The Pyramids Of Egypt (An Ancient Cultural Heritage)

The Pyramids At Giza

       The three Pyramids at Giza are the largest and best preserved of all Egyptian pyramids. They stand close to one another on the west bank of the Nile River not far from Cairo. They were built about 2600 to 2500 B.C. The largest was built for King Khufu, the second was the tomb of King Khafre, and the third belonged to King Menkaure. These three pharaohs were respectively, father, son and grandson. Near the pyramid of Khufu stands a huge Sphinx and several other structures that look like worship sites. Ancient Egypt's greatest architectural achievement was the construction of the pyramids which were in fact tombs. Egyptians planned their tombs to last forever to keep the dead intact.

Great Engineering Feat 
  
       The pyramids of Khufu, called the Great Pyramid, is an ingenious engineering feat. It contains more than 2 million stone blocks averaging 2,300 kg each. Can you imagine how big and heavy one block is? Just envision a solid stone block measuring around 1.5 square meters. The base of the Great Pyramid covers about 5 hectares and the structure is about 137 m high. The top of this pyramid is flat now because some of the upper stones are gone.

       Looking at the blocks of stone, I wondered how the ancient Egyptians cut each one without using any machinery or iron tools. I was told that workmen cut the big limestone blocks with copper chisels and saws. They shaped each stone in such a way that the blocks fitted together with only paper-thin spaces between them. While most of the stones came from quarries nearby, some were hauled from distant sites, and others were transported across the river Nile by boat from distant places. Groups of slave workers dragged the blocks to the pyramid site and pushed the first layeer of stones into place. Then they built long ramps of earth and brick, and dragged the stones up the ramps to form the next layer. Afterwards, they raised and made the ramps longer. Finally, after the top-most stones was in place, they covered the pyramid with an outer coating of white casing stones. At that time, the wheel wasn't invented yet. Can you imagine how harrowing work that was for the workmen, pushing and dragging those huge blocks of stone?

Egyptian Museum      

        Our guide advised us not to enter the pyramid because the entrance passage was so low that we would have to crawl to get inside. Besides, there was no light inside to look around and we didn't have enough time to reach the king's burial chamber, anyway. The guide suggested that we go see the famous Egyptian museum in Cairo, where we could look at the legacy of the ancient Egyptians. All kinds of big and small statues were on display. While I was following and listening to the guide's explanation about the objects, I wondered why most of the noses of the statues were broken. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to ask.
        Valuable gold objects were exhibited in a special room. Before entering that room, we had to hand in our cameras or pay an extra $30. I thought that was too expensive so I just looked around and admired the wealth on display.
        Mummies were also kept in a specific room to protect them from pollution. Mummies are the dead bodies of ancient pharaohs embalmed with spices to preserve the corpses from decay. The mummies were wrapped with long white cloths and put in coffins. Then the coffin was put in several layers of sarcophaguses, one bigger than the next. The Egyptians believed that as long as they could keep the body of the dead intact, their spirit would keep on living.

Tutankhamen

        One of the most famous Egyptian pharaohs was Tutankhamen. We can find the replica of his face on all kinds of souvenirs, like cloth pictures, vases, necklaces, etc. Since his rich tomb stayed relatively intact for more than 3000 years, people are now able to have a fairly accurate picture of how ancient Egyptians lived. Tutankhamen was a pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. King Tut (short for Tutankhamen) ascended the throne when he was only 9 years old and died at the age of 18. For much of his reign, Egypt was actually governed by his senior officials. He didn't have much power and wasn't much respected. That was the reason why his tomb was used as a dump to throw away limestone chips of the tomb of a later king. But this disrespect for Tutankhamen saved his tomb from being looted. Through the ages, most pyramids had been plundered because of the treasures of gold and precious objects within. But Tut's tomb was hidden under rock chips, so thieves didn't expect to find a tomb beneath the rubble. In 1922, Howard Carter discovered the undamaged tomb filled with extraordinary treasures, including four gilded shrines nestled one inside the other. The innermost of these shrines covered a stone sarcophagus. Inside were three coffins-the innermost made of 110kg of solid gold. Inside this coffin lay the mummy of king Tut himself wearing his famous gold mask. My eyes almost popped out when I saw those exceptional heavy gold treasures and other evidence of ancient wealth in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
        Many relics of this mighty civilization have been preserved by the dry air and drifting desert sand in Egypt. If you ever get the chance to go the Middle East, visit Egypt and see its Great Pyramids-one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. You'll never regret it.

Glossary
to embalm: to treat a dead body with spices, chemicals or drugs to keep it from decaying.
legacy: something that has come from an ancestor.
mummy: a preserved dead body.
sarcophagus: ornamented wooden coffin.
feat: skill
chisel: tool with a sharp cutting edge at the end of a strong blade.
quarries: open excavation limestone sites.
ramp: sloping roadway connecting different levels.
casing: a covering put around something.
harrowing: very distressing.
looted: plundered: robbed by force.
rubble: rough broken stones or brick.