known how the Egyptians made it. Its age dates from 2500 BC, so it has more than four thousand years.

What are the characteristics of the Great Pyramid of Giza?

The features of the great pyramid of Giza are impressive because they reveal the organization of the Egyptians. In the same way, they provide indications that this town was more developed than is believed. Well, this work is the one that stands out the most among the many pyramids of Egypt that were built.

• The pyramid has a slope of 51° 50′ 39″.
• The materials used were simple limestone and it was polished with white limestone.
• He lost height due to a earthquake in the 16th century.
• It has three main chambers and two passageways.
• His main fourth is the great gallery.
• It has two internal ventilation channels in each chamber.

Height of the Great Pyramid of Giza

The great pyramid of Giza is one of the best constructions in the history of humanity. Not only because it was made in a period where technology did not exist, but because of its great height and resistance over the years. In that sense, this pyramid was the tallest building in the world for centuries, with 146.50 meters initials.

However, long after its construction there was a great earthquake in the Cairo area that affected the structure of the pyramid. After this natural event, the construction lost up to 10 meters in height, leaving the current 136.86 m. The Ottomans used the fallen stone remains to create several of their empire’s buildings.

Weight of the Great Pyramid of Giza

The weight of the blocks that were assembled for the construction of the pyramids is what gives rise to the mystery of the work. Since, at the time, there was no current equipment that can support tons. However, as Herodotus claims, they used wooden machines. Each of the blocks varied in weight depending on where it was placed, but it is estimated that they weighed between 2 and 60 tons. The total estimated weight of the pyramid amounts to 6,500,000 tons.

What is the history of the Great Pyramid of Giza?

The story of the Great Pyramid of Giza begins con Pharaoh Cheops of the fourth dynasty of Ancient Egypt. Well, this character was looking for a place to establish his necropolis. It must be remembered that the pharaohs considered themselves sent by the gods of Ancient Egypt and that they were close to them. Therefore, they praised and commemorated them, but also felt ranked close to them.

In this sense, the pharaohs had the habit of generating constructions with two different purposes. One of them was to worship the gods, but the other was the most important. Well, said construction would be the temple in which his body would rest upon his death. In other words, said work would contain pharaoh’s tomb

However, Pharaoh Cheops (khufu or kufu in Egyptian) He did not place his necropolis in the same place as his predecessors. The reason is unknown, but it is estimated that Dahshur, where the great necropolis of Giza is located, no longer had enough space for the great work that was intended to be carried out. In the same way, that place did not have limestone quarries, so it was not a suitable site.

So, Cheops chose the Giza plateau in its highest section for his mortuary temple. It is believed that the architect was Hemiunu, since his tomb has hieroglyphics with matching dates. This man was the one who built the tomb of the father and predecessor of the pharaoh, King Senefuru. In addition, it is mentioned right there that he was the master builder and vizier of the time.

Very little is known about the history of the construction, as there are not many surviving papyri from the time. However, Herodotus, who visited the work centuries later, wrote that it took about 20 years to complete. A ship was found with some papyri, which describe the place from which the stone was purchased. Well, they mention that at least 200 limestone blocks were sent from Tarsa per month.

How was the Great Pyramid of Giza built?

The way in which the Great Pyramid of Giza was built is a real mystery, since there is not much information about the time. In fact, not many facts are known about the three pyramids and the sphinx either. So there are many theories about the giza necropolisboth the old one and the one on the plateau.

The main mystery lies in how the Egyptians managed to carry the blocks so heavy, because it is assumed that they did not have the necessary technology. Similarly, there are also questions about how they achieved the perfect alignment of the pyramids with the stars.

What is known is that this construction was carried out at the time when the Egyptian empire had more power. Therefore, it is thought that they were highly developed and organized. Herodotus is again the one to provide some information, although this occurred in 450 BC. This writer stated that the Egyptians used artifacts made of wood cut size with which to climb the stone blocks.

The same author says that the artisans created species of surfaces that they called ladders or altars. On the floor, one of these machines lifted a block and carried it to the first altar. There, another one of these machines waiting to repeat the process, with the destination of the second scale and so on until reaching the top. For its part, polishing was carried out from top to bottom, so that the first altar placed was the last one fixed.

What is inside the Great Pyramid of Giza?

The great pyramid of Giza provides a spectacular sight when viewed from the outside, an image that is known to the world. However, the most interesting and most valuable is inside. For years, muon technology was used in order to observe what is inside the pyramid, from which some images were rescued. There are also people who managed to get in, but it is considered dangerousespecially when you go down to the most hidden cameras.

In this sense, drone technology allows the muon to search for secret chambers, which was a frequent practice in this type of construction. The pyramid is made up of three chambers, two inside and one underground. They are known as king’s chamber and queen’s hall those in the upper zone. It is possible to enter there thanks to a passage that goes down from the north and reaches two stairs, one that goes up and the other down.

The king’s chamber was made of granite, although it has no decoration or hieroglyphic inscriptions. owns in the center a sarcophagus or tomb that it is empty and that it was placed there at the beginning of the construction. While the queen’s chamber is located a little more hidden, it also has no decorations but rather smooth walls. It should be noted that this name was given by the Arabs, but the hall was not intended to house the corpse of the pharaoh’s wife. On the contrary, there is another sarcophagus with a Ka statue, which in Ancient Egypt contained the spirit of man.

The great gallery is almost 50 meters long and 10 meters high, it is the most spacious, it contains a false vault. Finally, the image of the muon, like the stories of some people, can describe the underground chamber, which is accessed by a very narrow corridor. This descends to the subsoil, that is, below the great pyramid, there there is no stable ground. In the same way, it has two rooms in which some empty sarcophagi are kept, after them there is a large well.

At the end there is another smaller gallery, it is believed that in this last one they were going to save the riches of Pharaoh and that is why it was so hidden. This theory has some credibility when thinking about the well, where some traps were found. The idea of ​​it was that visitors would not steal the valuables that were kept there.