The Pyramids of Egypt

• The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt.
• Most were built as tombs for the country's Pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.
• According to the Bible, the first settlers of Egypt migrated from the Euphrates River, the site of the Tower of Babel, where the languages were confused after the Flood.
• For the first two dynasties, the earliest settlers did not build pyramids. Instead, kings were buried in chambers underneath mud-brick edifices, called mastabas. However, in the third dynasty, King Zoser had a vizier (chief minister) called Imhotep, who used rough blocks of stone, instead of bricks, to build the king’s mastaba. Then he added six stages making the famous Step Pyramid of Saqqara, on the west bank of the River Nile, 20 km (12 miles) northwest of Memphis, south of modern Cairo. This is believed to be the first pyramid ever built in Egypt.
• The earliest among these is the Pyramid of Djoser (constructed 2630 BCE–2611 BCE) which was built during the third dynasty. This pyramid and its surrounding complex were designed by the architect Imhotep, and are generally considered to be the world's oldest monumental structures constructed of dressed masonry.
• The most famous Egyptian pyramids are those found at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo. The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence.
  
• The shape of Egyptian pyramids is thought to represent the primordial mound from which the Egyptians believed the earth was created. The shape of a pyramid is thought to be representative of the descending rays of the sun, and most pyramids were faced with polished, highly reflective white limestone, in order to give them a brilliant appearance when viewed from a distance.
• The Jewish historian Josephus wrote concerning the Israelite slaves in Egypt, “They [the Egyptian taskmasters] set them also to build pyramids.” Most archaeologists dismiss this statement on the grounds that all the pyramid building had ended before the Israelites arrived in Egypt.However, Joseph and then Jacob and his family may well have come to Egypt during the 12th dynasty, and Moses may have been born before the dynasty ended. Most of the pyramids built in this dynasty were made of millions of large, sun-dried mud bricks purported to be made by the Israelites. Then the structure was faced with smooth stones to give the appearance of a true stone pyramid. However, the stones have long since been stolen, leaving only a huge pile of mud bricks.
• There are several theories to explain how the blocks for the huge pyramids of Egypt were placed in position. The stones could have been dragged up a ramp. However, such a ramp would need to extend for hundreds of metres and would contain an enormous amount of bricks or rubble. An alternative idea is that a spiral ramp was wrapped around the pyramid as it rose in height. Dr Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s leading archaeologist, concluded that it could have been a combination of the two.
• 'The Mummy' movie was filmed in Marrakech, Morocco, not Egypt.
• There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008.