Building the Egyptian pyramids

The Egyptian pyramids are considered one of the most famous monuments in the world, as they were built during the Old Kingdom period in ancient Egypt, and they form part of a group of pyramids that were built in the third millennium BC. The pyramids were built to be tombs for the pharaohs, and it is believed that the largest pyramids It was built for the most powerful and influential pharaohs of ancient Egypt, such as Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. The Pyramid of Khufu in Giza is the largest of the three pyramids, reaching a height of 146 metres.

The pyramids were built from local limestone, and the construction process required a lot of effort and hard work. Various techniques were used to transport the huge stone from quarries and install it at the construction site. Various tools were also used to shape, cut, and carve the stone accurately and without errors.

The stones used to build the pyramids were not small bricks. The stones in the pyramid varied in size, however, the largest of them could be found in the King's Chamber. These particular stones differed from regular limestone blocks and were instead made of granite.

Stages of building the pyramids

The workforce relied on a specific process to build the pyramids perfectly by following three important steps:

 

The first stage: choosing the ideal construction site

The first step in building the pyramid was to choose the appropriate location, and this had to be on the western side of the Nile where the sun sets, bearing in mind that the ancient Egyptians believed that wherever the sun set was the gateway to the afterlife.

 

The pyramids also needed to be located on high ground, away from the danger of flooding at the time of the Nile's inundation; however, it could not have been too far from the Nile bank because the river would be used to transport blocks of high-quality limestone for the casing of Tura on The other side of the Nile.

 

The second stage: preparing the site

No plans for the construction of the pyramids have ever been found, but the construction of the pyramids was not a random matter and the measurements used were quite precise, and the workers first had to prepare a solid foundation by removing loose sand from the rock. 

Next, the bedrock had to be made completely flat. Workers may have done this by building low mud walls all around the base and cutting canals in a grid pattern over the surface. They would then fill the canals with water and mark the level at which the water would reach. Drying the water away, the protruding rocks are cut to the level indicated, and any depressions are filled in with stones to form a completely flat surface.

The third stage: raising the blocks

Sometimes a rocky outcropping was used as the heart of the pyramid to save work, and the inner chambers and passages could have been built independently and the actual pyramid built around them. Some of the builders of the royal pyramids seem to have changed their minds about the preferred location for the burial chambers. The inner pyramid would then be built of cut limestone. From the desert plateau, when the main structure was completed, the pyramid was finished with encasing blocks of finely cut and dressed limestone from Tura, and sometimes granite was used for the lower courses.

Building pyramids in ancient Egypt

The process of building the pyramids in ancient Egypt was a huge and complex process, and it took several decades. The pyramids were built to be tombs for the pharaohs who enjoyed influence and power in ancient Egypt. Below are some of the steps that the ancient Egyptian government took to build the pyramids:

Choosing the construction site: Choosing the construction site was crucial, and sites were chosen in high places and elevations to avoid floods and sand storms.

Stone extraction: Local limestone was extracted from quarries near the construction site, and various tools were used, such as hammers, saws, and crushers, to cut the stone to the necessary size.

Transportation: The stone was transported across the Nile, using ships and boats that carried the stone and dragged it across the rivers. Traction carts were used to transport the stone on land, and local animals such as cows and donkeys were used to drag the stone.

Construction: Construction began with the construction of the basic squares, and then began the long and tiring process of installing the stone accurately and without errors in its specified places. It was necessary to manage the process well and employ labor effectively to complete the work on time.

Internal construction: After completing the external structure of the pyramids, internal rooms and corridors were built, and a temple was constructed inside the pyramids and wings to serve the king and his followers.

The construction of the Egyptian pyramids is a great engineering and technical achievement in human history, and no one has yet been able to explain all aspects of the construction process and the techniques that were used in that, but it is believed that the pyramids were built using primitive techniques for transporting, lifting, and stacking huge stones with precision and care, using primitive tools. Such as ropes, hammers, and simple metal tools. The work on building the pyramids may have been tiring and exhausting, but they are still amazing and wonderful at the present time, and are considered one of the most important tourist attractions in the world.

Image source