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This is Egyptian reporter Professor Egypt reporting back from ancient Egypt. Before I returned from ancient Egypt in my patented Ancient World Wonders Time Machine, I investigated the oldest, largest, and last remaining wonder in the world: Khufu's Great Pyramids of Giza. The Great Pyramid is 480 feet tall and 756 feet long on each side. It is composed of 2,300,000 blocks of limestone, each averaging 2 1/2 tons. Built around 2500 B.C., this colossal manmade mountain was supposed to act as a protector for the pharaoh who ordered the construction of the pyramids, Khufu, and his most prized possesions. Located on the Giza Plateau, the pyramid stands higher than all of the other pyramids. The necropolis of ancient Memphis (today part of the Greater Cairo area) encompassed the site of the pyramid. The Fourth Dynasty pharaoh's pyramid covers the royal tomb. The top of the pyramid lost thirty feet over the years. Forty-three centuries later, in the 1800s AD, the pyramid lost its ranking as the tallest manmade object on Earth. The 2.3 million blocks of stone plus the stone from the other two pyramids can build a 10-foot high, 1-foot thick wall around France. The area that is covered by the Great Pyramid can accommodate St. Peter's Basilica and the cathedrals at Florence, Milan, Westminster, and St. Paul's combined. In heart of the pyramid lies the tomb of Khufu. The entrance to the pyramid is on its north face. The tomb's only entrance is through the Great Gallery and an ascending corridor. Khufu's sarcophagus is made of red granite. Other theories have arisen about the pyramids origin and purpose. Theories include astronomic observatories, places of cult worship, geometric structures constructed by a long-gone civilization and extraterrestrial-related theories. Many other theories have been introduced, but it is now clear that the Great Pyramid of Giza was manmade and used as a burial ground for an Egyptian king. This is Egyptian reporter Professor Egypt signing off. I'll report back after I visit my second objective: the Lighthouse of Alexandria. |
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