Top 10 Best Pyramids in the World

1.The Pyramids of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and the only one still remaining to this day. The other wonders are: The Colossus of Rhodes, The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus, and The Lighthouse of Alexandria. In the 14th century a series of earthquakes destroyed parts of northern Egypt.  The Arabs decided to strip the pyramid of its casing stones to use in rebuilding bridges, mosques, palaces, etc.  Eventually the pyramid was completely stripped of its beautiful casing stones and  the core masonry was exposed to weathering.  The core blocks proved to be of either pure limestone or nummulitic limestone containing large quantities of fossil shells resembling coins.(via 1)

2.The Bent Pyramid

The Bent pyramid is the fourth largest of all the Egyptian pyramids and would have been the largest had all things gone according to plan. This uniquely shaped pyamid is considered to be the first attempt at building a true pyramid. When it was still just two thirds of it’s intended height the inclination of the face angle was reduced to just 43 degrees and 22 minutes. This resulted in a reduction of the pyramid’s height by about 23.5 metres.  This pyramid boasts of the most intact casing of any pyramid in Egypt. Although parts of the casing are crumbling away, this pyramid gives the best idea of the sparkling brilliance that thepyramids of Egypt had before their casings were stripped away. Mostly these casings were removed and the limestone from the casings were used to build many other structures in Egypt. (via 1,2)

3.The Red Pyramid

The Red Pyramid, also called the North Pyramid, is the largest of the three major pyramids located at the Dahshur necropolis. Named for the rusty reddish hue of its stones, it is also the third largest Egyptianpyramid, after those of Khufu and Khafra at Giza.  It was the third pyramid built by Old Kingdom Pharaoh Sneferu, and is located approximately one kilometer to the north of the Bent Pyramid. It is built at the same shallow 43 degree angle as the upper section of the Bent Pyramid, which gives it a noticeably squat appearance compared to other Egyptian pyramids of comparable scale. Construction began during the thirtieth year of Sneferu’s reign. Egyptologists disagree on the length of time it took to construct. Based on quarry marks found at various phases of construction, Rainer Stadelmann estimates the time of completion to be approximately 17 years while John Romer, based on this same graffiti, suggests it took only ten years and seven months to build.(via 1)

4.Chogha Zanbil

Chogha Zanbil is situated in southwest Iran about 40 km southeast of the ancient city of Susa. It was built on a plateau above the banks of the Dez River. The complex consists of a magnificent ziggurat (the largest structure of its kind in Iran), temples, and three palaces. The site was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979. The geophysical surveys have started since last year and its second season would resume in October, southwest of Iran. The building materials in Chogha Zanbil are mainly mud bricks and occasionally baked bricks. The monuments were well built and beautifully decorated with glazed baked bricks, gypsum, ornaments of faience and glass. Thousands of baked bricks bearing inscriptions with Elamite cuneiform characters were all inscribed by hand, ornamenting the most important buildings. Glazed terracotta statues such as bulls and winged griffins guarded the entrances to the ziggurat. Near the temples of Kiririsha and Hishmitik-Ruhuratir, kilns were found that probably were used for the production of baked bricks and decoration materials.(via 1)

5.Teotihuacan

The largest of the Teotihuacán pyramids, the pyramid of the sun was actually reconstructed as five stepped platforms. However, the forth platform seems to have been erroneously reconstructed by Batres following his heavy-handed excavations in 1907. The pyramid originally consisted of four stepped platforms, a surmounting temple, and the Adosada platform, which was built over what was originally the principal facade of the pyramid. No information about the temple itself is available, since, along with the upper-most portion of the pyramid, it has been completely destroyed.  It was discovered in 1971, that leading from a natural cave, 6m below the pyramid, and running for approx’ 100m to the east, is a natural passageway. It opens close under the centre of the Pyramid into a ‘four-leaved-clover’ shape, each ‘leaf’, about 60 ft in circumference and containing beautifully engraved slate discs and highly polished mirrors. There was also a complex drainage system of interlocking segments of carved rock pipes.(via 1)

6.Tomb of the General

The pyramid of Unas, the last pharaoh of the 5th dynasty is situated to the south of the Stepped Pyramid of King Zoser. The pyramid of Unas is famous for its burial chamber, where its walls are covered with what is known as the “Pyramid Text”, the first collection of religious texts drawn up during the Old Kingdom and destined to protect and guide the dead pharaoh during his journey in the “other world”. The tomb chamber still contains the granite sarcophagus of the king. South to the Pyramid of Unas, the so called Persian tombs of the 26th dynasty are located, where a shaft of 25 metres in depth is leading to three beautifully decorated burial chambers.(via 1)

7.Great Ziggurat of Ur

Ziggurat, in ancient Mesopotamia is a multi-platform tower with stairways going up at the sides and a temple at the top. It is worship for a god who protects the city. Ziggurats use to be build from the fourth millennium B.C. till the sixth century B.C. It constructed by using mud-brick, at the core, and baked bricks, at the sides and the ceilings, which have been used in Iraq till now. It is, worship, building art developed across thousands of years by Mesopotamia’s civilisations. Many of ziggurats ruins founded in modern day Iraq at the areas of Sumer, Babylonia and Assyria civilisations. Ur’s ziggurat is one of the most important ziggurats ruins. Ur’s ziggurat is located to the west of Al-Nasiriyah city, southern of Iraq. It built in the centre of, very important historical area called, Ur. It consists of three platforms with overall height of 70 feet, i.e. seven stories building, while the area of the lower platform is 250 by 150 feet, almost equal to a football playground. That first platform had been restored by the Iraqi directorate of antiquities in the 60’s and 70’s of the last century.(via 1)

8.Step Pyramid of Djoser

The Pyramid of Djoser (Zoser), or step pyramid (kbhw-ntrw in Egyptian) is an archeological remain in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt, northwest of the city of Memphis. It was built for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser by his vizier Imhotep, during the 27th century BC. It is the central feature of a vast mortuary complex in an enormous courtyard surrounded by ceremonial structures and decoration. Djoser is best known for his innovative tomb, which dominates the Saqqara landscape. In this tomb he is referred to by his Horus name Netjerykhet; Djoser is a name given by New Kingdom visitors thousands of years later. Djoser’s step pyramid is astounding in its departure from previous architecture. It sets several important precedents, perhaps the most important of which is its status as the first monumental structure made of stone.(via 1)

9.Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza, world famous archaeological zone, is located 120 km from Merida via federal highway 180 in the State of Yucatan Mexico. Chichen Itza rule brought about drastic changes in the internal structure of Yucatecan communities. At the same time, the introduction of an Innovative view of the world marked the establishment of an order characterized by changing commercial values, production and distribution systems, and residential and religious architecture of the groups in the power. Chichen Itza is the most visited archaeological site in the peninsula of Yucatan, due to its extraordinary architecture beauty and its geographical location. It was founded in the year 514 of our era by the priest LAKIN CHAN who was also called Itzamna. This is why their people were called since the foundation, chanes or itzaes.(via 1)

10.Monte Albán

This archeological site was the ancient Zapotec capital and one of the first cities in Mesoamerica. It was also one of the most populous cities in Mesoamerica during its peak (it had more than 25,000 inhabitants). It was founded around 500 B.C. and flourished up to around A.D. 750. Located in the center of the Valleys of Oaxaca, Monte Albán exercised political, economic, and ideological control over the other communities of the surrounding valleys and mountains. The main attractions here are: The Great Plaza, The Ball Court, System II, The Danzantes, Building J, Central Buildings G, H, and I, The Palace, The South Platform, System 7 Deer, and Tomb 7. The Great Plaza is 200 meters long by 200 meters wide. To build the Great Plaza rocky bulges were trimmed off and depressions were filled in.(via 1)

Endelea Kufuatilia