The Giza pyramids are but shadows of their former selves: centuries ago they could have radiated otherworldly light — photos, videos

The Giza pyramids are but shadows of their former selves. Centuries ago, they may have radiated an otherworldly light — as suggested by photos and videos. The three Giza pyramids are among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and to this day they are shrouded in puzzles and mysteries that seem unsolvable, whether concerning their construction or their exact purpose. It is certain that they represent outstanding achievements from roughly 4,500 years ago, during the Old Kingdom. In the years following their completion, however, they looked very different. They may have emitted a light so otherworldly that it astonished earthly travellers and perhaps even glinted into the heavens.

Even the first pyramid was built to an impressive scale

During the Fourth Dynasty, between 2570 and 2450 BCE, the Egyptian Old Kingdom was ruled by three pharaohs who decided to have monumental tombs erected at Giza, near the modern city of Cairo. The pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure (their Greek names) are today Egypt’s premier tourist attractions, drawing tens of millions of visitors each year. Far fewer people, however, have seen the oldest pyramid known to us, built at Saqqara about a hundred years before these rulers ascended the throne, by Pharaoh Djoser.

We know that the plans for this pyramid were revised several times. When it was finally completed, the structure rose about 60 metres above the ground, roughly the height of two ten-storey buildings stacked on top of each other. This single monument demonstrates how much Egyptian building techniques improved under the rule of a single pharaoh. The six-step pyramid’s base was made of smaller stones, and stoneworking at that time had not yet reached the level at which a stable, durable building could be produced by precise fitting alone. Consequently, an adhesive material was used. The materials were relatively low-quality limestone, except for the casing: by then, finely quarried Turah limestone was used, giving the structure a remarkable sheen and a kind of internal glow that would have created a staggering impression on contemporary onlookers.

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Pharaoh Khufu’s rule marked a peak for the Old Kingdom

These achievements were refined a century later by Pharaoh Khufu. The Old Kingdom, as we understand it today, reached its apex under his reign and those of his successors, which helps explain how Khufu was able to marshal sufficient financial and human resources to undertake the construction of such a monumental mausoleum. A man-made pyramid rising higher than Gellért Hill in Budapest, at over 146 metres tall, remains one of the wonders of the ancient world, although the details of its construction still raise many questions. Even today, it is accepted that it was not built by slaves, nor were the 40–50-tonne stone blocks transported along a Nile waterway (or a now-dried branch of the river) directly to the site.

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Khufu created something unparalleled, which continues to astonish travellers and researchers alike. If we could glimpse the area 4,500 years ago, our jaws would likely drop even further. Earlier visitors to the region would have seen a completely different sight from what we see today. As already noted with Pharaoh Djoser’s pyramid, the completed stepped pyramid was faced with smooth, white-calcined Turah limestone, cut to millimetre precision. The Turah quarry lies not far from present-day Cairo. This should not be confused with Tura in Pest County, where the Schossberger Castle was renovated in 2020 and can now be visited, among other attractions.

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Otherworldly light, especially after dark, from the Giza pyramids

The Turah limestone-clad pyramid would have emanated an otherworldly light and been visible from afar. By day, it would have flashed like a jewel, while at night the moonlight could have reflected off its surface to create an ethereal glow around it. For safety, a gold-covered pyramidion may also have crowned the top of Khufu’s pyramid, making the spectacle even more awe-inspiring. What happened to the Turah limestone blocks? Over the centuries, locals dispersed them: some were used as building material for mosques and palaces in Cairo, while others lie broken at the base of the pyramids.

Here is a video showing what it might have looked like in the past:

Khufu’s pyramid was followed by two more: Khafre’s pyramid stands only about three metres shorter, while Menkaure’s pyramid is 66.5 metres tall, completed around 2503 BCE by the penultimate ruler of the dynasty.

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Featured image: illustration. Source: depositphotos.com