The Great Pyramid of Giza, built around 2560 BC, is the second largest pyramid ever built, standing at 146m tall and made up of 2.3 million blocks. It was built as a mausoleum for Pharaoh Khufu and is part of the Giza pyramid complex. It remained the tallest structure in the world for 3,800 years and is the only remaining wonder of the ancient world.
The Great Pyramid of Giza, also known as the Cheops Pyramid or Cheops Pyramid, is the second largest pyramid ever built, standing at 146 m (780 ft) tall. Built over a 20-year period, starting around 2560 BC, by a couple hundred thousand slaves and paid laborers who worked seasonally, the pyramid is estimated to have a total mass of 5.9 million tons. It is made up of approximately 2.3 million blocks weighing an average of 2.5 tons each. The largest blocks, which had to be transported down the Nile by boat, weighed 15 tons. The Great Pyramid of Giza remained the tallest structure in the world for 3,800 years, until the construction of Lincoln Cathedral in London in 1311.
One of the most fantastic structures ever created by man, the Great Pyramid of Giza was the most obvious structure to be included in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Not only was it the largest of the Wonders, but it is the only one still standing today, the rest having been destroyed by fire or earthquake, in some cases (such as the Colossus of Rhodes) less than 60 years after their construction. Its survival to the present day places the age of the structure at approximately 4570 years.
The purpose of the Great Pyramid of Giza, like many Egyptian pyramids, was as a mausoleum for a powerful person, in this case Pharaoh Khufu, who had a reputation for being cruel and ruthless. He would have had to be ruthless to build such a huge pyramid, as its construction required over 1000 tons of stone to be quarried and installed every day. Khufu, also known as King Cheops, also had a long reign to manage his project, 65 years in total. His vizier, Hamon, is believed to have been the principal architect of the project.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is just one of the three very large pyramids of Giza, referred to as the Giza pyramid complex. The World Heritage complex consists of the Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafra (son of Khufu) and the Pyramid of Menkuare (son of Khafra). The main pyramids are also surrounded by a number of satellite buildings, including the “queen pyramids”, causeways and valley pyramids. Shortly after their completion, these pyramids would have been even more spectacular than today, capped by an outer layer of polished white limestone. The atmospheric agents of the centuries have stripped them, leaving only the internal blocks.
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