When one speaks of the Pyramids, the first place one  thinks of is Egypt. The majestic Pyramids of Egypt are one of the seven wonders of the world.They are in their own right as mysterious as they are awesome works of architecture and astronomically positioned with the stars. Some believe they were built by "space travellers", others tend to think by the people of Atlantis. I believe the Egyptians themselves built these awe inspiring monuments and should be given the credit they deserve. However, Egypt is not the only place that spawns these magnificent works of marvel. There are hundreds of pyramids all over the world. All are similar and all are different, and I will touch the majority of them starting with our beloved Egypt.

These great architectual buildings were built to house the mummies of the great Pharaohs and their beloved Queens, they provide a gateway to the heavens and the afterlife. They are enshrouded in mystery with hidden chambers, traps and tales of great treasure.

Pic taken by Shar dahab during a sandstorm.

There's an Egyptian proverb that says ''Man fears time, but time fears the pyramids"

No truer words have been spoken.

Khufu

The name of the Great pyramid, Khufu's Horizon

The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu, and Pyramid of Cheops, Greek

The Great Pyramid seen from the North East.It is indeed impressive, originally standing some 146.59 (481 feet) high and covering about thirteen acres of land

Originally the Great Pyramid was covered by casing stones that formed a smooth outer surface, and what is seen today is the underlying core structure. Some of the casing stones that once covered the structure can still be seen around the base.

GREAT PYRAMID STONES RE-COUNTED

The Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza consists of 1 million limestone rocks, according to a new study by Egypt’s SCA. This new stone count is 50% less than previously estimated counts at 2.3 million. This lower count indicates greater efficiency and organization on part of the Pyramid builders. Divided up into gangs over 4,500 years ago, men and women worked on the national project to build this now ancient wonder of the world. Each block weighed 2.3 tons and was slid up a ramp to be set into its exact place.

All Egyptian pyramids were built on the west bank of the Nile, which as the site of the setting sun was associated with the realm of the dead in Egyptian mythology.

It was one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and the only one of the seven to survive into modern times. It is said that the Ancient Egyptians capped the peaks of their pyramids with gold and covered their faces with polished white limestone, though most of the stones used for the purpose have fallen or have been removed and used to build the mosques of Cairo.

It is believed the pyramid was built as a tomb for Fourth dynasty Egyptian King Khufu and constructed over a 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC

Khufu's vizier, Hemon, or Hemiunu, is believed by some to be the architect of the Great Pyramid. The total mass of the pyramid is estimated at 5.9 million tonnes.

Based on these estimates building this in 20 years would involve installing approximately 800 tonnes of stone every day. Manetho gives Khufu a reign of 65 years. This would enable him to build the pyramid by installing approximately 250 tonnes of stone per day. The first precision measurements of the pyramid were done by Egyptologist Sir Flinders Petrie in 1880–82 and published as The Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh. Almost all reports are based on his measurements. Petrie found the pyramid is oriented 4' west of North and the second pyramid is similarly oriented. Many of the casing stones and interior chamber blocks of the great pyramid were fit together with extremely high precision. Based on measurements taken on the north eastern casing stones, the main opening of the joints are only 1/50th of an inch wide.

There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest in Egypt and one of the largest in the world.

(Manetho (or Manethon) was an Egyptian historian and priest from Sebennytos (ancient Egyptian: Tjebnutjer) who lived during the Ptolemaic era, ca. 3rd century BC. Manetho wrote the Aegyptiaca (History of Egypt). His work is of great interest to Egyptologists, and is often used as evidence for the chronology of the reigns of pharaohs.)

Just visible on one of the limestone gables over the entrance is a hieroglyphic inscription. It dates from the 19th century and is not ancient.

The Kings Chamber is composed of granite. It is 10.8 m from East to West, 5.2 m from North to South and 5.8 m high.

The sarcophagus of the King's Chamber was hollowed out of a single piece of Red Aswan granite and has been found to be too large to fit through the passageway leading to the chamber. Whether the sarcophagus was ever intended to house a body is unknown. It is too short to accommodate a medium height individual without the bending of the knees, a technique not practiced in Egyptian burial, and no lid was ever found. The King's Chamber contains two small shafts that ascend out of the pyramid. These shafts were once thought to have been used for ventilation, but this idea was eventually abandoned, which left Egyptologists to conclude they were instead used for ceremonial purposes. It is now thought that they were to allow the Pharaoh's spirit to rise up and out to heaven.

The King's Chamber is lined with red granite brought from Aswan 935 km (580 miles) to the south, of which the blocks used for the roof are estimated to weigh 50 to 80 tonnes. Egyptologists believe they were transported on barges down the Nile river.

There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid. The lowest chamber is cut into the bedrock upon which the pyramid was built and was unfinished. The so-called Queen's Chamber and King's Chamber are higher up within the pyramid structure. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the main part of a complex setting of buildings that included two mortuary temples in honor of Khufu (one close to the pyramid and one near the Nile), three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives, an even smaller "satellite" pyramid, a raised causeway connecting the two temples, and small mastaba tombs surrounding the pyramid for nobles.

The finished pyramid, which included a superstructure and substructure, was surrounded by an enclosure wall of fine Turah limestone, which enclosed a court paved in limestone. There was a valley temple, a causeway from it leading to a mortuary Temple that was itself situated against the pyramid. There was also a cult pyramid, as well as three pyramids for the burial of queens, a number of boat pit and other structures.

Boat pits seen on the right of the pyramid

The North face of the Great Pyramid with the small entrance made by Caliph al-Mamum below the original entrance.

What I find a bit strange is the fact that there a no decorated scenes as you would see in the Valley of the Kings. Obviously with this lack of information many scholars and wannabe Egyptologists speculate on the exact functions and objective on the internal structure.

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