The Giza pyramid complex it is a place known to millions, if not billions, of people around the world. The place is a real time machine that allows us to travel to distant antiquity. However, even without the historical context, the buildings make a huge impression on the observer. Three great pyramids tower over the complex, which also includes the Great Sphinx, many tombs, and even smaller pyramids.
The largest one dominates everything – the Pyramid of Cheops, approximately 140 meters high. It is not only the sight most associated with Egypt, but a kind of symbol of bygone eras and one of the wonders of the ancient world. You certainly know someone who has visited this place – in fact, many of us have gone on a trip to this pyramid to admire its power with our own eyes. But did you know that it may still hold secrets? Especially when you only saw her from one perspective.
You definitely don’t know this about the pyramid
Sure, we still wonder how ancient builders were able to transport giant stones and use them with great precision to build such a monumental tomb. But that’s not all, because I have another riddle for you. Answer one question – how many sides does Cheops’ pyramid have?
Confident people will immediately say – four! After all, it is a pyramid-shaped building, and therefore it has four sides forming a triangle on the plane. That’s four. It turns out that this is not the correct answer. It was only possible to reliably count the sides of the pyramid when a British pilot flew an airplane over the pyramid – a glance from the very top revealed a long-hidden secret.
Fortunately, I have a slightly “newer” photo for you:
It turns out that the Cheops pyramid is concave on its sides. This, in turn, makes each side create more shapes than you might think.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is known for its unusual concavity – each of its four walls is slightly indented along the center line, from the base to the top.
This means that the pyramid we all know has a completely different shape. The building is concave and octagonal, having 8 sides – 2 for each “side” that we usually see. We are basically unable to notice this shape from the ground level. However, it is crucial from the perspective of the durability of the entire structure. Scientists are sure that this allowed it to be preserved stability.
The inclined layers along with the reinforced base were essential for the long-term stability of the pyramid in the face of strong natural forces such as strong gravitational compression, earthquakes and rain storms, pointing to the probable fact that the pyramid experienced severe rain storms more than 500 times in 4,500 years.
We can therefore say that the ancient Egyptians thought of everything – However, it turns out that this was not the case at all. Examining the interior of the pyramid allows us to discover that inside there are many abandoned corridors and other elements that were abandoned during the process.
This was most likely due to concerns about stability. When they encountered problems, engineers decided to change their plans. On the one hand, it’s good because a disaster was avoided and the Pyramid of Cheops is still standing. On the other hand, it tells us that even they could make mistakes, even at the design stage.
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Source: geekweek.interia.pl
