Man fears Time, yet Time fears the Pyramids
It is the one and only Wonder which does not require a description by early historians and poets. It is the one and only
Ancient Wonder that does not need speculations concerning its appearance, size, and shape. It is the oldest and the only surviving of the Seven Ancient Wonders. It is the
Great Pyramid of Giza.
Location
At the city of Giza, a necropolis of ancient Memphis, and today part of Greater Cairo, Egypt.
Description
When it was built, the Great pyramid was 145.75 m (481
ft) high. Over the years, it lost 10 m (30 ft) off its top. It ranked as the tallest structure on Earth for more than 43 centuries, only to be surpassed in height in the nineteenth century AD. It was covered with a casing of stones to smooth its surface (some of the casing can still be seen near the top of Khefre's pyramid). The sloping angle of its sides is 51 degrees and 51 minutes. Each side is carefully oriented with one of the cardinal points of the compass, that is, north, south, east, and west. The horizontal cross section of the pyramid is square at any level, with each side measuring 229 m (751 ft) in length. The maximum error between side lengths is astonishingly less than 0.1%. New theories concerning the origin and purpose of the Pyramids of Giza have been
proposed... Astronomic observatories... Places of cult worship... Geometric structures constructed by a long-gone
civilization... Even extraterrestrial-related theories have been proposed with little evidence in support... The Great Pyramids were built by the great Ancient Egyptian civilization off the West bank of the Nile as
tombs for their magnificent Kings... Tombs where Khufu, Khefre, and Menkaure could start their mystic journey to the afterlife.
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