Wednesday, July 23, 2014

the Great Pyramid of Giza



 Seven Quick Facts

Location: Giza, Egypt
Built: Around 2560 BC
Function: Tomb of Pharaoh Khufu
Destroyed: Still stands today.
Size: Height 480 ft. (146m)
Made of: Mostly limestone
Other: Tallest building in the world till 1311 AD and again from 1647 to 1874

The Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid and Sphinx.
The Giza complex as it looked in 1904 
A cross-section of the Great Pyramid showing the passageways
The Great Pyramid Interior
Statue of Pharaoh Khufu (AKA Cheops)


One of the most famous structures on the list of the seven wonders of the ancient world is The Great Pyramid of Giza.  What makes this structure the most recognizable on the list?  Not only is this pyramid the oldest structure on the list, but it is the only structure that still remains.  The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest man made structure in the world for 3800 years which is not only a testament to its durability but to its mark as one of the most remarkable structures built.  It is no wonder that The Great Pyramid of Giza was placed on the list of the seven wonders of the ancient world.


In about 2,550 B.C. Pharaoh Khufu ordered the building of his tomb on the plateau of Giza which lies on the outskirts of Cairo.  The tomb was designed to protect the Pharaoh’s body as well as his possessions.  This would ensure a safe trip with all his belongings into the afterlife. Some believe that Khufu’s vizier, Hemiunu, was the architect of the pyramid whose seated statue was found in the tomb at Giza, but it is not known for sure.  The pyramid took just under 30 years to build. The pyramid consists of 2 million limestone blocks each weighing from 2.5 to 15 tons. The corners of the base of the pyramid coincide almost exactly with the four cardinal points, and the base is level to within in an inch.  

The pyramid is estimated to stand 481 ft tall.  Right by The Great Pyramid of Giza lay three smaller pyramids which are believed to hold the Pharaoh’s queens.  The second largest pyramid as well as the sphinx was commissioned by Pharaoh Khufu’s son, Pharaoh Khafra, in 2520 B.C..  It appears at first that this pyramid is the largest, but do not be fooled.  Pharaoh Khafra built his tomb on a plateau 33ft higher most likely to out due his father.  The last and smallest pyramid was built by Pharaoh Menkaura around 2490 B.C.. 


                       
10 interesting facts about the Great Pyramid of Giza .

1.Height:  146.5 meters (480.6 ft) tall in original but in our days is 138.8 meters (455.4ft) because of erosion and absence of the pyramidion and outer facing blocks (casing stones).
 2.Each base side was 230.4 meters (755.8 ft) long, now it’s 227 meters (744.7ft) because of absence of outer casing stones and erosion.
3.The total mass is 5.9 million tons.
4.The volume with an internal hillock is close to 2.5 million cubic meters.
5.The closest number of all blocks was estimated in 2.3 million separated blocks of different size, volume and mass. 
6. Amazingly high precision. Based on measurements taken on the north eastern casing stones, the mean opening of the joints is only 0.5 millimeters wide (1/50th of an inch). Four sides of the base have an average error of only 58 millimeters in length. The base is horizontal and flat to within ±15 mm error that is unbelievable precision for so colossal construction even in our modern architect.
 7.The pyramid (sides of square base) is extremely closely aligned to the North pole with only 12 seconds of arc error. 
8.The ratio of the perimeter to height of 921.6/146.5 meters equates to 2π to an accuracy of better than 0.05%! It makes the Great pyramid the greatest and ideal mathematical model realized in the Great Pyramid. 
9.Pyramid has four clear visible sides oriented to the Earth cardinal points but in fact the pyramid has 8 sides! The centers of the four sides are indented with an extraordinary degree of precision forming the only 8 sided pyramid. The effect is not visible from the ground or from a distance but only from the air, and then only under the proper lighting conditions.
10. Construction material. 2.3 million limestone blocks and granite stones. The largest granite stone was found in the chamber well known as a “king chamber” weigh 25 to 80 tones which were transported more than 500 miles away.  At least 5.5 million tons of limestone, 8 000 tons of granite and 500 000 tons of mortar were used for the construction of the Great Pyramid in Giza.
 

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