Seven Wonders of the World Egyptian Pyramid at Giza. Giza pyramids in egypt
Introduction
There were seven miracles: the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Their number was determined by the magic of the number seven, the limited possibilities of human memory, the limits of the ancient world and, most importantly, the stability of traditions. When, around the third century BC, someone proclaimed this particular seven-color as the standard of miracles, a part of humanity living around the Mediterranean Sea submitted to authority, and only a few local patriots, without challenging the principle itself, tried to amend in particular.
A thousand years after the fall of Rome, when again people revived their interest in what was happening outside their little world, the wonders of the world were remembered, and the strength of ancient authority was such that the seven miracles mentioned were already perceived as an unshakable whole.
Only one of the miracles has survived to this day, paradoxically, the most ancient is the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Great Pyramid of Giza
This grandiose Egyptian pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of antiquity. In addition, this is the only one of the miracles that has survived to this day. At the time of its creation, the Great Pyramid was the tallest structure in the world. And she held this record, apparently, for almost 4000 years.
Royal tomb
The Great Pyramid was built as the tomb of Khufu, known to the Greeks as Cheops. He was one of pharaohs, or kings of ancient Egypt, and his tomb was completed in 2580 BC. Later, two more pyramids were built at Giza, for the son and grandson of Khufu, as well as smaller pyramids for their queens. The Pyramid of Khufu, the furthest in the picture, is the largest. The pyramid of his son is in the middle and looks higher because it stands on a higher place.
pyramid building
The pyramids stand on the ancient cemetery in Giza, on the opposite bank of the Nile River from Cairo, the capital of modern Egypt. Some archaeologists believe that it may have taken 20 years for 100,000 people to build the Great Pyramid. It was created from over 2 million stone blocks, each of which weighed at least 2.5 tons. Workers dragged them into place using ramps, pulleys and levers and then pushed them together without mortar.
shiny limestone
When the main building was completed, it looked like a series of steps. They were then covered with blocks of white limestone with a polished, shiny surface. The blocks were so tightly fitted to each other that even the blade of a knife could not be inserted between them from the outside. Upon completion of the work, the Great Pyramid rose 147 meters. Now its top has collapsed, in addition, at present only the pyramid of the son of Khufu has retained limestone lining at its very top. The base side of the Great Pyramid reaches 230 meters. It occupies more area than nine football fields.
Pharaoh's funeral
The ancient Egyptians believed that in the event of a person's death, his body should be preserved so that the spirit could continue to live after death. They removed the internal organs, filled the body with salts and wrapped it in linen sheets. So the body turned into a mummy. The mummy was then buried along with clothing, food, jewelry, and other things useful for the afterlife. The mummified body of Khufu was placed in a burial chamber at the very heart of his pyramid.
Moreover, it is the only one that has survived to this day. A lot of facts have been written about this unique building, and you can read all of them on Wikipedia. We want to outline the general concepts of the pyramid, and interesting facts about it.
First of all, you should know that it is the largest pyramid in Egypt. Previously, its height was about 146 meters, and today it is approximately 138 m. The date of construction begins somewhere around 2600 BC, although this is inaccurate and disputed by many scientists.
Pyramid of Cheops - the first wonder of the world
Today, this amazing building surprises with its size and incredible accuracy of engineering calculations. It seems that the ancient Egyptians perfectly knew the principle of the golden ratio, owned the secret of the number Pi and other scientific knowledge that were discovered much later.
There is an assumption that these stone giants are space observatories. After all, the shape of the location of the pyramids exactly repeats the contours of the Orion.
Others believe that earlier these buildings played the role of the most powerful energy generators. They were originally covered in limestone, and shone on like supernatural beacons.
Fragments of the lining, which at first completely covered the pyramid Inside the first wonder of the world - the pyramids of Cheops, you will find three chambers: underground, "Queen's Chamber" and "Pharaoh's Chamber". You can get inside the artificial mountain through a natural entrance, located at a height of about 15 meters (somewhere like a 5-story house) or through an artificial one, which was broken in 820.
If you have ever been to the Giza Plateau and seen the described facts with your own eyes, then you are unlikely to soon forget the unique wonder of the world - the pyramid of Cheops.
Pyramid of Cheops in section On our website you can find another interesting article about how the largest Egyptian pyramid was opened. I must say that many secrets become clear only upon closer examination.
The only one of the 7 wonders of the world of the Ancient World that has survived to this day is the Great Pyramid of Giza - the Pyramid of Cheops. In the suburbs of the capital of Egypt, Cairo, this ancient monument was designed and built as the tomb of the most famous pharaoh Cheops (Khufu) and is recognized as the tallest building of its time. It's hard to believe, but the height of this miracle of art is almost 147 meters (imagine five nine-story buildings stacked on top of each other). Initially, the pyramid occupied an area larger than seven football fields, and the length of one of the sides of its base was over 230 meters.
Source: version. infoThe construction of the Great Pyramid, according to the official version of Egyptologists, was completed in 2540 BC. It took the combined efforts of 100,000 people to create this truly extraordinary miracle. According to the calculations of archaeologists, the work lasted about 20 years.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
It is generally accepted that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which, according to one of the many versions, were built around 600 BC by order of the Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife, the Median princess Amitis. In the future, the daughter of King Cyaxares began to be called the name of the Assyrian queen.
Source: wikipedia.org
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was a four-story building resembling a pyramid in shape, the tiers of which, held by powerful columns, were both balconies and terraces. Hanging unique plants, combined with fountains and ponds, turned the Babylonian structure into a real oasis.
To supply the gardens with water, a special irrigation system was designed: hundreds of slaves turned wheels with buckets for days on end. When Babylon fell into decay, there was no one to irrigate, the unique flora of the hanging gardens perished. Finished the job - finally destroyed the palace - frequent earthquakes. Babylon disappeared from the face of the earth, and with it the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the most beautiful monuments of antiquity, disappeared into oblivion.
Zeus statue in Olympia
In the 5th century BC, the sports and religious center of ancient Greece was Olympia, where the god Zeus was most revered. It was to him, the head of the ancient Greek Pantheon, that the Olympians unanimously decided to build a majestic temple. To implement the plan, the Athenian sculptor Phidias, known for his sculptures, was invited to Olympia. The task before the master was not easy: to create a structure that surpasses all his previous creations in its monumentality. Phidias gave the go-ahead. Work has begun.
It took the sculptor and his apprentices ten years for the Ancient World to see this wonder of the world. The temple was entirely made of marble. Columns made of limestone were installed along its perimeter. On the walls of the temple there were picturesque bas-reliefs depicting Zeus and the twelve labors of Hercules.
Source: pinterest. ca
The thunder god himself, called "the embodiment of male beauty", was made of ivory and reached a height of 13 meters. He sat majestically on a throne carved from ebony and covered with chased gold plates, and almost touched the ceiling of the temple.
The masterpiece of Phidias did not go unnoticed. For many years, writers and philosophers admired him, referring the statue of Olympian Zeus to the best creations of mankind. But in 476 there was a fire during which this wonder of the world was lost.
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
The initiator and "sponsor" of the latest version of Artemision, the temple of Artemis of Ephesus, was. The construction of this wonder of the world, which began in 323 BC, from limestone and marble, continued for many years. The "highlight" of the temple, its main distinguishing feature, was 127 giant columns installed in nine rows. The interior decoration of Artemision was fascinating. Everything was here: marvelous statues made by the best architects of that time, and beautiful paintings by famous artists. And in the center of this splendor stood a statue of the goddess Artemis - the patroness of love relationships and the family hearth.
Source: journal. tapigo.ru
Artemision, rebuilt by Alexander, lasted six centuries. It was robbed and destroyed by the Goths, flooded by numerous floods. Today, the existence of this wonder of the world is evidenced by only one single column, restored from the wreckage.
mausoleum in Halicarnassus
Ancient Halicarnassus, in which the "father of history" Herodotus was born, was known for its architectural beauties. White marble temples built in honor of Ares and Aphrodite, Salmakin's fountain, theaters and palaces attracted foreign guests to the city. But the real "pearl" of Halicarnassus, a wonder of the world, was the tomb of the despotic king, which he began to build during his lifetime.
Pytheas and Satyros, the best architects of that time, worked on the tomb, which consisted of three tiers and reached a height of 46 meters. Decorating the building - creating marble figures of gods, animals and horsemen - was entrusted to Leohar and Skopas.
Pyramids of Giza are among the oldest tourist attractions of our planet and symbols of the ancient Egyptian civilization. The largest of them is the Great Pyramid, which consists of 2.3 million stone blocks.
Until now, no one knows for sure how the multi-ton blocks were installed in their places, but it is known that it was the tallest building in the world for more than 3800 years, until the Lincoln Cathedral was built (1300).
Also, the Great Pyramid is the only surviving seven wonders of the world of the ancient world. It is considered the most massive structure built in the history of mankind.
great pyramid
The largest of all the pyramids of ancient Egypt is the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza. In Greek Khufu is translated as Cheops. He was the pharaoh of the 4th dynasty and reigned for 23 years, from 2589 to 2566 BC. e. The Great Pyramid impresses with its size and mathematical precision, and personifies the apogee of the construction of the famous monuments of Ancient Egypt.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is made up of 2.3 million stone blocks. The average weight of one block is 2.5 tons, and the maximum is 15 tons. Each block fit so tightly together that the entire monument was built without the use of any mortar. If we divide the construction time (20 years) by the number of blocks (2.3 million), we can conclude that a new block was installed every five minutes.
When completed, the Great Pyramid of Giza looked very different than it does today. On the entire surface of the structure there were white polished slabs, which are no longer there today. At the top stood a pyramidal stone, which is also no longer there. Having lost the lining and stone, the height of the pyramid became 138.75 meters (it was 146.5), and the length at the base was reduced to 225 meters (it was 230.33).
In order to get to the center of Khufu's pyramid, you need to go through a poorly lit narrow corridor. Halfway through, you will enter a gallery 8.5 m high and 47 m long. The gallery leads to the tomb of the pharaoh, in which only the Cheops sarcophagus remains. The walls in the tomb are made of red granite, and the pharaoh's chamber was isolated from thieves with the help of shifted granite blocks. But, nevertheless, this did not save her from looting.
Near the pyramid of Khufu, archaeologists discovered two underground vaults in which solar boats were stored. According to legend, after death, the pharaoh on this solar boat should go on a journey along the heavenly Nile together with the sun god Ra. Archaeologists have discovered one solar boat, which consisted of 1224 separate parts. It took 14 years to reconstruct it, and now it stands in the Solar Boat Museum near the Great Pyramid itself. The size of the boat is impressive: 43 meters long and 6 meters wide.
Pyramid of Khafre at Giza
Khafre was the son of Khufu and ruled for 27 years, from 2558 to 2532 BC. Khafre tried to make his burial complex more majestic than that of his father. And to some extent it succeeded. Despite the fact that his pyramid is shorter by 3 meters and 15% smaller in volume, due to the fact that it is built on a high embankment, it looks significantly higher than that of his father.
But inside the Khafre pyramid is much simpler. Inside, two entrances are connected: one goes a little higher, and the other goes down below the base of the pyramid. A long corridor leads directly to the burial chamber, where there is nothing else besides a black granite sarcophagus. The lower passage leads to another chamber, which may have been intended for the queen.
Not far from the Pyramid of Khafre are two sanctuaries: the Welcome Temple and the Mortuary Temple.
Between themselves they are connected by a laid embankment about 500 meters long. Both sanctuaries are built from megalithic blocks covered with red granite. The meeting temple was preserved in good condition, and only ruins remained from the Mortuary.
Pyramid of Menkaure at Giza
The rest of the pyramids of Giza are already much smaller. For example, the pyramid of Menkaure is 10 times smaller than the Khafre monument. For its construction, high-quality granite and stone were used. This distinguishes it from other pyramids, which were built from low quality limestone. At the end of the 12th century, Sultan Osman ibn Yusuf was convinced of the strength of the walls of this pyramid, who tried to destroy the structure for 8 months, but eventually retreated.
Inside the pyramid of Menkaur, it’s rather uninteresting: if traces of decoration are still visible in the first chamber, then only stone walls further down. There is no sarcophagus in the burial chamber of Menkaur. It sank along with the Beatrice, which was carrying it, in 1838 on its way to England.
After the death of Pharaoh Menkaur, the construction of the pyramids continued, but on a smaller scale, and the center of construction moved from Giza to Abusir and Saqqara.
The Great Sphinx is depicted with the body of a lion and the head of a man. With a length of 73.5 m, a width of 6 m and a height of 20.2 m, it is the largest monolithic statue in the world.
The Sphinx is the most interesting monument of ancient Egyptian civilization. First of all, because no one can say what was the purpose of building such a huge sculpture. The most likely theory is that the Sphinx served as a defense for the two great pyramids of Cheops and Khafre.
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Over time, the pharaohs began to view the Sphinx as the holder of royal power, so the rulers of ancient Egypt constantly presented him with donations. It all started with Prince Thutmose IV, who dreamed that he would become a pharaoh if he cleared the Sphinx of sand. When this happened, he built a stele in front of the Sphinx for donations.
Over the past few thousand years, the Sphinx has been covered in sand several times. In 1905, the statue was finally cleared of sand. To date, the monument is in need of constant repair. The sandstone from which the Sphinx is carved is quite soft and is destroyed by time. Plus, it's rotting from the inside, in all likelihood due to the rising water table. There is a popular theory that the nose of the Sphinx was beaten off by Napoleon's soldiers, but it is not true: it was lost long before the birth of the famous commander.
Looting the pyramids
Even at the design stage, Egyptian architects tried to protect the pyramids of Giza from thieves. To do this, the passages were blocked by large granite blocks, and false entrances and chambers were also created. But, the robbers turned out to be smarter and all the tombs were looted.
Pyramids of Giza: useful information
- Almost every hotel in the city of Giza has the opportunity to purchase tickets for tours to the pyramids.
- To buy tickets near the pyramids, there are two ticket offices: one next to the main entrance, and the second near the Sphinx.
- In order to enter the pyramids, you will need an additional ticket. Also, the number of visits inside the pyramids of Khafre and Cheops is limited to 300 tickets: 150 of them at 8:30 in the morning and 150 after 13:00.
- Inside the pyramids it is very humid and hot, the corridors are dusty, and it is not easy to move. Therefore, for those who have problems with the lungs or heart, it is not advisable to enter. Well, for those who are not afraid of such conditions, visiting the pyramids will become very informative and interesting.
- Photography inside the pyramids is prohibited.
- The best time to visit is in the morning when it opens. Later, crowds of tourists begin to arrive, and it gets very hot during the day.
- The pyramids of Giza attract not only millions of tourists, but also a large number of scammers. Even on the approach, people may come up to you and say that they won’t let you in without a guide (don’t worry, they will let you in), or that you need a camel or a horse, which you can’t do without (you can easily get by).
- The prices for a trip around the pyramid on a camel are very high, similar tours in other places in Egypt will cost you much less.
- Before taking a camel or horse ride, agree on a price, and don't pay in advance until you get what you agreed on. if you pay in advance, your horse will "lame" after a few meters and you will be offered another, but for a fee. Discuss all the details of the trip in detail. The arrogance of pet owners knows no bounds. For example, after a trip, you may be asked to pay extra to help you get off your camel.
- Theft is also not uncommon. For example, if you give your camera to a stranger, there is a chance they will lose it.
- Due to safety reasons, climbing the pyramids of Giza is currently officially prohibited, but in some places, guards for tips turn a blind eye to this.
Is it true why the Egyptian pyramids are considered the first of the 7 wonders of the world? To begin with, it is important to clarify that not all pyramids are included in the list of 7 wonders of the world, but only one, the most majestic Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu). Researchers still cannot fully understand how people could build it in such an ancient time. Even now there is an opinion that it was erected not at all by human hands, but by some incomprehensible external force. But since these are only guesses, there is no point in writing a lot about it.
Why is the pyramid of Cheops called a miracle?
There is no exact definition here, but there are many facts that make us agree that it is simply impossible not to call this building a miracle.
- The first is the dimensions of the pyramid. For more than three thousand years in a row, the structure was the tallest on Earth. The size of the base was originally 227.5, height - 146 meters. Over time, the structure collapsed a little, as a result of which the pyramid is now 9 meters lower.
- The second is the materials used for the construction. In total, the pyramid took 2.3 million stone blocks. The weight of one such block is not less than two and a half tons. In addition, it is important to pay attention to the density of the pyramid. The stones are so well fitted to each other that even the thinnest blade cannot slip between them.
- The third is appearance. Initially, the pyramid was covered with such facing material as white limestone. During the day, when the sun illuminated the pyramid, it shone with a bright peach color, which looked like a real miracle, "to which, it seemed, the sun god Ra himself gave his rays." Unfortunately, now it is no longer possible to see this beauty, because after the attack of the Arabs on (1168), the locals used the cladding to restore their houses.
