Pyramids are large structures made of stone blocks. The pyramids have amazed many people over the years. Most pyramids held the dead and mummified bodies of the dead pharaoh and usually his servants. .
Before the time of Djoser, the tomb was a mastaba. A mastaba is a low rectangular structure that was built over a shaft that leaded to the burial location.
To learn about pyramids first you must know how they were built. Around 2,780 B.C., King Djoser's architect, Imhotep, built the first pyramid by placing stone rows on top of each other. Each is being smaller than the next. This pyramid was called a step pyramid. The step pyramid was the first major reported structure of stone. The first step pyramid was 140 meters long, 118 meters wide, and 60 meters high. Amazingly the Egyptian built the step pyramids so when you look north toward the pyramid, it looks like a stair way to heaven. The top of the pyramid is just below the Pole Star. This proves that the Egyptians had knowledge of the stars and math. Like the later pyramids, the step pyramid contained various rooms and passageways. .
The switch from a step pyramid to a real smooth sided pyramid took place during King Snefru rule. He built a pyramid going up 51 degrees. In the middle though he had to change to 41 degrees to add more support. That pyramid is called the bent pyramid. King Dahshur built a pyramid with its sides rising 43 degrees. This pyramid was not bent. The largest and most famous of all was "The Great Pyramid" built by the son of Snefru, Khufu. The pyramid he built is the largest pyramid in the world. The base is thirteen acres and the sides rose at an angle of 51 degrees. It stands now at 450-481 feet (147 meters). Inside all of the pyramids are airshafts that bring the light in at sunrise, noon, and sun set. The Great Pyramid was the tallest man made structure till the Empire State Building in the 20th century. .