Another great sight that we are visiting on our tour around Egypt is the construction of pyramids! You guys will be able to get up-close to the building site of the great Egyptian pyramids and learn about the hard work, precise calculations and materials required to build this monument.
The first step of building pyramids, is to find the perfect surface to build it on. Pyramids are usually built on a level surface, which is either made out of sand, rock, or gravel. Another key factor is that the pyramids had to be built as close to the Nile River as possible without getting wet during the floods. This is because the blocks used to build the pyramid are extremely heavy and are transported by barge to the pyramid-building site. Now before starting, the builders need to orient the position of the pyramids according to the stars. The north/south direction is based on the orientation of the North Star. The east/west direction is based on the equinox and shadows of the sun.
The most important part about building a pyramid, is getting the right material. If the material is too heavy, it will be too hard for the workers to carry. If the material is too light, the pyramid will fall apart. The Egyptians have come up with the perfect material to use - limestone. Each block weighs anywhere from one tone to a hundred tons.
The blocks are first loaded onto a barge, at the place where they are naturally located, and sailed downstream, where the barge will dock closest to the pyramid-building site. These blocks of limestone (sometimes granite) are hauled by the workers to the pyramid construction site. Once at the building site, workers use ramps to carry the heavy blocks up the pyramid to its correct location. Overall, a pyramid would take about 20-30 years to build.