Riddle of the pyramids
Al Ahram Weekly (Assam Deif)
Speaking of Egypt, it is the Pyramids that spring to mind. Their grandeur, their mystery and their architecture have caused more debate than any other structure on Earth. Since the time of Herodotus geographers and historians have tried to solve their riddles. The Great Pyramid of Khufu, in particular, has a design so striking that some thought only a deity could have created it. No wonder it was listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Despite their size, the precise number of pyramids in Egypt remains unknown. Pyramidal structures that were demolished or hidden under the sand are constantly being found, and Egyptologists now put their number at about 100. There are thought to be some 28 pyramid complexes dating from the third to the sixth dynasties, all standing along a narrow stretch of the desert from Abu Ruwash south to Meidum. No two of them, whether from their external appearance or their internal system, are alike.
One can divide the pyramids of Egypt into geographical groups. Ten groups are at the ancient city of Memphis. Others are at Abu Ruwash, the Giza Plateau, Abu Sir, Saqqara, Dahshour (in which lie the two pyramids of Sneferu, Khufu's father and founder of the Fourth Dynasty) and finally Meidum, which probably also belonged to Sneferu although its construction began in the reign of his father, Huni. A further few pyramids are found in Upper Egypt.
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