The Pyramids

The first pyramid was built by an architect called Imhotep in around 2630 B.C. as the tomb of a Pharaoh called Djoser. The type of pyramid he built is called a step pyramid, as it is like four flights of stairs meeting at the top. The reason it is like this is that the ancient Egyptians believed that the pharaoh's soul would go up the steps to join the sun-god in the sky. But this type of pyramid tended to sink and flatten due to its great weight.

The first example of the smooth-sided pyramid - what everybody thinks of when the word pyramid is mentioned - was built by Pharaoh Sneferu. He wanted it to seem like the mound of earth that the sun-god supposedly stood on to create all the other gods and goddesses at the beginning of time. This pyramid was also Pharaoh Sneferu's tomb.

The biggest pyramid is known as the Great Pyramid and was built around 2528 B.C. for Pharaoh Khufu. This amazing tomb is made up of more than 2.3 million blocks of limestone, although built with limited machinery - no cranes!

Next to the Great Pyramid are three smaller pyramids, which were built for Khufu's wives. These are much simpler than Khufu's, which has a mortuary temple, a road connecting it with a temple in the Nile valley, and a pit for a boat to carry the King's body up the Nile. The Great Pyramid is 138 metres high (450 feet), taller than St. Paul's Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe, or the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately, all the pyramids were robbed of their treasure, so we are left only with the magnificent buildings themselves.

The Great Pyramid would have taken about twenty years to build. Pharaohs always started building their tombs in their own lifetimes. In the nineteenth century people used to climb the Great Pyramid, but now there is a law against this.

Go To Page: 1