The Great Pyramid Of Giza The Great

The Great Pyramid Of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built by the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu around the year 2560 BC. The purpose of this huge stone pyramid was to serve as a a tomb when he died and to protect the burial chamber from the weather an fromw thieves who might try to steal the treasures and belongings there. The Great Pyramid is believed to have been built over a 20-year period. First, the site was prepared and then the huge blocks of stone were transported and put in there places. When it was built, the Great Pyramid was 157 meters high on a base of 230 square meters. It ranked as the tallest structure on earth for more than 43 centuries, only to be surpassed in height in the nineteenth century AD. The structure consisted of approximately 2 million blocks of stone, each weighting about 2.5 tons. It has been suggestd that there are enough blocks in the three pyramids to build a 3-meter high, 0.3-meter-thick wall around France.
Although it is not known how the blocks were put in place, several theories have been proposed. One theory involves the construction of a straight or spiral ramp that was raised as the construction proceeded. An second theory suggest that the blocks were lifted and placed using thousands of huge weight arms.
Today, the great Pyramid of Giza is enclosed, together with the other pyramids in tourist region of the Giza Plateau on the wast bank of the River Nile. Also in the area is the museum housing the mysterious Bun Boat, only discovered in 1954 near the south side of the pyramid. The boat is believed to have been used to carry the body of Khufu in his last journey on earth before being buried inside the pyramid.