Plan to Resurface a Pyramid in Granite Draws Heated Debate
- February 3, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Plan to Resurface a Pyramid in Granite Draws Heated Debate
Subject: History
Sec: Art and Culture
Context:
- A project to restore granite blocks that once covered a greater portion of the Pyramid of Menkaure in Giza has been criticized by some preservationists.
More on news:
- The initiative was announced by Mostafa Waziri, the secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, who called it “the project of the century” .
- The debate over the pyramid reflects a constant tension in the field of conservation: whether to try to return ancient structures to their earlier splendour or minimize intervention as much as possible.
About Pyramids:
- Almost every ancient culture and civilization, be it Mesopotamian, Chinese, Egyptian, or Mayan, has left a legacy of towering ancient pyramids.
- A pyramid is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular and converge to a point at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense.
- The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trilateral or quadrilateral.
- The Great Pyramid of Cholula, also known as Tlachihualtepetl is the biggest archaeological site of a pyramid (temple) in the New World.
- The Step Pyramid Of Djoser, a 4,700-year-old step pyramid in Egypt, built in the 27th century BC is the oldest pyramid on Earth.
- A specific count of pyramids across the world has not been done.
- Egypt, which is most renowned for its pyramids, has 118 pyramids.
- The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid and served as the tomb of pharaoh Khufu, who ruled during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom.
- The Great Pyramid was the world’s tallest human-made structure for more than 3,800 years.
- The Pyramid of Menkaure was built to house the tomb of King Menkaure, who ruled Egypt more than 4,000 years ago.
- It is the only one of the three main pyramids at Giza that was encased in multiple levels of Aswan granite, a red stone that comes from quarries more than 550 miles south of Giza.
Pyramids From Around The World To Witness
- Pyramid of Djoser – Saqqara, Egypt (2660 BCE)
- While there are over a hundred pyramids in Egypt, the Pyramid of Djoser is the oldest.
- Built by the Pharaoh Djoser (Zoser), this step pyramid predates those at Giza by more than a century. Before this, pharaohs’ tombs were flat-topped mounds.
- It was Djoser’s chief architect, Imhotep, who placed these mounds one on top of the other, creating the Pyramid of Djoser, the world’s first-step pyramid.
- Djoser was the first king of the Third Dynasty of Egypt.
- Pyramid of the Sun – Teotihuacan, Mexico (100 CE)
- The central Mexican city of Teotihuacan is an architectural marvel, filled with intricate structures and massive step pyramids.
- The most impressive of these is the 240-foot-tall Pyramid of the Sun, constructed in five layers.
- It is located along a central Avenue of the Dead which also connects it to a smaller Pyramid of the Moon. The material used to construct this awe-inspiring structure was hewed tezontle, a red coarse volcanic rock of the region.
- On the west side of the pyramid, there are 248 uneven stair steps that lead to the top of the structure.
- El Castillo – Yucatan, Mexico (1000 CE)
- One of the most spectacular Mayan temples, the 98-foot-tall Chichen Itza pyramid nicknamed El Castillo, or the Temple of Kukulcan, has special astronomical significance.
- Each of its faces has 91 steps, which, when combined with the shared step at the top, make 365 steps, one for each day of the year.
- This massive structure is situated near the small town of Piste and you can get there by bus from the airports of Mérida and Cancun or other Mexican cities.
- A fascinating feature of this pyramid is that during the spring and autumn equinoxes, light and shadow form a series of triangles on the side of the north staircase.
- Prang Temple – Koh Ker, Cambodia (940 CE)
- Ancient Khmer Pyramid, Koh Ker Temple near Siem Reap town, Cambodia
- Once the ancient capital of Cambodia, Koh Ker was home to almost 100 temples, most of which are still standing.
- Among the structures and pyramids built under the reign of Jayavarman IV, this seven‑tiered and 118-foot-tall pyramid is truly unparalleled.
- However, very few of its beautiful sculptures are left at the site, having either been looted over the years, or placed in museums by the government.
- Koh Ker is an offbeat destination that not many tourists are aware of.
- The temple complex was once ridden with landmines and has only recently been open to the public. There are several temple ruins to explore in Koh Ker making it the perfect destination for history buffs.
- Pyramid of Khufu – Cairo, Egypt (2560 BCE)
- When most people think of Egyptian pyramids, the towering Pyramids of Giza probably come to mind.
- Of the three, it is the pyramid built for Pharaoh Khufu, known as the Great Pyramid, that was, for millennia the largest manmade structure in the world and still remains a popular site.
- It is also the only remaining wonder of the ancient world.
- This famous pyramid contains an estimated 2,300,000 blocks, some of which are upwards of 50 tons.
- Khufu’s pyramid is constructed of inner, rough-hewn, locally quarried core stones, which is what we can still see today.
- Borobudur Temple – Java, Indonesia (800 CE)
- Considered the world’s largest Buddhist temple, the nine stacked platforms of the Borobudur Temple may not be considered a traditional pyramid, but it is truly majestic.
- Constructed in the 9th century by the Sailendra Dynasty, its traditional Javanese Buddhist architecture shows the influences of Indian Gupta art.
- Tikal – Peten, Guatemala
- The Tikal ruins are the biggest attraction of Tikal National Park, which was established in the 1950s and designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.
- Tikal reached its artistic peak between 600 and 800 after which it suffered significant artistic deterioration.
- Tomb of the General – Ji’an, China (400 CE)
- Ziggurat of Ur – Iraq (2000 BCE)
- Tomb of Kashta – Meroe, Sudan (500 BCE)
- Borobudur Temple – Java, Indonesia (800 CE)
- Bent Pyramid – Dahshur, Egypt (2600 BCE)
- Pyramid of Cestius – Rome, Italy (12 BCE)
- Sukuh – Java, Indonesia (15th century CE)