The largest Egyptian pyramid of Cheops. The height of the Cheops pyramid

The pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu (in the Greek version of Cheops), or the Great Pyramid, is the greatest of the Egyptian pyramids, the oldest of the seven wonders of the world of antiquity and the only one that has survived to our time. For over four thousand years, the pyramid was the largest building in the world.

The pyramid of Cheops is located in the distant suburb of Cairo, Giza. Nearby are two more pyramids of the pharaohs Khafre and Menkaura (Khafren and Mikerin), according to ancient historians, the sons and successors of Khufu. These are the three largest pyramids in Egypt.

Following ancient authors, most modern historians consider pyramids to be burial structures of ancient Egyptian monarchs. Some scientists believe that these were astronomical observatories. There is no direct evidence that the pharaohs were buried in the pyramids, but other versions of their purpose are less convincing.

When the pyramid of Cheops was built

On the basis of ancient "royal lists" it is established that Cheops ruled around 2585-2566. BC. The construction of the "Sacred Height" lasted 20 years and ended after the death of Khufu, around 2560 BC.

Other versions of the construction time, based on astronomical methods, give dates from 2720 to 2577. BC. The radiocarbon method shows a spread of 170 years, from 2850 to 2680. BC.

There are also exotic opinions expressed by supporters of the theories of aliens visiting the Earth, the existence of ancient civilizations, or adherents of occult movements. They determine the age of the Cheops pyramid from 6-7 to tens of thousands of years.

How the pyramid was built

The Pyramid of Cheops is to this day the largest stone building on the planet. Its height is 137 m, the length of the side of the base is 230.38 m, the angle of inclination of the face is 51 ° 50 ", the total volume is about 2.5 million cubic meters. At the time of the completion of the construction, the height was 9.5 m higher, and the side of the base was 2 m longer, However, over the past centuries, almost the entire lining of the pyramid has been dismantled.Natural factors have also done their job - temperature drops and winds from the desert carrying clouds of sand.

Ancient Greek historians reported that the labor of millions of slaves was used in the construction. Modern researchers believe that with the correct organization of work and engineering, the Egyptians would have had several tens of thousands of workers for the construction. For the supply of materials, temporary workers were involved, whose number, according to Herodotus, reached 100 thousand. Modern scientists fully agree with this, as well as with the reality of the 20-year construction period.

The construction of the pyramid was supervised by the head of the royal works, Khemiun. The tomb of Hemiun is located next to his creation, in which a statue of the architect was discovered.

The main material for the construction was gray limestone, which was cut in the nearest quarries or brought from the other side of the Nile. The pyramid was faced with light sandstone, which made it literally shine in the sunlight. For interior decoration, granite was used, which was delivered over a thousand kilometers from the area of ​​present-day Aswan. The structure was crowned with a hewn gilded granite block - a pyramidion.

In total, the construction of the pyramid took about 2.3 million blocks of limestone and 115 thousand facing slabs. The total mass of the building, according to modern estimates, is almost 6 million tons.

The block sizes differ among themselves. The largest ones are laid in the base, their height is one and a half meters. The higher the blocks are, the smaller they are. The height of the block at the top is 55 cm.The length of the facing slabs ranged from 1.5 to 0.75 m.

The work of the builders of the pyramid was extremely hard. It took a lot of time and effort to extract the stone, trim the blocks and fit them to the desired size. In those days, neither iron nor bronze was known in Egypt. The tools were made of relatively soft copper, so they were quickly grinded and very expensive. Flint tools were widely used - saws, drills, hammers. Many of them were found during excavations.

The delivery of materials was carried out by the river, and the stone was brought to the construction site on a wooden sled or roller. It was a hell of a job, because the average weight of one block is 2.5 tons, and some of them weighed up to 50 tons.

A variety of devices were used to lift and install the monoliths, and inclined embankments were erected to drag up the most massive elements that make up the lower rows. Images of construction work have been found in a number of Egyptian temples and tombs.

Recently, an original theory has emerged regarding the building methods of the Egyptians. Scientists who studied the microstructure of the blocks in order to establish their origin found foreign inclusions. According to experts, these are the remains of animal hair and human hair, from which the scientists concluded that limestone was crushed at the extraction sites and delivered to the construction site in crushed form. Directly at the place of laying, blocks were made of limestone mass, which thereby were a semblance of modern concrete structures, and the traces of tools on the blocks are in fact imprints of the formwork.

Be that as it may, the construction was completed, and the grandiose size of the pyramid fully justifies the supporters of the theories of Atlanteans and aliens, who do not believe in the possibility of human genius.

What's inside the pyramid

The entrance to the pyramid was made at a height of almost 16 meters in the form of an arch made of granite slabs. It was later sealed with a granite plug and covered with cladding. The current entrance, 10 meters lower, was pierced in 831 by order of the Caliph Al-Mamun, who hoped to find gold here, but did not find anything of value.

The main premises are the pharaoh's chamber, the queen's chamber, the Great Gallery and the underground chamber. The passage made by Al-Mamun leads into a 105-meter inclined corridor, ending in a chamber carved into the thickness of the rock below the base of the pyramid. Its dimensions are 14x8 m., Its height is 3.5 m. The work here, for unknown reasons, was not completed.

At 18 meters from the entrance, the descending corridor is separated by an ascending one with a length of 40 meters, ending in the Great Gallery. The Gallery itself is a high (8.5 m) tunnel 46.6 m long, leading to the pharaoh's chamber. The corridor to the queen's chamber branches off from the Gallery at its very beginning. In the floor of the Gallery, a rectangular cross-sectional ditch 60 cm deep and 1 m wide has been pierced, its purpose is unknown.

The pharaoh's chamber is 10.5 m long, 5.4 m wide, 5.84 m high. It is faced with black granite slabs. There is an empty granite sarcophagus here. The queen's chamber is more modest - 5.76 x 5.23 x 6.26 m.

Channels 20-25 cm wide lead from the burial chambers to the surface of the pyramid. The channels of the king's chamber exit at one end into the room, the other - on the surface of the pyramid. The channels of the queen's chamber begin 13 cm from the wall and do not reach 12 m to the surface, and both ends of the channels are closed by stone doors with handles. It is assumed that the ducts were made to ventilate the premises during the work. Another version, associated with the beliefs of the Egyptians, claims that this is the path to the afterlife, which the souls of the deceased had to pass.

No less mysterious is another small room, the Grotto, to which an almost vertical passage leads from the beginning of the Great Gallery. The grotto is located at the junction of the base of the pyramid and the hill on which it stands. The walls of the Grotto are fortified with rather rough-cut stone. It is assumed that this is part of some structure older than the pyramid.

It is necessary to mention one discovery related to the pyramid. In 1954, at the southern edge, two pits faced with stone were discovered, in which were the pharaoh's boats made of Lebanese cedar. One of the boats has been restored and is now in a special pavilion next to the pyramid. Its length is 43.5 m, width is 5.6 m.

The study of the Cheops pyramid continues. Research using the latest methods used in the exploration of the earth's interior shows with a high degree of probability the existence of unknown caverns within the pyramid. So it is quite possible that scientists are expecting new and interesting discoveries and discoveries.

In the meantime, the Great Pyramid keeps its secrets, proudly towering in the middle of the desert, as thousands of years ago. After all, as the ancient Arab proverb says, everything in the world is afraid of time, but time is afraid of the pyramids.

Pyramid of Heops (Khufu)

The Pyramid of Cheops is part of the complex of the largest Egyptian pyramids located on the Giza plateau. This grandiose structure, together with the pyramids of Khafre and Mikerin, as well as the majestic Sphinx, constitutes the so-called complex of pyramids at Giza. As many scientists believe, the location of the pyramids and the Sphinx inside this complex is by no means accidental, and is due not only to the desire of the ancient builders to create an integral composition of these grandiose structures.

One of the earliest hypotheses considered the Egyptian (and other) pyramids as tombs, hence the names: the chamber of the king (pharaoh) and the chamber of the queen. However, according to many modern Egyptologists, the pyramid of Cheops was never used as a tomb, but had a completely different purpose.

Some Egyptologists believe that the pyramid is a repository of the standards of ancient measures and weights, as well as a model of the known linear and temporal measurements that are characteristic of the Earth and are based on the principle of rotation of the polar axis. It is believed to be confirmed that the one (or those) who led the construction of the pyramid possessed absolutely accurate knowledge of such things that were discovered by mankind much later. These include: the circumference of the globe, the longitude of the year, the average value of the Earth's orbit as it rotates around the Sun, the specific density of the globe, the acceleration of gravity, the speed of light, and much more. And all this knowledge, one way or another, is supposedly in the pyramid.

It is believed that the pyramid is a kind of calendar. It is almost proven that it serves as both a theodolite and a compass, and with such precision that the most modern compasses can be checked with it.

Another hypothesis believes that not only in the parameters of the pyramid itself, but also in its individual structures, there are many important mathematical quantities and ratios, for example, the number "pi", and the parameters of the king's chamber combine "sacred" triangles with sides 3-4-5 ... It is believed that the angles and slopes of the pyramid reflect the most modern understanding of trigonometric values, and the contours of the pyramid with practical accuracy include the proportions of the "golden ratio".

There is a hypothesis that considers the Cheops pyramid as an astronomical observatory, and according to another hypothesis, the Great Pyramid was used for initiation into the highest levels of secret knowledge, as well as for storing this knowledge. At the same time, a person initiated into secret knowledge was located in a sarcophagus.

The official theory is that the architect of the Great Pyramid is Hemiun, the vizier and nephew of Cheops. He also bore the title "Manager of all Pharaoh's construction sites." Construction under his leadership lasted twenty years and ended around 2540 BC. e. In Egypt, the date of the beginning of the construction of the Cheops pyramid is officially established and celebrated - August 23, 2470 BC. e.

However, there are other assumptions as well. Thus, the Arab historian Ibrahim bin ibn Wassuff Shah believed that the pyramids of Giza were erected by an antediluvian king named Saurid. Abu Zeid el Bahi writes about an inscription that says that the Great Pyramid of Cheops was built about 73,000 years ago. Ibn Batuta claimed (and not only him) that the pyramids were built by Hermes Trismegistus, etc. Very interesting is the hypothesis of the Russian scientist Sergei Proskuryakov, who believes that the pyramids were built by Aliens from Sirius and that the architect Hemiun was from Sirius himself. Vladimir Babanin also believes that the pyramids were built by Aliens from Sirius, and possibly from Dessa of the Cygnus constellation in time immemorial, but during the time of Cheops, the pyramids were restored.

The version seems logical that in any case the Pyramids were erected after the pole shift occurred on the Earth, otherwise it would be impossible to orient the Pyramids with such incredible accuracy with which they are located today.

Initially, the height of the Cheops pyramid was 146.6 meters, but time mercilessly dissolved 7 meters and 85 centimeters of this majestic structure. Simple calculations will show that now the pyramid has a height of 138 meters and 75 centimeters.

The perimeter of the pyramid is 922 meters, the base area is 53,000 square meters (comparable to the area of ​​10 football fields). Scientists have calculated the total weight of the pyramid, which was more than 5 million tons.

The pyramid is made up of over 2.2 million large stone blocks of limestone, granite and basalt, each weighing about 2.5 tons on average. There are 210 rows of blocks in the pyramid. The heaviest block weighs about 15 tons. The base is a rocky eminence with a height of 9 meters. Initially, the surface of the pyramid was a smooth surface, since was covered with a special material.

The entrance to the pyramid is at a height of 15.63 meters on the north side. The entrance is formed by stone slabs laid in the form of an arch. This entrance to the pyramid was sealed with a granite plug.

Today tourists enter the pyramid through a 17m breach made in 820 by Caliph Abu Jafar al-Ma'mun. He hoped to find there the untold treasures of the pharaoh, but found there only a layer of dust half a cubit thick.

Inside the Cheops pyramid there are three burial chambers, one above the other.

As the sun moves around the pyramid, you can notice the unevenness of the walls - the concavity of the central part of the walls. This may be due to erosion or damage from falling stone cladding. It is also possible that this was deliberately done during construction.

Even in ancient times, the Egyptians themselves called the pharaoh Cheops Khnum-Khufu. The ruler himself called himself "the second sun". The Europeans learned about it thanks to Herodotus. The ancient historian devoted several stories to life. His entire work is called "History". It was Herodotus who approved the Greek reading of the name of the pharaoh - Cheops. The scientist believed that the ruler was known as a tyrant and despot. But there are a number of lifetime sources that speak of Cheops as a far-sighted and wise ruler.

Rise of Ancient Egypt

The date of the reign of Pharaoh Cheops is presumably 2589-2566 BC. e. or 2551-2528 BC. e. He was the second representative of the fourth royal dynasty. The reign of Pharaoh Cheops is the heyday of the country. By this time, Lower and Upper Egypt had already united into one strong state. The king was considered a living god. That is why his power seemed absolutely limitless. The power of the Egyptian pharaohs directly influenced the development of the economy. The economic upsurge contributed to the progress of political and cultural life.

Despite this, there is not much information about the pharaoh. The main sources are the works of the ancient historian Herodotus. However, this work is most likely based on legends, and not on historical facts. And therefore, this work, in fact, has nothing to do with reality. Nevertheless, several sources about the life of Cheops are quite reliable.

Unfortunately, the photos of Pharaoh Cheops could not be preserved. In the article you have the opportunity to see images of his tomb and sculptural creations.

The activities of the ruler

The reign of Pharaoh Cheops lasted more than two decades. He was considered the second sun and had a rather harsh character. He had several wives and, accordingly, many children.

He was also known for the fact that during his reign, new cities and settlements were constantly being built on the banks of the Nile. So, the pharaoh founded the famous fortress in Buchen.

In addition, many religious objects appeared, among which, of course, the pyramid of Cheops. But we will return to this question a little later.

By the way, according to Herodotus, the ruler closed the temples. He economized, and all resources went to the construction of his pyramid. However, judging by the Egyptian sources, the pharaoh donated for religious objects with enviable generosity and was still an active temple builder. In many ancient drawings, the pharaoh was depicted precisely as the creator of villages and cities.

As a statesman, Pharaoh Cheops was periodically forced to send his army to the Sinai Peninsula. Its goal is the destruction of nomadic tribes who robbed local merchants.

Also on this territory, the ruler tried to control the deposits of copper and turquoise. It was he who first began to develop the alabaster deposits, which are located in Khatnub.

In the south of the country, the pharaoh carefully monitored the extraction of Aswan pink granite, which was used for construction.

Tomb architect

In history, the name of this ruler is primarily associated with his pyramid. She is recognized as one of the seven wonders of the world. The tomb is located in Giza. It is next to modern Cairo.

It is worth noting that Cheops was not at all the first pharaoh for whom a pyramid was erected. The ancestor of such constructions was still the ruler Djoser. Khnum-Khufu erected the largest tomb.

The pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops was built around the year 2540 BC. e. The head of the construction work and the architect was one of the ruler's relatives. His name was Hemiun. He served as a vizier. Another Egyptian official is also known who participated in the construction of the pyramid - Merrer. He kept a diary, with the help of which modern scientists learned that this figure often came to one of the limestone quarries. It was there that the blocks for the construction of the tomb were produced.

Construction progress

The preparatory work went on for several years, since the workers first of all had to build a road. Material for the construction was dragged along it. The construction of the pyramid took almost two decades. According to some sources, about one hundred thousand workers were involved in the construction process. But at the same time only 8,000 people could build the facility. Workers took turns every 3 months.

The peasants also took part in the construction of the monumental structure. True, they could only do this when the Nile flooded. During this period, all agricultural work was curtailed.

The Egyptians who built the pyramid were given not only food and clothing, but also a salary.

Tomb appearance

Initially, the height of the tomb was almost 147 meters. However, due to a series of earthquakes and the onset of sands, several blocks collapsed. Thus, today the height of the pyramid is 137.5 m. The length of one side of the tomb is 230 m.

The tomb is composed of 2.3 million stone blocks. In this case, no binder solution was provided at all. The weight of each block varies from 2.5 to 15 tons.

Burial chambers are located inside the tomb. One of them is called "the queen's chamber". At the same time, the fairer sex was traditionally buried in separate small tombs. In any case, at the foot of the pyramid are the tombs of the women of Cheops and the nobility.

Solar rooks

Near the tomb, archaeologists have discovered the so-called "solar boats" - these are ceremonial boats. According to legend, on them the ruler makes his voyage to the afterlife.

In 1954, scientists found the first ship. The construction was used as a material without nails at all. The length of the structure is almost 40 m, and the width is 6 m.

Surprisingly, the researchers were able to identify that there are traces of silt on the boat. Perhaps, during his lifetime, the ruler moved along it along the Nile and the coastal waters of the Mediterranean. Steering and rowing oars were found on the boat, and superstructures with cabins were placed on the deck.

The second vessel of Cheops was discovered relatively recently. It was in the cache of the pyramid.

Empty sarcophagus

However, the body of the legendary pharaoh was never found. In the ninth century, one of the caliphs was able to enter the tomb. He was surprised that there were no signs of looting and breaking. But the mummy of Cheops was not, instead of it there was only an empty sarcophagus.

At the same time, the structure was interpreted precisely as a tomb. Perhaps the ancient Egyptians deliberately erected a false tomb to deceive would-be robbers. The fact is that at one time the grave of Cheops's mother was robbed, and her mummy was stolen. The thieves took the body in order to remove the jewelry later in a calm atmosphere.

At first, Cheops was not informed about the loss of the mummy. They told him only about the plunder. After that, the pharaoh was forced to order the reburial of her mother's body, but in fact they had to carry out the ceremony with an empty sarcophagus.

There is a version that the mummy of the ruler is buried in another, modest tomb. And the pyramid itself was the posthumous abode of the spirit of a powerful king.

Pharaoh's descendants

When Pharaoh Cheops (reign - 2589-2566 BC or 2551-2528 BC) died, the son of the great ruler became the ruler of the state. His name was Jedefra. There are very few facts about his reign. It is known that he reigned for only eight years. During this time, he managed to build the second tallest tomb in this area. Unfortunately, even in those ancient times, the pyramid of Djedefra was also not only plundered, but also partially destroyed.

In addition, a number of historians believe that it was this offspring of Cheops who at one time was able to build the Great Sphinx. This statue was erected in memory of his father. Egyptologists believe that the body of the mythical creature was made of solid limestone. However, his head was made later. Note, many scientists argue that the face of the Sphinx outwardly very much resembles the appearance of Cheops.

Subsequent rulers of the dynasty also continued to build pyramids. But the last king of the fourth dynasty named Shepeskaf no longer built monumental tombs, since the heyday of Ancient Egypt came to naught. The state was in a state of decline. The descendants of Cheops no longer allowed themselves to spend resources on colossal structures. Thus, the time of the great pyramids is in the distant past. But the great tomb of Cheops, which is considered one of the surviving ones.

The first wonder of the world of all time, one of the main structures of our planet, a place full of secrets and mysteries, a point of constant pilgrimage for tourists - the Egyptian pyramids and in particular the pyramid of Cheops.

The construction of the giant pyramids, of course, was far from easy. Huge efforts of a large number of people were made in order to deliver stone blocks to the Giza or Sakkara plateau, and later to the Valley of the Kings, which became the new necropolis of the pharaohs.

At the moment, there are about a hundred pyramids found in Egypt, but the finds continue, and their number is constantly increasing. At different times, one of the 7 wonders of the world meant different pyramids. Someone meant all the pyramids of Egypt as a whole, someone the pyramids near Memphis, someone the three large pyramids of Giza, and most critics recognized only the largest pyramid of Cheops.

Afterlife of Ancient Egypt

One of the central moments in the life of the ancient Egyptians was religion, which shaped the entire culture as a whole. Particular attention was paid to the afterlife, perceived as a clear continuation of earthly life. That is why preparation for life after death began long before her, was posed as one of the main tasks of life.

According to the ancient Egyptian belief, a person had several souls. The soul of Ka played the role of the Egyptian's double, with whom he was to meet in the afterlife. Ba's soul connected with the person himself, and left his body after death.

Religious life of the Egyptians and the god Anubis

At first it was believed that only the pharaoh had the right to life after death, but he could grant this "immortality" to his entourage, who were usually buried next to the tomb of the ruler. Ordinary people were not destined to get into the world of the dead, the only exceptions were slaves and servants, whom the pharaoh "took" with him, and who were depicted on the walls of the great tomb.

But for a comfortable life after the death of the deceased, it was necessary to provide everything necessary: ​​food, household utensils, servants, slaves, and much more needed for the average pharaoh. They also tried to preserve the human body so that the Ba soul could later reconnect with him. Therefore, in matters of body preservation, embalming and the creation of complex pyramid tombs were born.

The first pyramid in Egypt. Djoser's pyramid

Speaking about the construction of the pyramids in Ancient Egypt in general, it is worth mentioning the beginning of their history. The very first pyramid in Egypt was built about five thousand years ago on the initiative of Pharaoh Djoser. It is in these 5 millennia that the age of the pyramids in Egypt is estimated. The construction of the pyramid of Djoser was led by the famous and legendary Imhotep, who was even deified in the later centuries.

Djoser's pyramid

The entire complex of the erected building occupied an area of ​​545 by 278 meters. Along the perimeter, it was surrounded by a 10-meter wall with 14 gates, only one of which was real. In the center of the complex was the Djoser pyramid with sides 118 x 140 meters. The height of the Djoser pyramid is 60 meters. A burial chamber was located almost at a depth of 30 meters, to which corridors with many branches led. Utensils and sacrifices were kept in the branch rooms. Here archaeologists have found three bas-reliefs of Pharaoh Djoser himself. Near the eastern wall of the Djoser pyramid, 11 small burial chambers were discovered, intended for the royal family.

Unlike the famous great pyramids of Giza, the pyramid of Djoser had a stepped shape, as if intended for the ascent of the pharaoh to heaven. Of course, this pyramid is inferior in popularity and size to the Cheops pyramid, but still the contribution of the very first stone pyramid to the culture of Egypt is difficult to overestimate.

The Pyramid of Cheops. History and short description

But nevertheless, the most famous for the ordinary population of our planet are the adjacent three pyramids of Egypt - Khafre, Mekerin and the largest and highest pyramid in Egypt - Cheops (Khufu)

Pyramids of Giza

The pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops was built near the city of Giza, which is currently a suburb of Cairo. When the pyramid of Cheops was built, at the present time it is impossible to say for sure, and research gives a wide spread. In Egypt, for example, the date of the beginning of the construction of this pyramid is officially celebrated - August 23, 2480 BC.

Pyramid of Cheops and Sphinx

About 100,000 people were simultaneously involved in the construction of the wonder of the world, the Cheops pyramid. During the first ten years of work, a road was built, along which huge stone blocks were delivered to the river and the underground structures of the pyramid. Work on the construction of the monument itself continued for about 20 more years.

The dimensions of the Cheops pyramid at Giza are striking. The height of the Cheops pyramid initially reached 147 meters. Over time, due to being covered with sand and the loss of cladding, it decreased to 137 meters. But even this figure allowed it to remain the tallest human structure in the world for a long time. The pyramid has a square base with a side of 147 meters. The construction of this giant is estimated to require 2,300,000 limestone blocks weighing an average of 2.5 tons.

How were the pyramids built in Egypt?

The technology of building pyramids is controversial in our time. Versions range from the invention of concrete in Ancient Egypt to the construction of pyramids by aliens. But it is still believed that the pyramids were built by man exclusively by his own strength. So for the extraction of stone blocks, first a shape was outlined in the rock, grooves were hollowed out and a dry tree was inserted into them. Later, the tree was doused with water, it expanded, a crack formed in the rock, and the block was separated. Then it was processed to the desired shape with tools and sent down the river to a construction site.

One of the greatest buildings of the ancient world is in Egypt. This structure, since the completion of the construction, amazes with its grandeur and impeccable geometry. No wonder the ancient Greeks included the Cheops pyramid in their list of the seven wonders of the world. This is the only miracle that has survived to this day.

The pyramid of Cheops has become a real masterpiece. Modern researchers are amazed at the strictness of proportions and accuracy of geometric dimensions, with which the ancient Egyptians coped brilliantly. Some Egyptologists seriously believe that the builders of the 26th century BC could not have built such a structure in 22 years. They adhere to the theory of the extraterrestrial origin of the pyramids.

The point of view of these researchers has a right to exist, especially since the arguments they present sometimes baffle opponents. The location of the pyramid and its proportions are so accurate that, in order to be located in accordance with the cardinal points, it would require modern builders to use the most accurate geodetic instruments. If the exact location of the Cheops pyramid to the cardinal points is an accident, then the accident is very happy.

The current proportions of the Cheops pyramid, or Khufu, are not what they were originally. Scientists were able to determine that the maximum height of the pyramid in 2568 BC was 146.6 meters. The ratio of height and base, thus, is 3.14 ..., that is, the number "pi" from the geometry. The point is the accuracy in which the ratio repeats the number "Pi". This precision is six decimal places. Archimedes did not know this meaning, he would have envied such accuracy, no doubt.

On the day the construction was completed, the Cheops pyramid was 146.6 meters high. However, now, its height is much less than the original one. There are two reasons for this decrease. One of a natural character is erosion. The second reason is artificial. Her name is a man ...

In 1301, Cairo experienced an earthquake. Most of the houses have turned into heaps of rubbish. The same fate befell mosques with elaborate minarets. After the first shock, the Cairo authorities turned to a real storehouse of building materials - the pyramids of the pagans. They were seduced by the polished limestone slabs that lined the pyramids. Following the path of least resistance, by reducing overhead costs, the Arabs began to remove the outer facing of the pyramids. Now only part of the facing on the upper tiers of the Khafre pyramid has survived. There is no outer facing on the Cheops pyramid.

As a result of the barbaric dismantling, the height of the tallest pyramid in Egypt has decreased by more than eight meters. Today's sources, speaking about the height of the Cheops pyramid, do not shine with uniformity. The difference is 10-20 centimeters. On the one hand, such a discrepancy in the data outrages pedants, lovers of accuracy. On the other hand, 10-20 centimeters do not define anything now. After all, the original proportions are irretrievably and forever violated.

The Arabs who disassembled the pyramids did not ask subtle scientific questions. They were not interested in the theories advanced by modern scientists. They were interested in the immediate solution of everyday problems. They did not hesitate to damage one of the Seven Wonders of the World. We can lamented for a long time about the Arabs of the early 14th century. We can complain about inaccuracies in determining the true height of the pyramid. We can speculate about the creators of the pyramids. But the pyramids don't care. They continue to exist and will outlive us with our emotions. They will continue to delight and thrill visitors who will disturb their centuries-old peace.