The Great Pyramid

The Great Pyramid (Copyright © 2006 B Kahuna)

GIZA NECROPOLIS, Egypt -- The north face of the Great Pyramid, the largest structure in the Giza Necropolis, reputedly built over twenty years concluding around 2560 BC. It is believed to be the tomb of the Pharaoh Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty and is also known as the Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops in Greek).

The four sides are aligned to compass points based on true north and is accurate to within a few minutes of arc. The pyramid, currently at 455.21 feet (138.75 m) is the oldest and sole remaining of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its original height is believed to have been 481 feet (146.5 m). Theft of the capstone or pyramidion and erosion over the centuries are responsible for the reduced height seen today.

The pyramid was built using blocks of limestone, basalt and granite, each weighing an average of 1.5 tons, leading to a total mass of about six million tons. It was originally surfaced with polished white limestone that has since fallen away or been removed to construct other structures around Cairo.

A fascinating aerial view of the pyramids can be seen using Flash Earth, powered by the Google Earth API. The co-ordinates are centered over the Pyramid of Kaphre (Chephren) and the Great Pyramid is towards the top right. It is believed by some that the three Pyramids of Giza are aligned with Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, the stars in the constellation Orion that comprise the belt.

Captured on 21^st April 2006 using a Sony CyberShot DSC-V1 with an aperture of f/7.1 and shutter speed of 1/250^th of a second.