Largest Of The Egyptian Pyramids
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No trip to Egypt can be completed without a visit to the largest and most famous of all the Egyptian pyramids. The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Greek is pronounced Cheops). This is the largest of all the Pyramids, which has stood the test of time and battered by years of weather. This pyramid lies just outside the Egypt capital of Cairo on the Giza Plateau. There are over a hundred pyramids scattered through Egypt, but this is the pyramid that most people and texts associate Egypt with that you will find in many postcard backdrops.
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Pharaoh Khufu commissioned his people to construct for him a pyramid that could be dedicated to him in the afterlife. It took a workforce of 20,000 men and 20 years to complete construction. The pyramid was finished in 2551 B.C. and it was the tallest man-made structure to ever exist and it held that record for more than 3,800 years before it was beat in 1311 by the finished construction of England's Lincoln Cathedral with its spires reported to have stood 525 feet (160 meters) tall. The pyramid stood at tall 481 feet (146.5 meters). This was quite an impressive record to hold for so many years. What was even more impressive is the Pyramid of Khufu was built across a section of land about 13 acres. Although it lost its record of being the tallest structure but the Great Pyramid covered a total surface area almost double the size of the Lincoln Cathedral. The Lincoln Cathedral was built on only roughly 6 acres of land. The Empire State Building was built on 2 acres of land, but it was more than 3 times the height of the pyramids standing at 1,454 feet (443 meters) tall. The pyramids were also completely constructed without the use of any modern machinery or technology. Just think every stone was carved out, brought to the construction site, smoothed out, hauled up the construction ramp, and positioned manually. That is an amazing accomplishment for the Egyptians and a testament of the cohesiveness of the nation's people.
There were other pyramids that were just as large as the Pyramid of Khufu and even Pharaoh Sneferu who was the father of Khufu constructed three different pyramids that used as much limestone rock as the single Great Pyramid. However the Pyramid of Khufu was still more significant in terms of architectural and technical progression because of its immense size. The pyramid orientation required following a set of cardinal points because it was in fact a religious structure to house the pharaoh. Once the pyramid was complete it had both an outer structure and an inner structure. The outer structure is what we see today in the modern era where you see all the exposed limestone blocks that were pieced together. The outer layer was surrounded by a layer of smooth Tura limestone. Most of this fine limestone survived for most of the years until probably until after Arabians invaded Egypt. When Egypt became a Muslim state the Great Pyramid lost its religious reverence. What happened next was a lot of the fine Tura pieces were removed to build Cairo. Nevertheless when one is able to gaze upon the Great Pyramid and stand on its footsteps, you are a witness to a piece of old history from the perspective of the modern world. Just like when Alexander the Great and Napoleon first saw the pyramid with their own eyes.
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Largest Of The Egyptian Pyramids
