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the pyramids of egypt.
since ancient times, the pyramids at giza in egypt have been one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. the largest of these, the great pyramid of giza, or khufu's pyramid, is the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world that still survives today. it was the tallest building in the world for almost 5,000 years - that is, until the eiffel tower was built in 1889. pharaohs, the first rulers of egypt, built pyramids to show their power to the people. the first pharaohs built much simpler tombs called mastabas. these mastabas were square buildings with a room inside big enough for the coffin, the mummy of the pharaoh's body and his treasures. ancient egyptians believed that dead people still needed their bodies and treasures, such as paintings, gold and jewels, for their life after death. many of the pyramids were decorated inside, especially in the room where the dead pharaoh was laid. archaeologists discovered many pictures in the tombs and mysterious writing on the walls called hieroglyphics. invented about 5,000 years ago, hieroglyphics are the oldest form of writing. they were just simple drawings of everyday things we see and hear. the egyptians believed that both the hieroglyphics and the tomb pictures were magical, which is why they painted them inside the pyramids. when we look at the pyramids today, it is easy to see that they were built to last for a very long time. have you ever wondered how these great monuments were built? many archaeologists believe that the builders first studied the stars to decide which direction the pyramid would face, as egyptians believed the pharaohs would join the stars after death. then, they built a small mastaba on the ground. next, they put dirt and stones all over it, leaving a tunnel to the outside. to raise the stones to the top of the pyramid, they probably built long ramps and then rolled the stones up them. the city of giza is on the river nile. the nile was also very important in the building of the pyramids as it was used to transport the stones from far away. granite and marble, for example, were brought from aswan, which is over 500km away. many ships also brought limestone, used for the outside walls of the pyramids, from the city of tura, which was just across the river from giza. just to give you an idea of how large the great pyramid is - it is the height of a modern 40-storey building, or over 145 metres. it covers an area of land the size of seven city streets. workers used 2,300,000 blocks to build it, each weighing 2,500 kilograms (2.5 tons). it took about 36,000 workers (mostly slaves and farmers) between 20 and 30 years to build it. this means that for every minute they worked, they added three blocks to the pyramid! in conclusion, there is still a great deal of wonder and mystery surrounding the pyramids. no one knows for certain exactly when and how they were built. so far 46 of them have been found in egypt. however, maybe there are others lying underneath the sand just waiting to be discovered. only time will tell!
