THE PYRAMID OF GIZA: ONE OF THE LAST 7 WONDERS OF ANCIENT WORLD THAT'S STILL STANDING
By Saleh Bature
Without mentioning of the pyramid in Giza, the story of modern Egypt will not be complete. Giza city is an important tourist attraction because it was the burial ground for several pharoahs of ancient Egypt. It is the third largest city in Egypt after Alexandria. It has a population of 3,628,062 and a home to one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world that is still standing, 4,500 years after it was built. Giza is a 10-mile drive away from Cairo, a city not only known for its rich cultural heritage but also for variety of names. The capital city of Arab Republic of Egypt is called al-Qāhirah, which means literally, Place or Camp of Mars, the city of a thousand minarets (because of its beautiful islamic architecture, the City of the Dead, mother of the world and a city that never sleeps among many other names.
The story of the great pyramid in Giza, like most of the ancient treasures of Egypt is mysterious. The argument on why, how and when it was built is a perplexing subject which will continue to be debated among schoolars for many years to come. Walls of the pyramid are covered with illustrations of agricultural practices, cities and religious ceremonies. While these are arguably "one of historians best sources of insight into how the ancient Egyptians lived," they remain curiously silent and offer no insight into how the pyramid was built.
The Egyptian pyramid was not only the biggest pyramid built, but was also the most complex. Those who constructed it made use of "5.5 million tons of limestone, 8,000 tons of granite and more than 500,000 tons of mortar" to build it.
Why have the astonishing engineering feats used to build the pyramid perplexed generations of archaeologists? There is no disputing the fact that Egyptians had not yet discovered the wheel that would have been used to move heavy stones-some weighing as much as 90 tons to the site were the pyramid was constructed. They neither had the pulley, a device that would have made it much easier for them to lift large, heavy and solid stones, nor the iron tools to chisel their stonework.
Dr. Craig Smith author of the 2018-book, entitled, "how the pyramid was built," gives the answer to this nagging and knotty question: "With their rudimentary tools, the pyramid builders of ancient Egypt were about as accurate as we are today with 20th-centuary technology." The Travel, an international travel news website, named Egypt as one of the most intriguing places one would ever get the pleasure of visiting. In an article entitled "10 Reasons Why Egypt is One of the Most Fascinating Countries in the World," Harry Kettle, who wrote the article, nominated Giza pyramid as first of the 10 reasons why Egypt is a compelling destination.
Despite the old history and thriving tourism industry that upscale the GDP of Egypt, the country grapples with under development and poverty which is common to most developing nations. However, one lesson i learn throughout my stay in Egypt, which i am envious, is the positive light which Egyptians generally speak about their nation to let foreigners know how proud they are to be Egyptians. Back home in Nigeria, it is mutual mistrust, abuse and hatred of one tribe, section or religion against the other.