But really, why are the Egyptian pyramids considered the first of the 7 wonders of the world? To begin with, it is important to clarify that the list of 7 wonders of the world does not include all pyramids, but only one, the most majestic Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu). Researchers still cannot fully understand how in such ancient times people could build it. Even now there is an opinion that it was not built by human hands at all, but by some incomprehensible external force. But since these are just guesses, there is no point in writing much about it.
Why is the Cheops pyramid called a miracle?
There is no exact definition here, but there are many facts that force us to agree that it is simply impossible not to call this structure a miracle.
- The first is the size of the pyramid. For more than three thousand years in a row, the structure was the tallest on Earth. The size of the base was originally 227.5, height - 146 meters. Over time, the structure collapsed slightly, as a result of which the pyramid is now 9 meters lower.
- The second is the materials that were used for construction. In total, the pyramid took 2.3 million stone blocks. The weight of one such block is no less than two and a half tons. In addition, it is important to pay attention to the density of the pyramid. The stones fit together so well that even the thinnest blade cannot fit between them.
- Third - appearance. Initially, the pyramid was covered with a facing material such as white limestone. During the day, when the sun illuminated the pyramid, it shone with a bright peach color, which made it look like a real miracle, “to which, it seemed, the Sun God Ra himself gave his rays.” Unfortunately, now it is no longer possible to see this beauty, since after the Arab attack in 1168, local residents used the cladding to restore their houses.
Pyramid of Cheops - a legacy of the ancient Egyptian civilization, all tourists coming to Egypt try to see it. It amazes the imagination with its grandiose size. The weight of the pyramid is about 4 million tons, its height is 139 meters, and its age is 4.5 thousand years. It still remains a mystery how people built the pyramids in those ancient times. It is not known for certain why these majestic structures were erected.
Legends of the Cheops Pyramid
Shrouded in mystery, ancient Egypt was once the most powerful country on Earth. Perhaps his people knew secrets that are still inaccessible to modern humanity. Looking at the huge stone blocks of the pyramid, which are laid with perfect precision, you begin to believe in miracles. 
According to one legend, the pyramid served as a grain storage facility during the great famine. These events are described in the Bible (Book of Exodus). Pharaoh had a prophetic dream, warning of a series of lean years. Joseph, the son of Jacob, sold into slavery by his brothers, managed to unravel Pharaoh's dream. The ruler of Egypt instructed Joseph to organize the procurement of grain, appointing him as his first adviser. The storage facilities must have been huge, given that they fed many nations for seven years when there was famine on Earth. The slight discrepancy in dates - about 1 thousand years old - is explained by adherents of this theory by the inaccuracy of carbon analysis, through which archaeologists determine the age of ancient buildings. 
According to another legend, the pyramid served to transfer the material body of the pharaoh into upper world Gods. Amazing fact is that inside the pyramid where the sarcophagus for the body is located, the mummy of the pharaoh was not found, which the robbers could not take. Why did the rulers of Egypt build such huge tombs for themselves? Was their goal really to build a beautiful mausoleum that testified to greatness and power? If the construction process took several decades and required enormous amounts of labor, it means that the final goal of constructing the pyramid was vitally important to the pharaoh. Some researchers believe that we know very little about the level of development ancient civilization, the mysteries of which are yet to be discovered. The Egyptians knew the secret eternal life. It was acquired by the pharaohs after death, thanks to technology that was hidden inside the pyramids. 
Some researchers believe that the Cheops pyramid was built by a great civilization even more ancient than the Egyptian one, about which we know nothing. And the Egyptians only restored existing ancient buildings and used them at their own discretion. They themselves did not know the intention of the forerunners who built the pyramids. The Forerunners could be giants of the Antediluvian civilization or inhabitants of other planets who flew to Earth in search of a new homeland. The gigantic size of the blocks from which the pyramid is built is easier to imagine as a convenient building material for ten-meter giants than for ordinary people. 
One more interesting legend I would like to mention the Cheops pyramid. They say that inside the monolithic structure there is a secret room in which there is a portal that opens paths to other dimensions. Thanks to the portal, you can instantly find yourself at a selected point in time or on another inhabited planet of the Universe. It was carefully hidden by the builders for the benefit of people, but will soon be found. The question remains whether modern scientists will understand the ancient technologies to take advantage of the discovery. In the meantime, archaeological research in the pyramid continues. 
In the era of antiquity, when the Greco-Roman civilization began to flourish, ancient philosophers compiled a description of the most outstanding architectural monuments on Earth. They were called the "Seven Wonders of the World." They included Hanging Gardens Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes and other majestic buildings built before our era. The Pyramid of Cheops, as the oldest, is in first place on this list. This wonder of the world is the only one that has survived to this day; all the others were destroyed many centuries ago. 
According to the descriptions of ancient Greek historians, the large pyramid shone in the rays of the sun, casting a warm golden sheen. It was lined with meter-thick limestone slabs. The smooth white limestone, decorated with hieroglyphs and designs, reflected the sands of the surrounding desert. Local residents later dismantled the cladding for their homes, which they lost as a result of the devastating fires. Perhaps the top of the pyramid was decorated with a special triangular block made of precious material. 
Around the Cheops pyramid in the valley there is a whole City of dead. Dilapidated buildings of mortuary churches, two others large pyramids and several smaller tombs. A huge statue of a sphinx with a broken nose, which was recently restored, is carved from a monolithic block of gigantic proportions. It was taken from the same quarry as the stones used to build the tombs. Once upon a time, ten meters from the pyramid there was a three-meter thick wall. Perhaps it was intended to protect the royal treasures, but it could not stop the robbers. 
History of construction
Scientists still cannot come to a consensus on how ancient people built the Cheops pyramid from huge blocks of stone. Based on the drawings found on the walls of others, it was assumed that workers cut each block into the rocks and then dragged it to the construction site along a ramp made of cedar. History does not have a consensus on who was involved in the work - peasants for whom there was no other work during the Nile flood, slaves of the pharaoh or hired workers. 
The difficulty is that the blocks had to not only be delivered to the construction site, but also raised to a great height. Before its construction, the Cheops Pyramid was the tallest structure on Earth. Modern architects see the solution to this problem differently. By official version Primitive mechanical blocks were used for lifting. It’s scary to imagine how many people died during construction using this method. When the ropes and straps holding the block broke, it could crush dozens of people with its weight. It was especially difficult to install the upper block of the building at a height of 140 meters above the ground. 
Some scientists suggest that ancient people had the technology to control Earth's gravity. The blocks weighing more than 2 tons, from which the Cheops pyramid was built, could be moved with ease using this method. The construction was carried out by hired workers who knew all the secrets of the craft, under the leadership of the nephew of Pharaoh Cheops. There were no human sacrifices, backbreaking labor of slaves, only the art of construction, which reached the highest technologies, which are inaccessible to our civilization. 
The pyramid has the same base on each side. Its length is 230 meters and 40 centimeters. Amazing accuracy for ancient uneducated builders. The density of the stones is so great that it is impossible to insert a razor blade between them. An area of five hectares is occupied by one monolithic structure, the blocks of which are connected with a special solution. There are several passages and chambers inside the pyramid. There are ventilation holes facing different directions of the world. The purpose of many interior spaces remains a mystery. The robbers took away everything valuable long before the first archaeologists entered the tomb. 
The pyramid is currently listed cultural heritage UNESCO. Her photo adorns many Egyptian tourist brochures. In the 19th century, Egyptian authorities wanted to dismantle the huge monolithic blocks of ancient structures to build dams on the Nile River. But labor costs far outweighed the benefits of work, so monuments ancient architecture stand to this day, delighting pilgrims in the Giza Valley.
The only one of the “Seven Wonders of the World” that has survived to this day are the Egyptian pyramids. Ancient Egyptian architecture, even today, amazes with the power of its enormous stone structures. Among the huge columns of ancient temples, rising to the sky and often standing like trees in a forest, you can get lost. At the entrance to these temples, like a formidable guard, stand huge statues of pharaohs and stone sphinxes. Sphinx - in Ancient Egypt - the embodiment of royal power, a statue depicting a fantastic creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human or sacred animal.
About 5 thousand years ago, the first small slave states appeared in the valley along the lower Nile. At the end of the 4th millennium BC. e. the rulers of one of them subjugated the entire country, creating a single kingdom with its center in the city of Memphis, located on the left bank of the Nile, south of where the city of Cairo is now located. Around 2800 BC e. Pharaoh Khufu became the ruler of this state. Subsequently, Greek historians changed his name to Cheops. This is what they call it in our time. Huge wealth and unlimited power were concentrated in the hands of the pharaohs.
Cheops' grandfather and father spent their wealth not only on court luxury and majestic tombs - pyramids, which were supposed to perpetuate the names of formidable rulers. Their slaves built dams, dug canals, and installed sluices to evenly distribute the waters of the Nile to irrigate the fields. Thanks to this, high harvests were harvested from the fields of Egypt, which brought more and more income to the pharaohs.
Cheops thought only about glorifying himself. The flattering and cunning priests told him: “Earthly life is short. The houses we live in are hotels. Man's true home is the tomb, the house of eternity, where he will dwell for millions of years. If you want to be immortal, take care of your tomb." And Cheops decided to reduce government spending as much as possible, and spend most of his income on creating a tomb that would be taller and more majestic than all the previous royal tombs.
There were not enough foreign slaves, and Egyptian farmers began to be involved in the work. Pharaoh ordered to choose the strongest and most resilient for the work. Each farmer had to work for a third of the year on the construction of the pyramid. To the capital Memphis, according to the Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century. BC e., up to 100 thousand people were rounded up. They were fed stale cakes, dried fish, garlic and radishes. Many died, but more and more were brought in to replace them...
The first ten years were spent on preparatory work. They laid out a convenient path to the construction site chosen on the western bank of the Nile (near the suburb modern city Cairo - Giza), dug underground hiding places and laid the foundation. And in quarries, about 600 miles east of the Nile, blocks of limestone were chopped off and transported to the west bank. After this, a giant stone pyramid was built for 20 years. Its construction was completed in the 31st year of the king's reign.
2 million 300 thousand stone blocks weighing 2.5 tons each were smoothly hewn with copper tools (there were no iron tools at that time) and tightly fitted to each other. The height of the pyramid was 280 cubits (about 147 m), i.e., approximately the height of a modern forty-story building. The base side of the pyramid reaches 230 meters. It occupies more area than 9 football fields. The hewn slabs were laid with such perfection that even a needle could not be inserted into the seam between them. The entrance to the pyramid was on the north side. A narrow corridor led through a large gallery into the burial chamber (10x5x5 m), in which the royal coffin - sarcophagus - was installed. Unfortunately, it has not survived to this day, but it is believed that it was carved from stone. A side corridor led to the queen's crypt.
Cheops achieved his goal, although the working people grumbled and even the slave-owning nobility were dissatisfied with the excessive costs that were depleting the country.
After the death of the king, the faithful servants fulfilled everything that was prescribed by ancient customs. They opened the king's corpse, removed the brain and entrails, kept the body for 70 days in salt water, filled it with fragrant resin and wrapped the finished mummy in burial shrouds. The Egyptians believed that the resurrection of the dead was possible. They believed that the soul of the deceased, as long as his body was preserved, could return to it. At first, only the bodies of kings were turned into mummies, and later of all noble slave owners. Around the Pharaoh's pyramid were the tombs of nobles and officials. The owners of rich estates and luxurious houses wanted to be different from them even after death. ordinary people. The poor were simply wrapped in a mat and buried.
The sarcophagus with the king's mummy was placed on a huge sled, the oxen were harnessed and they were driven to the west, where, according to the teachings of the priests, there was an entrance to the afterlife. The mourners and mourners filled the air with wild cries. The priests slaughtered bulls and geese as sacrifices to the soul of the deceased. The royal mummy was placed inside the pyramid and the entrance to the tomb was walled up.
During one of the uprisings, the details of which are unknown to us, the mummy was thrown out of the crypt and disappeared without a trace.
There is no trace left of the ruler who built himself the greatest pyramid, which in ancient times was considered one of the “seven wonders of the world,” but the grandiose building, created by the Egyptian people with such difficulty and suffering, has stood for the fifth millennium and has changed little over time. Only the cracked outer cladding was broken off and stolen for new buildings, so that the pyramid dropped by 9 m.
In 1953, two Egyptian archaeologists dug out a cache at a depth of 17 m, covered with stone blocks, among the sands not far from the pyramid. Inside was a huge wooden boat of the pharaoh, 35 m long, with two rows of oars. Egyptian priests made this boat so that the royal deceased could sail in it after death along the heavenly waves to the distant kingdom of the dead.
The following year, another Egyptian archaeologist found in the sands new pyramid- Pharaoh Hesemkhet, who lived a hundred years before Cheops. The pyramid, fortunately, was untouched! Not a single robber penetrated it. In the inner chamber there was an alabaster coffin, very well preserved, but, to the scientist’s disappointment, it turned out to be empty. The ancient Egyptians had a custom of building false tombs (cenotaphs). It is believed that the empty coffin was a spare one, in case the soul of the deceased wanted to leave the permanent tomb and move to another.
The ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife. The priests inspired the people that even after death the pharaoh would remain the ruler and crowds of servants would work for him. Egyptian religion taught that the poor and slaves had no hope of a happy life even in the afterlife. Only pharaohs and nobles will enjoy bliss after death as well as during life. In the afterlife, according to the Egyptians, there is the same inequality as on earth: some work, while others enjoy power and wealth.
From the editor
“Everything in the world is afraid of time, and time is afraid of the pyramids,” says an Arabic proverb.
To film the great Egyptian pyramids, a year ago Sergei Semenov already tried to rent a helicopter in Cairo, but nothing worked out for him. “Filming is prohibited because there is a military base nearby,” this is how the reasons for the refusal were explained to Sergei. In addition to the negative result, Sergei also brought one positive news from Egypt: the story of his guide friend about how at night, having paid local guides, a scientist-enthusiast from France secretly climbed to the top of one of the pyramids with scientific equipment and measured the strength of some there are magnetic fields. It must be said that the pyramids are surrounded by a high fence with motion sensors, and are guarded by military machine gunners and dogs during those hours when access to tourists is closed. From Semenov’s story about the scientist, I concluded that in Egypt they approach national security issues flexibly, and we still have a chance to fly :)
We had to hurry, because the Cheops pyramid is the only one of the “seven wonders of the world” that has survived to this day. And after recently watching the movie "Transformers" I concluded that in the next series these pyramids could actually be destroyed to the ground by warlike robots :)
Still from the movie “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen”
We gathered our guys on the road and sent them to Egypt. This time we decided to use a radio-controlled helicopter model for filming. It must be said that judging by the news reports in Cairo at that time there were demonstrations and shooting, so the guys were not very willing to travel. But I called an acquaintance who lived in Cairo, and he reassured me: “They shoot in the center of the city, but if you live on the outskirts, where the tourists are, then it is completely safe. Just make sure that taxi drivers don’t rob you” :)
So, the guys flew to Egypt to film the pyramids. And when I received a text message from them: “We took off, but we were detained by the police,” I wasn’t particularly worried. This is Egypt, and tourists there are not offended, but on the contrary, they are loved. And soon a second text message arrived: in order to be released and allowed to film, we had to pay $1,000. And then I replied: “No, sit there and bargain!”
In the tradition of Eastern culture, it is extremely disrespectful if you immediately agree to the proposed price, and the interlocutor will be grateful to you if you haggle at least a little.
And so it happened. But the guys, apparently, were very upset, being surrounded by military and police, so they lowered the price purely symbolically and joyfully agreed to $800.
For this money, they were sold a ticket to filming and were given police escort for the whole day. And the shooting began.
Well, before I give the floor to a direct participant in the events, Stas Sedov, a radio-controlled helicopter pilot, I want to say that Egypt is a unique, but still wonderful country where they love tourists in general and photographers in particular. My father has traveled to Egypt 14 times already and is not going to change anything...
“Stop fooling around, guys! — Oleg told us one autumn day. “You’re going to Cairo, you’ll be filming the pyramids.”
“What Cairo?!” There are revolutions there, there’s shooting, barricades on the streets!” — I thought, but I only asked out loud: “Uh-uh... when are we flying?”
In two weeks, I assembled and configured another radio-controlled device, which served as a spare in case the first one broke down. We packed each helicopter in its own suitcase, just in case the luggage gets lost. In total, our luggage - two helicopters, repair tools, photographic equipment (3 sets of cameras and lenses) weighed about 80 kg.
And now I’m already admiring the desert landscapes of Egypt floating outside the window of our ship. “What, however, similar cities outside the window,” notes sleepy Sergei, and I notice that we have been circling in one place for more than an hour. A few minutes later, the ship's commander announces that the rebels have captured Cairo International Airport and he will remain in the air until the situation is resolved. Happy start!
After circling for about another hour, our airbus landed safely. The rebels were already waiting for passengers at the airport. Just a joke, of course! I didn’t notice any signs of capture, normal peaceful life international airport. It turned out that it was just a strike by dispatchers demanding higher wages.
Having sat on the plane, we were eager to go straight away to film the pyramids, but due to our late arrival we arrived at the already closed gate. Our guide, a beautiful local girl, was named Hinda, which in Arabic, however, means “100 camels.” We agreed with her that we would try to get into the territory early in the morning - shortly before the museum opened (we wanted to take a few photos without the public).
It must be said that the work of the museum complex near the pyramids is aimed at numerous tourists who are brought there by bus. The complex is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the rest of the time it is a fortified military base, which was not our plan to storm.
In the morning, half an hour before the opening, we were already standing at the gates of the museum, trying in vain with persuasion and money to resolve the issue of our early entry into the territory. Absolutely useless! Contrary to expectations, the security at the entrance turned out to be incorruptible. I won’t describe how nervous we were waiting for the shooting to start. Only an hour and a half later we were finally able to get to the first point. And then new difficulties arose.
Almost all local residents located near the pyramids make their living from them in one way or another. And if we knew something about camel drivers and other colorful personalities, we knew quite little about the museum’s security. On site, it turned out that near each pyramid, in addition to uniformed police, there were plainclothes police, plainclothes army representatives, and museum workers. I can’t say which of them is more important, but it seemed to me that the guys were from the army.
Hinda suggested immediately going to negotiate with the army, so that there would be no trouble later. We were ready for this, and after a long bargaining between Sergei and a tall man in a white robe and arafat, sitting on a camel, we were given the go-ahead to take off. By this point, I was almost “burnt out” from the stress, uncertainty and heat - there was absolutely no confidence that we would take off successfully and land just as successfully at a temperature of more than 35 degrees in the shade. However, the technology did not disappoint, and we completed the first two flights quite successfully.
We moved to another point, took off, and then, it seemed, our luck turned away from us. One of the disguised employees guarding the pyramids made a call, and a whole capture group rushed after us, which in the form of an ultimatum demanded that we travel with them.
We were taken to the museum administration building. About 20 people gathered, some in police uniforms with big stars, some from the museum administration. It was quite difficult to understand who was in charge in this crowd. At first, the conversation was in a raised voice, our guide stood with a pale face and practically did not translate anything to us. In the end, a person from the museum management demanded to see the footage, after which the flash drive with the pictures was confiscated. Having taken the most “valuable” from us, the boss from the museum immediately changed his tone, and the situation defused. Everyone began to take turns looking at what kind of miracle device we were launching near the pyramids. We realized that now was the time to agree on the shooting conditions, which we immediately asked Hindu to do. “5-10 minutes and we will decide everything,” she translated the words of the museum director to us.
These 5-10 minutes resulted in about 4 hours of long and lengthy trading. With the comings and goings of each side, with some unthinkable demands, calls to the Minister of Culture, the Minister of Police, and someone else. In general, if you have ever been to an Egyptian bazaar, you can imagine this action, multiplying your impressions 10 times.
We had to go to the police station, where we accidentally bumped into the country's prime minister (I'm not kidding), to arrange for police escort for the shooting. Without the police, the museum workers refused to approve it for us.
By the evening we managed to settle almost all the formalities, and the conversation turned only to the final amount for the shooting. The Egyptian side asked for about a thousand dollars. Everything is official, with paperwork completed. Of course, they didn’t have a ticket for aerial photography; we were offered to buy a ticket for professional photography, like if we fly, that means we’re a pro! By the way, with ordinary professional cameras you can shoot everywhere except the insides of the pyramids without any problems. After haggling a little and bringing the price down to $800, we finally officially paid for the treasured piece of paper and police escort.
Helicopter repairs before tomorrow's filming
The next day can be described in one phrase - we plowed like blacks on a plantation!
We were given the green light for almost the entire territory of the pyramids. The police protected from annoying onlookers and local extortionists. We were allowed to visit the Sphinx half an hour before the bulk of tourists, for which I was very grateful to the museum’s management. It’s just a pity that we weren’t able to get onto the archaeological platform directly at the feet of the figure. I had to film from the sides, visibility was limited, and I was a little worried that, in addition to the already broken nose, I could “correct” the Sphinx’s eye with my helicopter, but everything worked out.
By the evening, we had worked so well with our escort that we no longer wanted to leave. Only the deputy director of the museum hurried us: the museum is a sensitive facility. The last tourists leave at 16:00. We had to arrive before 16:30, otherwise our escort could have problems...
That day we also wanted to photograph the most famous, beautiful and old Mohammed Ali Mosque, located in the city, but due to the ongoing demonstrations and unrest, the guide flatly refused to go there and strongly discouraged us from doing so. After a museum employee confirmed her words, we decided not to film the mosque.
We were so tired that when we returned to the hotel, which was literally a couple of blocks from the pyramids, we fell asleep instantly as soon as our heads touched the pillow.
The next day we flew home.
At the entrance to the airport there was security who scanned the suitcases , said that in Egypt it is forbidden to carry helicopters in luggage, but after a little haggling I got $20, and he kindly allowed me to do it. The second helicopter in the next suitcase was greeted very cordially and cost only $10.
Then Sergei and I sat in a cafe while waiting for the plane and leafed through the photographs on our laptop that we had obtained so difficultly. And the news reported that yesterday in Cairo in Tahrir Square 19 people were killed during clashes... Amazing country Egypt. But very friendly to tourists. After all, as one of the museum workers said: “In Egypt, there are only two values on which we can make money - tourism and the Suez Canal.”
“Everything in the world is afraid of time, and time is afraid of the pyramids,” says an Arabic proverb.
You can also watch a short video about filming the pyramids.
One of the most ancient and yet striking Wonders of the World are the Great Pyramids located in Giza (Egypt). The complex of Gisean buildings represents the greatest architectural monument ever created by man. In total, more than a hundred pyramidal structures were found in Egypt, but most of them did not stand the test of time.
Pyramids of Giza
The Pyramid of Cheops
The largest of the Gisean complex, the Pyramid of Cheops is the largest building structure in the world. Its base is a square with a side of as much as 227.5 meters. The original height of the structure is believed to have been 146 meters, but several of the top stones were destroyed, and today the pyramid is 9 meters lower.
Engineering studies have shown that the largest Gisea architectural monument consists of 2.3 million stone blocks, each of which weighs at least 2.5 tons. The total volume of the structure is 2.34 million cubic meters. The sides of the pyramid are turned to the cardinal directions, with the entrance to the inside being from the north.
A distinctive feature of the structure is that every single building block fits together so well that even now, after several thousand years, it is impossible to insert even the thinnest blade between them. In addition, the researchers discovered that the mortar used to hold the structural elements together was stronger than any modern material.
Purpose of the pyramids
There are no inscriptions, drawings or decorations in the Cheops pyramid. Inside the building there are three chambers, in the center of one of which there is a granite sarcophagus. At first it was assumed that the structure was a tomb. Many years of research have either confirmed or refuted this assumption.
But neither the remains of the pharaoh, nor any utensils or things that, according to the tradition of that time, were buried with the deceased, were found. True, there is a high probability that the pyramid was simply plundered. However, some details in the hypothesis about the purpose of the structure do not agree with the version about the tomb.
However, we will leave to historians and archaeologists questions about the origin and purpose of the construction of such an amazing complex of buildings, the entrance to which is protected by Great Sphinx- the largest monolithic sculpture on the planet. For you and me, the Pyramids of Giza, with which many legends are associated, remain one of the most striking and unusual examples altitude of flight of engineering thought.
