I love Egyptian pyramids. I've loved them since I was a child. These big stone buildings have stood for thousands of years. Last year, I visited Egypt for the first time. When I saw the Giza pyramids, I was amazed. They are much bigger than they look in pictures!
The pyramids were special tombs for Egyptian kings, called pharaohs. The ancient Egyptians believed in life after death. First, they were simple burial places. Later, they became the big triangle-shaped buildings we see today.
The Great Pyramid is the biggest one at Giza. It was built around 2550 BC. It is 146 meters tall - as tall as a modern building! It has more than 2 million big stones. My guide told me each stone is as heavy as a car. I kept thinking, "How did they move these heavy stones without machines?"
How Did They Build Them?
Experts think they used ramps and wooden sleds to move the stones. The Nile River helped them a lot. First, they moved the stones on boats. Then, many workers pulled them to the building place.
The pyramids are very exact. Each side points to north, south, east, or west. They did this without modern tools. This is amazing!
A friendly old man at a coffee shop near my hotel told me about the workers. "They weren't slaves," he said. "They got food and medical help for their work." People who study pyramids found places where workers lived. They saw signs that workers got good food and medical care.
Inside the Pyramids
The pyramids were like big boxes full of special things. When a pharaoh died, they put many things inside: gold, jewelry, furniture, and food. They thought the pharaoh would need these things in the next life. Sadly, thieves took most of these things long ago.
I visited the Cairo Museum. I saw many beautiful things from the pyramids. I was surprised to see a gold knife that was still sharp after 3,000 years!
The Egyptians thought pyramids were like stairs to heaven. They believed the pointed top helped the king's soul go up to the stars. Some people say the three pyramids at Giza match three stars in the sky. This is an interesting idea.
When I was there at sunset, everything looked golden. Most tourists were leaving. For a few minutes, I tried to imagine how this place looked thousands of years ago. These buildings are very old - they were ancient even when Rome was new!
If you visit Egypt, don't just take pictures from far away. Walk around the pyramids. Touch the stones if you can. Think about how people built these huge buildings 4,500 years ago without modern tools. Will our buildings last this long?
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