Egypt, continued

Egypt, continued:

Finally, THE PYRAMIDS!!!!! How on earth did they do it? Here is some information from Wikipedia.

The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called Khufu's Pyramid, is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now Cairo, Egypt in Africa, and is the only remaining member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years. Visibly all that remains is the underlying step-pyramid core structure seen today. Many of the casing stones that once covered the structure can still be seen around the base of the Great Pyramid. There have been varying scientific and alternative theories regarding the Great Pyramid's construction techniques. Most accepted construction theories are based on the idea that it was built by moving huge stones from a quarry and dragging and lifting them into place.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the main part of a complex setting of buildings that included two mortuary temples in honor of Khufu (one close to the pyramid and one near the Nile), three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives, an even smaller "satellite" pyramid, a raised causeway connecting the two temples, and small mastaba tombs surrounding the pyramid for nobles.

At completion, the Great Pyramid was surfaced by white 'casing stones' - slant-faced, but flat-topped, blocks of highly polished white limestone. Visibly all that remains is the underlying step-pyramid core structure seen today. In AD 1301, a massive earthquake loosened many of the outer casing stones, which were then carted away by Bahri Sultan An-Nasir Nasir-ad-Din al-Hasan in 1356 in order to build mosques and fortresses in nearby Cairo. The stones can still be seen as parts of these structures to this day.

We were absolutely wowed by the pyramids. You hear about them your whole life and suddenly, there they are. Unbelievable!

There were people with camels in the area surrounding the pyramids. Our guide, Naveen, told us that this is not the place for the ride. She said we needed to do it from the panoramic view site. She was very right. She also told us not to say we are from the USA. She said everyone will overcharge us. She said to say we were from the UK, Canada or Australia. Jeff told her that they all have more money than we do now with the exchange rate. She said the people don't know and when they think US they think rich!

To be continued...

NEXT: Camel ride!