In the suburbs of Cairo, where the Nile Valley smoothly turns into the Libyan Desert, the Great Egyptian Pyramids stand on the Giza plateau. They are like a mirage, they appear from the hot desert sands. In ancient times, these amazing structures were. Centuries have passed, but they are impressive in their size, and their secrets still excite the minds of scientists and researchers.
Pyramids of Giza in Egypt
The Egyptian pyramids are the most famous in the world and the tallest. This is the only surviving ancient wonder of the world. They aroused the admiration of great people and mere mortals. The complex of pyramids at Giza, which is guarded by the Great Sphinx, is part of the huge necropolis of this city.
They were built during the time of the Egyptian pharaohs of the IV dynasty, which ruled in the ancient state in 2639-2506 BC. Near the huge structures are small temples and pyramids, in which the wives of the pharaohs, their officials and priests are buried. Scientists are still studying these burials.
Until now, researchers continue to argue about the purpose of these structures. There is a traditional version, which says that the huge mounds that tower over the mortal world are the tombs of the pharaohs. Their ashes in such burials were closer to the sky and the sun. Some scholars believe that the Egyptian pyramids are temples where the ministers of the cult of the Sun performed religious rites. Other researchers suggest that these were scientific laboratories created for astronomical observations. German archaeologists have put forward another interesting hypothesis. They believe that the pyramids are natural generators of the earth's energy. Thanks to her, the pharaohs were "charged" and rejuvenated. Pharaohs visited the pyramids as regularly as modern man goes to a psychologist or a massage therapist. Most scientists believe that they were on Earth even before the biblical flood. Therefore, more than one generation will have to solve all their secrets.
Egyptian pyramids: interesting facts
The great ones were erected at different times under several pharaohs who created tombs and monuments for themselves for centuries. The oldest of them is the Djoser pyramid. Its construction dates back to 2670. It is located in the city of Sakkara. Its height is 62 meters. The name of the author of this pyramid is known - it was the ancient Egyptian architect Imhotep. He was very revered in Ancient Egypt, and later, even in myths, he became the main patron of crafts and arts - the son of the god Ptah.
The second largest ancient Egyptian pyramid was built by the son of Cheops, Pharaoh Khafre. It is lower than the nearby tomb of Cheops, its height is 136.4 meters, but since it is located on a higher point of the plateau, it competes with the great pyramid. At its top there is still a white basalt lining, which is very reminiscent of a glacier. The internal structure of the pyramid is quite simple - two chambers, two entrances located on the north side. One of them is located at a height of fifteen meters, and the second is directly below it, at the base of the structure.
The Pyramid of Mikerin was erected in 2504 BC. It is much smaller than the two great pyramids. Height - 66 meters. Scientists believe that the small size is due to the fact that Mikerin was not the rightful heir to the throne. However, when he did gain power, the structure began to look more monumental. Unlike the pyramids of Cheops and Khafre, its lining was made of huge blocks of pink granite, which was brought to Giza from Aswan along the Nile. And downstream was built. According to the surviving records of contemporaries, despite its more modest size, this building was considered the most beautiful in Egypt.
Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt
Much later, similar structures were built in other parts of the country, of which Egypt is proud today. Giza, whose pyramids are known all over the world, received resounding fame thanks to one of them - Cheops. She became a real wonder of the world, which can be seen in our time. The three tallest buildings are rightfully considered the great Egyptian pyramids - the pyramids of Cheops, Mikerin and Khafre. But do not forget, in this ancient city there are many small structures that keep no less secrets than the more monumental ones.
The pyramid of Cheops in Giza was built a long time ago. It is still not known exactly how long it took to build it. It is believed that this great pyramid at Giza dates back to the time when the country was ruled by Cheops, the pharaoh of the 4th dynasty. Great interest in the history of its construction is not diminishing even today. Myths about the pyramid There are many theories about the origin of this grandiose structure. Some of them are based on information received from experts in Egyptology, others have a somewhat exotic, fabulous touch. There is even a version that this structure was erected by aliens or some extinct civilization that lived in these places even before the appearance of the pharaohs. And they built it using unknown technical capabilities. According to such theories, the age of this pyramid at Giza is much higher than that indicated by modern scientists.
It is quite difficult to accurately measure the parameters of the Cheops pyramid in our time, since during its long history it has suffered greatly. Today, for example, there is no longer the stone that crowned the structure, the facing slabs have been destroyed. According to the data obtained with modern measuring instruments, at first the great pyramid of giza had a height of 146.5 meters. The length of one side is 232.5 meters. The sides have an inclination of 51 degrees 50 minutes. Weight - 6,400,000 tons. The internal structure of the famous is quite interesting.
All who enter this magnificent structure can visit four spacious rooms. These are the king and queen chambers, a large gallery and an underground chamber. Researchers have discovered four shafts inside the pyramid. At first, it was suggested that they are necessary for ventilation of premises, but later a bolder version arose, according to which mines are channels to the stars.
Two of them are directed to the North Star, the third to the star Sirius, and the fourth to Orion. Since ancient times, people have sought to climb to the top of the Cheops pyramid, where there is a small area of \u200b\u200bten square meters. There was a belief that there you can get in touch with eternity. Many famous Russians have visited this mysterious place. Among them is Emperor Nicholas II. And today many tourists come to Giza who want to see this miracle with their own eyes. Those who are interested in the history of Egypt can read about. 
Sphinx - guardian of the pyramids of Giza
The Pyramids of Giza are guarded by the Great Sphinx - the oldest sculpture that has survived to this day. This is a lion with a human head. The history of the creation of this figure is no less mysterious than the history of the pyramids. There are many versions of the appearance of the Sphinx, but the most common of them says that the sculpture was built by Chefren in memory of his father, Pharaoh Cheops.
It is believed that the Sphinx was created much earlier, and under the Pharaoh it was dug out of the sand during the construction of the great pyramid. Some discrepancy with the first version is that the face of the Sphinx has Negroid features, while all the images of Cheops that have survived to this day do not.
Many legends are associated with the absence of a nose at the Sphinx. The most widespread theory is that this mythical animal lost its nose from Napoleon's cannons during the battle between the Turks and the French in 1798. But this is fiction, because there are images of 1737, in which the Sphinx no longer had a nose. Therefore, this sculpture is a big mystery for scientists all over the world who study the civilization of Ancient Egypt. Many of the finds are kept in.
Nowadays, the pyramids in Giza are one of the main world attractions, which is fraught with a great many secrets and mysteries. It is not at all surprising that the Egyptian pyramids are protected by UNESCO. Every year millions of tourists come to Egypt to see them and feel the extraordinary spirit of ancient times.
Long gone are the days when the Egyptian pyramids amazed the observer with unprecedented grandeur and unsurpassed monumentality. About a thousand three hundred years ago, mankind learned to build more, higher, more massive and faster than the ancient Egyptians did. But still, for four thousand years, the leadership in the field of construction was retained by a long-disappeared people ...
Who, how and when built the Egyptian pyramids? Interest in the pyramids of Giza has not faded for five millennia in a row. Egyptologists know the answers to most of the questions.
How and from what the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids - we in many cases only assume, and among the hypotheses promoted there are many frank fiction. Let's try to understand the history of the Egyptian pyramids without prejudice, mysticism and feigned mystery.
How many pyramids are there in Egypt?
The question is far from idle, given the length of the pyramid construction period, the variety of materials used, architectural features - and, of course, preservation. According to various sources, the total number of Egyptian pyramids reaches 140, but many of them are difficult to identify.And if the pyramids of Giza are famous for their impressive size, perfect shape and good preservation, the pyramids of other ancient Egyptian tombs were less fortunate. Many of them - due to the fragility of the mud brick that was common at that time or the urgent need for building materials - collapsed completely or partially, and more resemble hills than pyramids.
So, in 2013, the American archaeologist Angela Micol, examining high-resolution photo maps, suggested that several hills in the territory of modern Egypt are nothing more than ancient pyramids, partly eroded under the influence of climatic factors, partly covered by sand and dust.
Inspired by a hint from across the ocean, Egyptian archaeologists embarked on an expedition to indicated heights... Cautious statements have appeared in the press regarding the validity of the judgments of the American scientist, however, Angela Mikol's findings have not yet been included in the official register of Egyptian pyramids - as well as the remains of 17 more pyramids, similarly discovered by Sarah Parkak from the University of Birmingham, Alabama.
Mastaba - the humble tomb of the pharaoh
The tradition of building pyramids as pharaoh's tombs was not born suddenly. The burials of the pharaohs of the first dynasty (in total, there are more than 30 dynasties) were arranged in relatively small buildings, in appearance resembling a cut off hill or a tetrahedral pyramid with a cut off top and a rectangular base.The imperfection of the then building technologies forced the Egyptians to create buildings with inclined edges of the outer walls. The intuitive assimilation of the artificial structure of a natural embankment made of stone ensured the stability of the erected structure no worse than that of a conical pile of various-sized debris at the foot of the mountain.
In Arab Egypt, the first tombs of the pharaohs received the name "mastaba", which means "stool" in Arabic.
In its architectural appearance, the mastaba repeats a slightly grown-up ancient Egyptian residential building, and there is not a drop of holiness in a purely utilitarian building. So there is nothing surprising in the fact that every new ruler tried to build his mastaba higher than any buildings in the area, and most importantly - higher than the tomb of his predecessor. Megalomania is so characteristic of leaders!
The logical result of the growth of the mastaba was a geometrically correct pyramid, but it was not possible to achieve the desired shape immediately.
Tomb of Djoser - the first Egyptian pyramid
The village of Sakkara is located thirty kilometers south of Cairo. Saqqara is the resting place of the pharaohs of the III-IV dynasty. Here is the oldest surviving Egyptian pyramid - the pyramid of Djoser.Imhotep is a brave innovator
According to information collected by historians, Imhotep - the chief architect of the project - originally planned to build an ordinary mastaba. However, the idea of \u200b\u200bbuilding a multi-tiered burial vault seemed to both the architect and the customer much more fruitful. Therefore, already during the construction process, the project was changed. The threefold superstructure of the smaller mastaba over the larger one resulted in a forty-meter four-tiered pyramid with a rectangular base.Realizing that raw clay brick (in the Russian tradition, the material is known as "adobe") is not strong enough to create a high-rise structure, Imhotep ordered to use limestone blocks for the construction of the tomb body.
Djoser's ingenious pyramid construction technology
for construction it was mined in a quarry nearby. The size and shape of the stone blocks were not strictly observed, however, they allowed laying masonry with bandaging: three longitudinally oriented blocks were replaced by two transverse ones, and so on. The mass of a single block did not exceed the "carrying capacity" of a strong porter.A thick clay composition was used as a binder solution, designed not so much to hold the blocks together as to fill the voids. The idea of \u200b\u200bsuch a building material could have been suggested to Imhotep by nature itself. Traveling around the surrounding world, the Egyptians probably came across, formed by mudflows and quickly turning into a dense and durable material.
The clay was dug in the Nile Valley, soaked and mixed with some sand (to prevent cracking during drying). The wall stone was laid with an inclination towards the inside of the building so that the line of the wall deviated from the vertical by 15˚. Thus, the walls of each of the tiers of the tomb formed an angle of 75˚ with the conditional plane of the earth.
The critical units of the internal structures of the Djoser pyramid were made of two-ton blocks, delivered from afar by water, and coarsely hewn limestone. Cementing gypsum mortar, which was used by the Egyptians more often than lime, held the elements together only in some places. In particular, the blue tiles in the lining of the tomb's interior were kept on the walls thanks to gypsum binders.
Imhotep - the deified pioneer of perestroika
Having erected a four-tier pyramid, inspired by the success of Imhotep, he proposed not to stop the construction and increase the number of tiers to six, while increasing the total area of \u200b\u200bthe pyramid. For the outer cladding of the building, it was supposed to use white limestone from the Tours quarry on the east bank of the Nile.Pharaoh's consent was not long in coming. Uninterrupted continuation of the work allowed the outstanding architect of Ancient Egypt to increase the height of the pyramid to 62 meters. Having become six-tiered in 2649 BC, the Djoser pyramid crowned a huge complex of ritual buildings and for a long time became a record building in Egypt and the entire world of that time.
It is estimated that 850 thousand tons of limestone were spent on the construction of the Djoser pyramid. According to the unanimous opinion of the builders of our time, there are no technological mysteries in the construction of the first Egyptian pyramid. However, Imhotep's contemporaries treated the outstanding architect with much greater reverence. After his death, the architect, engineer and scientist Imhotep was deified, and the Egyptian pyramids, according to the covenant of the founder, were built stepwise for a long time.
Pyramids in Giza - the focus of secrets and mysteries
There are quite a lot of stepped and multi-tiered pyramids and pyramids built according to the precepts of the great Imhotep in Egypt. But the Egyptian pyramids are ranked as wonders of the world only of the correct tetrahedral shape, and not all, but only those that are in Giza.The pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mikerin are the pinnacle of the building art of Ancient Egypt. The research carried out did not give a clear and reliable picture of the stages and methods of construction. Of the historical documents, the description of Herodotus is considered the most detailed - however, it must be remembered that Herodotus made his notes 2000 years after the construction of the pyramid of Cheops ...
Hemiun - the hero of the pyramid-building labor
The task assigned to Khemiun, a relative of the pharaoh and, concurrently, the chief administrator of the state, was difficult. On a rocky square base, a pyramid of the correct geometric shape and reference aesthetic merits should have been built. The structure, of course, had to be higher than the pyramids of the previous pharaohs and, preferably, remain unsurpassed in the future. 
Perhaps the task was posed somehow differently - but that doesn't matter. Hemiun managed to create a pyramid that contained millions of tons of natural stone, which rose almost to heaven (147 meters in height), hid several secret rooms, amazed (and amazes) the observer with the perfection of forms and the greatness of the idea.
The first secret plus the main secret
How the construction was carried out is not described anywhere. Not a single papyrus was found in which not only the construction technology of Chemiun was revealed, but even the pyramid of Cheops was simply mentioned!This is the first riddle of the main of the Egyptian pyramids. However, there may be several answers:
- a) researchers were just not lucky to find required document;
- b) there was a ban on documenting and disclosing the methods of building the pyramid;
- c) project documentation was not drawn up, construction logging was not carried out - as unnecessary.
How the greatest of the Egyptian pyramids was built
Most of the Cheops pyramid is composed of blocks of yellow-gray limestone, a material that is relatively loose, but strong enough. Since the blocks were cut out of different sizes, it would be logical to arrange the stone when harvesting materials at the construction site so that the largest and heaviest of them at the bottom were spent on the construction of the lower tiers of the masonry, and less massive stones were intended for the upper tiers. 
The Egyptian builders did just that. The limestone blocks of the pyramid are smaller the closer they lie to the top. Which, by the way, refutes the fashionable theory about the construction of a building from concrete blocks.
Is the concrete idea false?
It is really easier to transport buckets of thick solution to the upper floors of the construction site, but why change the formwork standard from tier to tier? Artificial building stone, as a rule, has standardized dimensions, while the blocks of the Cheops pyramid are far from standard.The time factor is also important. The hardening of concrete requires prolonged rest of the part to be cast. Initial seizure is not the same as full strength gain. On a freshly cast and already hardened stone, you cannot immediately pile up a multi-ton load like this. It is possible to accelerate the hardening of the casting with organic additives - at least with egg white - but then the shell mountain will exceed the pyramid in size. Is such a monument good for Pharaoh?
The production of a binder for concrete production requires high-temperature dehydration of the feedstock - in the case of Ancient Egypt. The country's resources made it possible to produce a certain amount of gypsum mortar painlessly, but not the millions of cubic meters required for a complete transition to an artificial building stone! There was simply not so much firewood in the state!
Concrete is not only a binder solution, it is also a mineral filler of several fractions. Modern concretes are created from cement mortar, sand and crushed granite. The blocks of the Egyptian pyramids are entirely limestone. You can, of course, imagine how thousands of slaves crush natural limestone for years to get crumbs, thousands more carry stretchers with limestone crumbs to the construction site, still others carry water in wineskins, and still others trample wet concrete - for without compaction it will turn out fragile.
But isn't it easier to carve finished blocks out of stone? Moreover, all qualified mineralogists are unanimous in their assessment of the main material of the Cheops pyramid and consider it natural limestone.
However, individual elements of the pyramid structure could indeed have been made of artificial stone. But only not the most responsible and loaded with astronomical masses of overlying materials.
Granite mystery of the Cheops pyramid
Adherents of secret knowledge interpret the impossibility of manufacturing, processing and delivering granite construction parts without the use of tools made of steel and abrasives of hardness level.Meanwhile, granite columns, obelisks and other "megaliths" in Ancient Egypt were produced without much difficulty. Our French contemporaries have reproduced all stages of the extraction and processing of granite, and are quite satisfied with the experience gained.
The following method was used to break off a large workpiece from a natural massif.
- 1. A low hearth was built along the contour of the proposed workpiece made of clay bricks.
- 2. Firewood was loaded into the hearth, a fire was made. Hot coals heated the underlying granite to a shallow depth.
- 3. Water poured onto the heated granite. The stone cracked.
- 4. After removing bricks, ash and exfoliated rock, the heating zone was subjected to shock treatment with dolerite (dolerite - variety) hammers. As a result, a groove 10-15 cm deep was formed in the monolithic granite massif.
- 5. To deepen the contour groove, the operation was repeated.
The handmade technique with a rounded dolerite hammer assumes the performer's endurance and perseverance. Hourly (even not too dexterous) beating with dolerite on granite allows removing a layer 6 - 8 mm thick over an area of \u200b\u200bseveral square decimeters.
The dolerite nodule, split in half, served as the main tool for grinding granite. The abundance of dolerite in the eastern regions of Egypt allowed the craftsmen of antiquity to use this hard stone in unlimited quantities.
Lifting weights without a crane
Herodotus writes that lifting the stone upward was carried out by simple wooden devices such as a well crane. The carrying capacity of such devices is sufficient for two-ton loads (the average volume of the lime block of the Cheops pyramid is 850 - 1000 liters, the density of limestone is 2000 kg per cubic meter). But how were the much more massive structural elements installed? In particular, the pyramidion, a monolithic top of a pyramid weighing 15 tons?Modern inventors talk about the possibility of cladding a stone product with volumetric wooden structures that bring the shape of the packed part closer to the cylinder. Such a container really facilitates transportation, but requires a solid road.
Inclined ramp or spiral road?
How is a waste rock waste heap constructed? First, props are installed, an inclined rail track is installed on them. Wagons with bulk mass are driven onto the rails and unloaded to the side. As the dump grows, the road lengthens. Ultimately, an artificial mountain is formed with steep slopes and a long, gentle embankment with rails from a flat bottom to the very top. 
Approximately so, the researchers believe, were built and access roads to the Egyptian pyramids. A build-up inclined (7˚-8˚) ramp made of bulk materials, compacted and reinforced with imported timber, could really help deliver massive stone blocks to their installation site.
However, the volume of earthworks in this case turns out to be comparable to the volume of all construction, and the pace of work is limited by the frequency of reconstruction of the transport route. An embankment spiral road, laid around the pyramid, makes it impossible to check the geometry of the edges and faces of the entire structure.
It is another matter, suggested by the French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin, if the spiral road is laid in the body of the pyramid along its outer edges. On such a road, you can walk like on a gentle staircase, along the way dragging up limestone blocks. True, such a path is replete with right-angle turns. But if open areas with the simplest forklifts are made in the places of turns, the difficulties will disappear.
Houden's hypothesis is flawed in many ways. Nevertheless, turntables in the corners of the building were found, and some inclined passages along the perimeter of the pyramid were also found. However, the Egyptian authorities have not yet given permission for a large-scale hardware study of the historical structure.
Final reconstruction of the process
The generalized reconstructed picture of the construction of the Cheops pyramid looks like this:- - the most massive parts of the base of the pyramid and the interior of the tomb were delivered to the place of installation by ground roads and a low bulk ramp;
- - the blocks that make up the body of the pyramid climbed the spiral scaffolding attached outside;
- - white limestone top - pyramidion - was installed immediately after the completion of the laying;
- - facing blocks of white limestone, in cross-section representing a right-angled triangle, were laid from top to bottom, flush with the faces of the pyramidion.
And although some details of the construction are not fully clarified, the overall picture is quite clear and plausible. However, the secrets of the Egyptian pyramids were not only in the design and construction of cyclopean structures.
"Undisclosed" secrets of the Egyptian pyramids
The exploration of the pyramid of Cheops, undertaken by the treasure-hungry mankind over the past two thousand years, turned out to be very traumatic for the historical structure. Partly because of this, and partly because of the high tourism potential, it is very difficult to obtain permission for scientific research in Giza.As a result, to date, scientists do not have a complete plan of the cavities and rooms of the Cheops pyramid, which is why assumptions about the purpose of rooms, corridors and canals are based on insufficient information.
This situation gives food for idle reflections about the presence of secret treasures under the Egyptian pyramids and the Sphinx. The tabloid press with might and main exaggerates the idea of \u200b\u200bthe secrecy of specimens of ancient knowledge, stored either under the paws of the Sphinx, or under Khufu's burial chamber, or even deeper.
However, historians and archaeologists do not expect any special revelations from hypothetical treasuries. Yes, if unlooted repositories are found in the past, the world's museum collections will be considerably replenished with works of ancient Egyptian art - but one cannot expect advanced technologies among the surviving artifacts. Alas…
Is the pyramid a working device?
The thought that each separately taken pyramid and especially the largest and most beautiful pyramid of Cheops is not just a monument and a tomb, but a certain instrument of interaction with secret forces, have tormented humanity for four and a half thousand years.The echoes of the excitement that arose in the perestroika years and concerning the miraculous properties of pyramidal structures are still alive. Allegedly, the blades in them self-sharpen, bacteria self-destruct, water self-sanctifies - and in large pyramids, plus time slows down, organisms become younger and fools grow wiser.
The experiments are still going on, but the statistics of the results are disappointing. Nothing special happens either in the pyramids of ancient Egyptian work, or in their modern counterparts.
"In addition, - the esotericists argue, - that contact with the higher mind is being made!"
Impact of the Egyptian pyramids on the mind
Initiates write: whoever lies in the sarcophagus of the Cheops pyramid and concentrates, voices are heard, colorful pictures are visible, the complexity of the universe is clear - and the future is still opening. So Napolen, as he spent the night in the sarcophagus, came out pale, was silent about what he had experienced, and only in exile on the island of St. Helena hinted that he had seen his own fall ...True, psychiatrists, having learned about the voices and visions, begin to treadmill nervously and iron bags of medicine. Psychologists, on the other hand, talk about the similarity of individual reactions to darkness, silence and complete isolation. To save money, they say, instead of a sarcophagus, you can lie down in a wooden box with a lid, and instead of an Egyptian pyramid, you can use any dungeon - even a shallow pit.
The sum of sensations and thoughts arising in the subjects is typical. In such solitude, every person thinks about the transience of life, the futility of all that exists and the inevitability of the end. The pyramids have nothing to do with it!
Astronomical factor
The Belgian Robert Bauvel, who was born and lived for a long time in Egyptian Alexandria, was not the first person to notice the similarity of the location of the pyramids at Giza and the stars in Orion's Belt. However, he was the first to speak out about the similarity loudly and publicly.The check showed that the coincidence of directions and proportions is very conditional. Defending his point of view, Bauval suggested that the position of the pyramids corresponds to the picture of the starry sky during the third dynasty of the pharaohs.
The development of computer technology has made it possible to restore the position of the stars in the past. The simulated picture of the starry sky of 2500 BC turned out to be close to the location of the pyramids in Giza, but only approximately ...
Further research led astronomers to the conclusion: the relative position of the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaura (Cheops, Khafren and Mikerin) fully corresponds to the location of Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintak (stars of the "Orion's Belt" asterism) in 10500 BC.
Leisurely thinkers immediately came to the conclusion that the initial marking of the construction site was completed in 10500, and the construction itself was decided to be postponed for 8 thousand years.
Moreover! At the beginning of the beginning, namely 14 thousand years before the birth of Christ, on the site of the future Giza and all of its tombs there was a pyramid - all pyramids are a pyramid the size of a real mountain! True, the ancestor of the pyramids was monolithic and cracked during the earthquake. It was decided to demolish the giant, and in its place, after cleaning up the debris, build a new pyramid complex.
Thinkers do not say who and why made such unexpected decisions.
Numerological heresy of the Cheops pyramid
Heading to Egypt, Napoleon, as you know, included more than one and a half hundred scientists in the detachment. Bored during the transitions, curious scientists pounced on the Egyptian pyramids like a hungry dog \u200b\u200bon the bone. All available space was measured and measured, including each of the pyramids and the Sphinx.The data obtained have become the subject of scientific discussions that do not stop to this day. For two hundred years of speculation, especially advanced experts have established a relationship between the linear parameters of the Cheops pyramid and:
- - the size of the Earth and the solar system;
- - the number "pi";
- - past and future events;
- - physical constants that determine the balance of interaction of forces in the Universe.
Hey, psychiatrists! ..
So there are no secrets in the Egyptian pyramids?
There are still many mysteries in Egyptology. However, the Egyptian pyramids have been studied very thoroughly, although not completely. In the unhurried existence of the pyramids, there are a number of ambiguities that are visible to specialists. For example, did the visible deflection of the faces of the Cheops pyramid arise as a result of an unforeseen deformation of materials or as a result of an architectural calculation?So far, there is no unambiguous picture of the complex of technologies used almost 5000 years ago. It is not clear why the Cheops pyramid, the most monumental of all the monuments of Ancient Egypt, is devoid of wall inscriptions and images. There is no confidence in the understanding of the purpose of the discovered objects, rooms, buildings ...
It is important, however, that only those studies of the Egyptian pyramids that are carried out within the framework of materialistic theory become fruitful. The search for the extraordinary forces that took part in the creation of the Egyptian pyramids is fantastically fun - and nothing more.
To this day, the construction of the Egyptian pyramids is considered an absolute mystery. The Egyptian pyramids mean the three pyramids of Cheops, Khafre and Mencuar. They are located in one line and are located on the west bank of the Nile River. The ancient Egyptians believed that this was the valley of death because the sun was setting in the west. Their homes were on the east bank of the river.
The pyramids of Egypt are among the most famous and most visited monuments in the world. On egyptian land more than thirty are known. The most famous and impressive ones are on the Giza plateau.
The pyramids were originally the tombs of the kings and pharaohs of Egypt. For most of them, their construction dates back to around 2700-2200 BC. Their name obviously comes from their pyramidal shape.
It is unclear when or who built the pyramids. How can you build such gigantic structures only with the physical strength of people?
The first pyramid was built by King Djoser of the third Egyptian dynasty. Its architect Imoptep created a step pyramid by assembling six mastabis, the quadrangular tombs where the pharaohs were buried earlier.
The shape of the pyramids in Egypt
The first pyramid shapes were rectangular. Archaeologists believe that this was the construction of large tombs, which the royal architects eventually created pyramidal. There are stepped pyramids such as Djoser, or rhomboidal pyramids with oblique edges.
The most famous pyramids of Egypt
Perhaps the most famous pyramids in Egypt are the Pyramids of Giza, of which the most popular is the Great Pyramid, which was designed for Pharaoh Cheops.
Throughout the centuries, people have never ceased to wonder how the pyramids were built. Some have even suggested that the giant pyramids were built by aliens.
The pyramid of Khufu at Giza, built around 2570 BC, is one of the seven wonders of the world. It rises to 138 meters in height. It is the largest pyramid ever built. With the pyramids of Khafre and Mykerinos, it forms a unique ensemble in Egypt.
The largest is the pyramid of Cheops (height 147 m, and the length of each of the four sides is 230.4 m), which is almost completely preserved. Lacks marble cladding and top. The limestone pyramids were plundered in order to build Cairo. The pyramid of Khefren was smaller, and Mikerin Menkaur was quite modest. Of all the three pyramids, only Khefren still partially retains its original marble cladding. They were built from large stone blocks, weighing an average of about 2 tons.
An endless series of eras of human civilization keeps a huge amount of secrets and mysteries. Each of them requires close attention and study. The study is made difficult by those huge time intervals that separate modern man from things long gone. Looking at living people from eternity, the greatest architectural and artistic creations are not at all going to talk about how, by whom, and most importantly why they were created.
One of the most mysterious masterpieces of the times gone into oblivion are, without any doubt, pyramids of ancient egypt... These grandiose creations of human hands delight and fascinate, amaze in size and at the same time cause a feeling of deep bewilderment: why was it necessary to spend so much effort, energy, time on absolutely useless constructions.
Most likely, those who lived 45 centuries ago wanted to emphasize the greatness of their era, the importance of their rulers, the inviolability of their power and closeness to the gods. Or maybe these structures contain some other meaning beyond the comprehension of modern man. All this is a secret sealed with seven seals, reliably hidden for millennia.
The first ancient pyramids of Egypt
The facts indicate that the first pyramid was built in Ancient Egypt under the founder of the III dynasty pharaoh Djoser... He ruled approximately in 2780-2760 BC. e. and radically changed the architectural style of tombs practiced before him.
From the end of the 4th millennium BC. e. the rulers were buried in mastabs - truncated pyramids. These were small structures made of stones, fastened together with clay mortar. In those distant times, they may have made an impression on people, but in the present century they are shapeless stone piles, not much like architectural creations.
The tomb of Djoser (located in Sakkara - 20 km south of Cairo) had nothing to do with mastaba. Rather, it was six mastabas stacked on top of each other. The lowest was also the widest. The subsequent mastaba was smaller, it was even smaller, even smaller higher. Thus, a stepped pyramid with a height of 62 meters and dimensions along the perimeter of 125 by 115 meters was obtained.
For those times, the building, of course, was magnificent. Developed it, designed it, and then implemented it pharaoh's vizier Imhotep... Apparently it was a very outstanding person, since her name survived for almost five thousand years. Imhotep is rightfully considered the founder of a new architectural style that lasted almost 200 years in Ancient Egypt.
The shape of the pyramids underwent significant structural changes during the time of the founder of the 4th dynasty pharaoh Sneferu (ruled 2613-2589 BC). Two pyramids are associated with his name, but these are no longer stepped, but fundamental structures with smooth sloping walls. One pyramid is called broken line - its height is 104 meters, another pyramid has a name pink... It is higher, its height is 109 meters.
The pyramids are located in Dakhshur, a desert area 26 kilometers south of Cairo. They are not alone in their greatness. Next to them there are 20 more pyramids of the pharaohs of the XII and XIII dynasties. In this necropolis, the Sneferu pyramids are the oldest, but despite the fact that other man-made tombs were built many centuries later, these two pyramids are much better preserved. They have not lost their geometric forms, have not crumbled under the weight of centuries, but continue to rise royally above the mortal earth, dispassionately looking at the world around them.
Such an amazing vitality is explained by completely different construction technologies, completely different from those by which the rest of the necropolis was built.
The pink and broken pyramids are assembled from granite blocks, perfectly processed and fitted to each other. These blocks are not fastened with mortar, but the structures stand like a monolith. The enormous weight reliably binds all the nodes of these ideal architectural structures, while 46 centuries that have passed since their construction are proof of their strength.
The rest of the pyramids are assembled from ordinary rough stones, or rather cobblestones. They were tied with mortar and, laying on top of each other, created structures that were significantly inferior in strength to the pyramids of Sneferu. All this is rather strange, since for 700 years it was possible not only not to lose the technologies practiced during the 4th dynasty, but also to significantly improve them. The fact remains: in the construction of the broken and pink pyramids, more advanced construction methods were used than in later centuries.
In general, it falls out of the usual range of similar building structures. Its name already speaks about it. The fact is that the angle of inclination of the walls of this structure from the base to the middle of the height is 54 ° 31 ′. Further, the angle changes and is equal to 43 ° 21 ′. What is the reason for this architectural sophistication is unknown, although there are a lot of assumptions and theories.
Basically, the prevailing opinion is that in connection with the death of the pharaoh construction works decided to accelerate and therefore made the slope of the upper parts of the walls steeper. Other researchers believe that it was just a "test of the pen." Until that time, nothing like this was built in Ancient Egypt, so they decided to create something original and dissimilar, but apparently this form did not find support from others and did not take root.
It got its name from the peculiar color of the stone blocks from which it is laid. The blocks have a pale pink color and are filled with a corresponding shade in the setting rays of the sun. This was the reason to call it the pink pyramid. Although in ancient times it was not pink at all, but white. This is the color of the white limestone cladding. Over the centuries, the coating peeled off and exposed pink limestone, from which, in fact, the pyramid was assembled.
The Sneferu pyramids are huge, but they cannot be compared with similar structures located on the Giza plateau (northwest of Cairo). There are three pyramids here, two of them are striking in their size. The largest is the pyramid of the son of Sneferu pharaoh Cheops (ruled 2589-2566 BC). Its original height was 146.6 meters, and it is composed of 2.3 million limestone blocks.
A bird's eye view of the Great Pyramids of Giza
The top of the pyramid was covered with white limestone, the top was decorated with a pyramidion: a stone of polished granite. It was covered with gilding and shone majestically in the rays of the sun. At the base of the stone there was a square ledge, at the top of the pyramid there was a recess for it. The pyramidion was thus securely fastened at a great height, perfectly complementing the grandiose picture of the greatest construction on the planet.
FROM east side a temple and three pyramids for queens adjoined the pyramid. Today, only one foundation remains of the temple, while small pyramids have survived. The temple located in the valley was also destroyed. It was connected with the pyramid of Cheops by a road. But the “sun boat” of the ruler, made of cedar, remained in excellent condition. After the death of the pharaoh, it was dismantled and placed in a vault at the foot of the pyramid, apparently considering that in afterlife it will be needed by the formidable ruler.
How the pyramid of Cheops was built
Such a huge structure at all times caused people to ask one question - how did they manage to create such a masterpiece. Each block of the pyramid weighs at least two tons; in total, as already mentioned, there are more than two million of them. All of them are perfectly matched to each other and raised to different heights. In addition, there are three chambers inside the pyramid. The uppermost burial chamber of the king is lined with granite blocks weighing 60 tons each.
This chamber is located at a height of 43 meters from the base of the monumental structure. Lifting such blocks by tens of meters is a truly difficult task. However, the Egyptians somehow coped with this and even perfectly fitted the granite slabs to each other. There are no gaps between them, which speaks of the highest production technique.
Hemiun
The architect of the pyramid is called the vizier of the pharaoh Cheops Khemiun... It was Hemiun who designed this structure and supervised its construction. He died shortly before the end of the work, which, according to ancient sources, lasted 20 long years. Two decades of titanic labor have produced the greatest architectural masterpiece “on the mountain”, which has staggered the human imagination for 45 centuries.
So how could Hemiun build such splendor? There is no definite answer to this question. there is different versions and assumptions. One of the versions claims that the blocks were not raised to a great height at all. The workers pounded the limestone, turned it into powder, removed the moisture, and thus it became ordinary cement. The latter was poured into special formwork located directly on the pyramid under construction, diluted with water, added stone, crushed stone for a bundle, and received monolithic blocks.
Does this theory have a practical basis? Limestone is a rocky rock of medium hardness. It is cut and sanded using modern technologies. But how to turn more than six million tons of rock (the weight of the Cheops pyramid is 6.3 million tons) into powder is a rather laborious task, rather even impossible. It is unlikely that Hemiun would have dared to do such an action. Besides, where would he take so much wood to simultaneously make several hundred formwork.
Wood in Ancient Egypt was worth its weight in gold. It was transported from distant lands, and it was very expensive. Taking into account all the costs, it would be easier to cast gold bars and mold them into a tomb for the pharaoh. True, then it would not have stood for 45 centuries, but it would have cost less.
Another point of view looks much more realistic. Some American and French researchers adhere to it. Having carefully studied the internal and external structure of the ancient structure, they put forward a rather interesting theory, which is offered to the judgment of discerning readers.
In this case, it is planned to install an external ramp at the beginning of construction. A ramp means an embankment along which the slabs are dragged to the place where they should lie. The pyramid grows, the height of the ramp also increases. In addition to the height, its length also increases: after all, the flatter the embankment, the easier it is to drag blocks along it.
But at a certain height, a moment comes when it becomes problematic to lengthen the ramp. To maintain the minimum angle, it is necessary to build up the embankment by a kilometer or more. In terms of its volume, such a structure is already beginning to surpass the pyramid under construction. But its height is 146.6 meters. This is what kind of embankment is needed, and even with a slope angle of maximum 10 °.
Hemiun found a way out of a seemingly hopeless situation. The tomb chamber for the king is at a height of 43 meters. It was up to this point that the outer ramp was made in order to drag 60 ton slabs along it. If the size of the embankment allowed, the camera would have been made much higher, but this height was critical.
To this place, along the outer ramp, 600 people could easily drag a huge and heavy block. These boulders were moved on a sled. Logs were hardly used, since the wheel was not yet known at that time, so the corresponding analogies most likely could not come to the heads of the builders.
Above, according to the project, there were already stone blocks weighing 2-3 tons. In order to lay them, an internal ramp was made. It was a narrow spiral-shaped cavity, gently rising upward. It was located, and now it is located, very close to the edges of the pyramid, above the "king's chamber". If you know where to hammer the walls, then the internal ramp is easy to find.
Above the chamber itself, five unloading cavities were installed, between which stone slabs were placed. A gable ceiling was placed over them. We did this to evenly distribute the weight of the overlying layers of a huge structure.
The weight of these layers is 1.5 million tons. If there were no unloading cavities, then a huge mass of stones would have crushed the "king's chamber" trimmed with black granite, like a nut shell.
The very process of installing the upper blocks was as follows: the outer ramp was dismantled to a height of over 15 meters. That is, to the place where the main entrance to the pyramid is located (after the completion of the work, it was sealed with a granite plug). This is where the stone blocks were dragged, from which the entire upper part of the pyramid was laid out with a height of more than 100 meters.
The blocks were dragged along an ascending corridor, which abuts against the "king's chamber". Currently, this tunnel is divided into an ascending corridor and a Grand Gallery. The large gallery is a high and narrow passage 48 meters long and 8 meters high. Right in the middle of the gallery, a square depression extends its entire length. Its width is 1 meter, depth is 60 centimeters. There are 27 pairs of grooves on the side projections. The passage ends with a horizontal ledge with a smooth surface, 2 and 1 meter wide and long, respectively.
Here 45 centuries ago, wooden guides were installed, along which a sled was moved, with a stone block lying on them. The guides were held on wooden blocks driven into the recesses of the side protrusions. The next block was dragged to the horizontal ledge, and from it was moved to the inner ramp, the entrance to which is located next to the "king's chamber". Researchers have not yet reached it, but there is no doubt that it will be discovered in the near future.
Then the two-ton block was pulled along the ramp to the construction site. Here the builders laid it down in one of the rows and took up the next one. They laid out the outer rows of blocks first, and then the inner ones, in order to preserve the correct geometric shapes of the huge structure. It was a very difficult and precise matter: after all, it is many times more difficult to correctly expose an inclined surface than a vertical one. However, the ancient engineers succeeded brilliantly.
The Pyramid of Cheops
and the highest
structures of the world
After the majestic structure was erected, it was covered with white limestone slabs. Now there is nothing left of the facing on the Cheops pyramid. All of it was taken away long ago by the inhabitants of Cairo for the construction of their houses. The pitiful remains of white limestone can only be observed on the neighboring pyramid - pyramid of Khafre.
The height of this structure is 143.5 meters. According to legend, it was crowned with a granite pyramidion decorated with pure gold. When he disappeared from the top, where he is now is unknown. The technology of the construction of this structure is fully consistent with the one by which the largest pyramid was erected - the pyramid of Cheops.
Hefren created his creation almost 40 years after the father of Pharaoh Cheops. The years of his reign fall on 2558-2532 BC. e. From 2556 to 2558 BC e. in Egypt another pharaoh reigned - Jedefra. He was the elder brother of Khafre, but he built his pyramid in Abu Roash - 10 km. north of Giza.
Its height after construction was only 68 meters, but the pyramid was faced not with white limestone, but with red granite. They took him from the very south of the country, since they could not find it closer.
The third pyramid at Giza, standing next to two giants, is pyramid of Mikerin... Unlike its colleagues, its height is only 66 meters. In volume, it is 10 times smaller than the Cheops pyramid. This pharaoh, who took power after Khafre, was not distinguished by apparently exorbitant ambitions and showed modesty unusual for such people.
It seems that most likely the matter is not in the modesty and vanity of the ruler, but in the economy of Ancient Egypt. Seventy years of continuous construction of gigantic structures that do not bring absolutely any profit, but, on the contrary, siphon off all funds from the treasury, have undermined the welfare of the state so much that it simply did not have the opportunity to continue building something grandiose and prohibitively huge.
So you can only sincerely sympathize with Mikerin. His creation looks very faded against the general fundamental and majestic background and does not make the proper impression on true connoisseurs of antiquity, who come from all over the world to look at the pyramids of Ancient Egypt.
Other ancient pyramids of Egypt
Actually with Mikerin, the construction of the Great Pyramids stopped. Nothing else was created by the pharaohs that would take the breath away and lead to a state of delight. The first pharaoh of the V dynasty Userkaf (reigned 2465-2458 BC) built a pyramid 44.5 meters high. It is located in Saqqara and today represents a pile of poorly processed stones that bear little resemblance to an architectural structure.
For some unknown reason, the brilliant technologies used in the installation of the pyramids of the pharaohs of the 4th dynasty came to naught. They have never been reborn. The pyramids, over all subsequent centuries, were built from carelessly processed stones or unbaked clay bricks and did not even remotely resemble the fundamental structures of the XXVI century BC. e.
Such construction continued until the XIII dynasty. This is the 18th, early 17th century BC. e. It was in the 17th century BC. e. the era of the erection of grandiose structures ended, and the pyramids of Ancient Egypt became history. In the future, the rulers of this state have never practiced anything like this.
Thus, about a hundred pyramids were built in Ancient Egypt. They are all located on the left bank of the Nile from Abu Roash to Meidum (70 km south of Cairo) on a limestone plateau. They were created in different centuries by different people, but there are no architectural differences in the appearance of these structures, unless they differ in volume and height.
Who built the Great Pyramids and why
The pyramids of the pharaohs of the 4th dynasty stand apart. During their construction, completely different technologies were used, and the quality of the work stands out sharply against the general background of rather primitive and clumsy structures. Some researchers explain this by the fact that slave labor was not used in the construction of these structures. Hired brigades of workers built magnificent structures - hence the corresponding quality. Subsequently, forced labor was used in such works, which immediately affected such original tombs for the pharaohs.
Perfectly crafted and fitted stone blocks from one of the Great Pyramids
Such an argument may convince someone, but certain things catch the eye, which cannot be explained from this position. In particular - the ideal processing of stone blocks from which the pyramids are assembled. Their surfaces look mirror-smooth. This can only be done using special equipment for stone processing. Nowadays, there are appropriate machines and tools, but where could they come from 45 centuries ago, in the Bronze Age.
Another particular - traces of erosion in the lower layers of the pyramids, which indicates their long stay in the water. They even find shells - this once again emphasizes that the time of the creation of such majestic structures can be safely attributed to more ancient eras, when the climate was not so arid, and the limestone plateau was very often flooded with water.
And finally, why did everyone decide that the Great Pyramids were built by Sneferu, Cheops and their successors. Where is that written? This point of view exists with the light hand of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus (484-425 BC). This venerable husband visited Egypt in 445 BC. e., communicated with local representatives of the nobility, priests and even described the construction of the pyramid of Cheops. But how much does all this correspond to the truth? This master was more than once caught on serious distortions of historical facts, but when they mean the pyramids of Ancient Egypt, they believe him unconditionally.
And one more particular - in the same pyramid of Cheops there are no images and inscriptions indicating its creator. But such attributes were an integral part of the funerary art of this state. And the granite sarcophagus itself in the "king's chamber", apparently, never served as a storage place for his mummified body. At least there is no evidence and traces that it was once there.
Sculpture of the Great Sphinx
It is also impossible to ignore such a creation of architecture as sculpture of the Great Sphinx... It is carved from a monolithic limestone rock and although it has nothing to do with any of the pyramids of Ancient Egypt, it is an integral part of the man-made complex in Giza.
The dimensions of the sphinx are truly enormous: 73 meters long, 20 meters high. Over the millennia, the sculpture has been covered with sand up to its neck. From time to time they tried to clear it, though they limited themselves to the front part only. They completely cleared and learned the true volumes only in 1925.
The face of the Great Sphinx has pronounced negroid features
There is an assumption that it was built during the time of Pharaoh Djedefre. He created it in memory of his father, but for some reason the face has pronounced negroid features. Some researchers, pointing to a disproportionately small head, argue that at first it was the face of a lion, but then one of the later rulers of the state ordered the unnecessary to be cut down and immortalized his face.
Interestingly, there are clearly visible horizontal stripes on the sculpture. This is erosion, indicating that the sphinx was once in water up to its neck. When? During the great flood, which took place 11 thousand years BC. e. according to Sumerian mythology, or during floods - they were a frequent occurrence in the 5th millennium BC. e. Then it turns out that it was created long before the Egyptian pyramids or simultaneously with them, but at a time much earlier than 45 centuries ago. Who created, when and why?
There are many questions, but no specific answers. Even the above-described theory of the construction of the Cheops pyramid does not have a single practical proof. All these are just guesses and assumptions.
Based on all that has been said, the conclusion suggests itself: the Great Pyramids were created by some other civilization that existed in these places millennia before Ancient Egypt. And they were erected for purposes that the human mind cannot comprehend.
Maybe it was a powerful power station, maybe through the pyramids there was a connection with space. It is also possible that this could be a treatment center: the properties of the pyramids indicate that they have a beneficial effect on a living organism and kill pathogenic bacteria.
And then what about Cheops? Unfortunately, there are no traces of the powerful ruler, except for the pyramid with his name. The only thing is a small ivory figurine depicting this man. She was found in Giza in 1903.
People are looking, wondering, guessing, doubting. The pyramids of Ancient Egypt are devoid of throwing and hesitation. For 45 centuries, they have seen everything, it is impossible to surprise or excite them with something. Great man-made creations dispassionately gaze at the vain world, and even Time itself respectfully bows its head before them, recognizing them as equal to Eternity.
Article by ridar-shakin
Based on materials from foreign and Russian publications
One of the seven wonders of the world is the pyramids of ancient Egypt, which will be briefly discussed in this article. The age of these unique structures is about 4500 years. The most famous pyramids, which are especially popular among tourists and explorers, are located on the opposite bank of the Nile from the Egyptian capital - in the ancient cemetery in Giza. Scientists say that at that time more than a hundred pyramids were erected, but only a small part of them has survived to this day, which is currently an important landmark of Egypt. These mysterious structures had a special purpose as the tombs of the pharaohs and their wives. They built pyramids using masonry, some of them were faced.
The earliest structure is considered the tomb of King Djoser, built according to the design of the ancient Egyptian architect Imhotep. This pyramid has a peculiar, stepped shape.
The most famous is the pyramid of Cheops. Until the middle of the 19th century, this building was considered the largest in the whole world. Its height is 147 meters, all sides are completely symmetrical, and the building area is more than 50 thousand square meters. But for all its greatness, and despite the impressive size of the Cheops pyramid itself, its internal premises make up no more than 5 percent of the entire area. The name of the architect who designed such a monumental structure is also known - his name was Hemuin.
The second largest is the Khafre pyramid. In height, it is less than the Cheops pyramid by only a few meters, but it is located on a higher and steeper hill. Moreover, a statue of the Great Sphinx is located near the pyramid. Many Egyptologists believe (although this has not been proven) that the face of the Sphinx is a stone portrait of Khafre. In addition, this pyramid is distinguished from others by the fact that only two chambers were found in it, which rightfully allows it to be considered the most compact structure in the world. The free space in this tomb is less than one hundredth of a percent of the total. Some researchers in this case pay attention to the records of the ancient Greek historian Diodorus, who in his collections reports that Khafren was hated so much by his contemporaries that his real tomb had to be made not in a pyramid, but in a secret place.
Among the pyramids of Ancient Egypt there are those that differ from the classical idea of \u200b\u200bthem. They are distinguished by their unusual shape. For example, the pyramid in Medum, built for Pharaoh Huni. Initially, this building had a stepped shape and consisted of seven steps, but today only three are visible. This happened as a result of natural processes.
In Dahshur there is a so-called broken pyramid with an irregular shape. At a height of 45 meters, the walls of this building change the slope level. Like all other pyramids, it has an entrance on the north side, but there is one more distinctive fact, in addition to its unusual shape - this is the presence of a second entrance from the west. There are many opinions about the reasons for the irregular shape of this pyramid. Perhaps, because of the sudden death of the pharaoh, the tomb had to be urgently completed. Either it was deformed due to violations of construction technology or an earthquake.
Burials in pyramids were popular until the New Kingdom era. From that moment on, the tombs of the pharaohs began to be made in the rocks. Pyramids began to be used exclusively as a decorative element in the burials of rich, noble people.
