Visit 5 Pyramids Around the World

For thousands of years, people have marvelled at these mysterious monuments

By Google Arts & Culture

The Pyramids (1843) by MÜLLER, William JamesBristol Museums

Throughout history, human beings have developed diverse cultural ideas and practices. But there are some common threads uniting us. One example is the architectural form of the pyramid, used worldwide and throughout history by different cultures...

Pyramid - 38° Parallel (Mauro Staccioli 2010) The site chosen for the sculpture of Mauro Staccioli is a light high ground in the territory of Motta d’Affermo: an outpost on the sea , in front of the excavations of the ancient greek city of Halaesa, whose geographic coordinates touch exactly the thirtyeighth parallel. The artist's work translates the abstraction of terrestrial dimension in creative metaphysical perception, and seals the close bond of the work to the geography of the place, in perfect harmony with artistic poetry which has characterized the artist's creations since the sixties.The work, a titanic empty tetrahedron realized in corten steel partially sunk in the rocky ground, shows a long fissure along the western edge. This sign describes exactly its existence in the specificity of the place and in the cosmic space. Like an introvert light, conscious witness of the cyclical and irreversible passage of time, the pyramid capture the solar light through the fissure, recording in its geometric inside the luminous reflections from the zenith to the sunset. From the immortality concept well-known correlated to the pyramid of the Pharaoh, takes the place the concept of transitoriness, through which the artist celebrates the life in its incessant dream to be eternal. Pyramid - 38° Parallel (Mauro Staccioli 2010) The site chosen for the sculpture of Mauro Staccioli is a light high ground in the territory of Motta d’Affermo: an outpost on the sea , in front of the excavations of the ancient greek city of Halaesa, whose geographic coordinates touch exactly the thirtyeighth parallel. The artist's work translates the abstraction of terrestrial dimension in creative metaphysical perception, and seals the close bond of the work to the geography of the place, in perfect harmony with artistic poetry which has characterized the artist's creations since the sixties.The work, a titanic empty tetrahedron realized in corten steel partially sunk in the rocky ground, shows a long fissure along the western edge. This sign describes exactly its existence in the specificity of the place and in the cosmic space. Like an introvert light, conscious witness of the cyclical and irreversible passage of time, the pyramid capture the solar light through the fissure, recording in its geometric inside the luminous reflections from the zenith to the sunset. From the immortality concept well-known correlated to the pyramid of the Pharaoh, takes the place the concept of transitoriness, through which the artist celebrates the life in its incessant dream to be eternal.Fiumara d'arte/ Fondazione Antonio Presti - Energia Mediterranea di Antonio Di Palma

Pharaohs, Emperors, and other powerful figures from Cambodia to Egypt to Mexico spared no expense when it came to their tombs and memorials. Keep reading to visit five of the world's most stunning pyramids from home.

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1. Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt

There are over one hundred pyramids in Egypt, but this was the first. Previous pharoahs had been buried in mud brick mastabas, but, between 2630-2611BCE, Djoser's architect, Imhotep, designed a stone step-pyramid to outlast the ages.

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2. The Pyramids of Meroë, Sudan

Further upriver of the Nile were the ancient Kushite Kingdoms, sometime rivals and rulers of Egypt. These pyramids were built over hundreds of years, to house the bodies of over forty queens and kings.

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3. The Pyramid of Cestius, Italy

This mausoleum is a genuine ancient monument, though not quite as ancient as the Egyptian pyramids… It was built between 18-12BCE for Gaius Cestius, a Roman magistrate, who may have seen the pyramids of Nubia while on a military campaign.

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4. Chichen Itza, Mexico

There are many various historic structures at Chichen Itza, but the Temple of Kukulcan is the most famous. In its heyday, around 900CE, the temple and the surrounding buildings would have been painted in bright red, yellows, and purples.

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5. The Prang at Koh Ker, Cambodia

Koh Ker was an important city in the Khmer Empire, and between 928–944CE it became the capital. In this time, forty temples were constructed but the Prang was the most important. This 36m tall pyramid was probably the state temple King of Jayavarman IV.

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Bonus: The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt

It wouldn't be a list of pyramids without the crowning glory: the Great Pyramid, also known as Kufu's Pyramid. People have admired and studied this pyramid since the days of ancient Rome, but it still holds many mysteries

The Pyramids of GizaRAWI Publishing

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