Egypt is a land of mysteries and it is a secret as to how many legends lie buried underneath the sands of time and history. Historians have found out and unveiled many of these secrets like the Pyramids and mummies and are still trying to find out some more. They say that Egyptians built Pyramids as a tomb for their dead kings and queens. Isn’t it fascinating that they built such huge and magnificent structures only to store corpses? Here we would discuss these ancient pyramids, which have attracted the attention of, so many people across time and boundaries. Amidst the vast expanse of sand stood the pyramids, which have stood the tests of time and are still examples of good architecture. So let us discuss some facts about the ancient Egyptian pyramids.
Why were Pyramids built by Egyptians?
It was believed by the Egyptians that their kings had a very active afterlife. They believed that once their Pharaohs died they became Osiris, the King of Dead who was also considered to be a God in Egyptian mythology and similarly the young king who would succeed the dead king would become Horus the King of Heavens, therefore every Pharaoh who came into power made sure that pyramids were made so that they have hassle free afterlife. It was considered to be one of the primary duties of these Pharaohs. Thus these pyramids were built and to add some more information, these mummified dead kings were also supplied with dolls of guards and servants so that the King does not face any problem and ling after their deaths they were supplied with food and other essentials. Initially pyramids were not built neither did every king built a pyramid, prior to the popularity of pyramids Egyptians simply made tombs for their Pharaohs, though they were also massive and huge and they used to carve a tomb in the bed rock and covered with structures that had flat roofs unlike pyramids. These structures were known as “mastabas” and they were then covered with mound of dirt and dust, which had a shape something like the pyramid but not the pyramid exactly.
It can be deduced that the shape of pyramids was derived from these structures but there was a general belief among the Egyptians that the Pharaohs reached Heaven with the help of sun’s rays and therefore they shaped the pyramid, which looked like a pointed ray of sun but if we have a broader look we would find that most of the religious or mythological structures which were meant to have a connection with the world of spirituality like temples, mosques, churches and all the like have a similar kind of structure which is said to converge and concentrate the positive powers at the center of the structure where lies the sanctum sanctorum of a spiritual structure.
Some Ancient Egyptian Pyramids
Some of the ancient Egyptian Pyramids are as follows:
- The Pyramids of Giza which taken together are one of the first wonders of the world which took a time period of approximately three months and about one hundred thousand workers. Amongst the three pyramids the one known as the “great” pyramid, at one point in time, was known as the tallest building in the world.
- The Step Pyramid at Saqqara was built by King Djoser and it is a marvel of Egyptian and ancient architecture where the impossible has been achieved without the help of modern technology. This was the first pyramid that was built.
- The Pyramid of Abu Sir are also remarkable pieces of architecture. For a long time they were not open to the tourists but now it is and out of fourteen, there are only four which are still there.
- The Pyramid of Dahshur is known as an example of the transition that occurred from the “step” style of architecture to the “true” style of architecture. This has also been recently opened, hence it would provide peace and a moment of introspection as compared to the others places which have been commercialized.
- The Pyramid at el-Lahun is yet another example of artistry and common sense as the foundation of this pyramid was not made; it stands on a natural limestone hill. Thus not only is the pyramid given a strong foundation, it also saved valuable time.
The first two pyramids that have been mentioned here are special, one because of its historical and archaeological importance and the other because of its chronological importance. Pyramids were actually wonders created by Egyptians, which have been destroyed to a great extent with time and some more by the stone thieves who steal stones from the structure thus damaging the structure to a great extent.