When most people mention Ancient Egypt the first thing that .
To construct such monuments required a .
mastery of art, architecture and social organization that few cultures .
would ever rival. The pyramids are said to have built Egypt by being .
the force that knit together the kingdom's economy. Their creations .
were so subeztial, that the sight of these vast pyramids would take .
your breath away. Today, the valley of the Nile has an open air .
museum so people can witness these grand monuments. .
Obsessed with the afterlife, Egypt's rulers of 4,500 years ago .
glorified themselves in stone, thereby laying the foundation of the .
first great nation-state. A Pyramid is an enormous machine that helps .
the king go through the wall of the dead, achieve resurrection and .
live forever in the happiness of the gods. The start of the Old .
Kingdom is said to be the building of the Djoser's monument. The .
construction of Step Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser began around 2630 B.C. .
and was designed to awe the ancient Egyptians, to impress them with .
their rule's godlike strength. It was the world's first great .
construction project; indeed, it was the world's largest building.
Djoser, the second king of the 3rd dynasty, hired an architect .
called Imhoptep who for the first time constructed a tomb completely .
of stone. Imhoptep is considered the preeminent genius of the Old .
Kingdom. He assembled one workforce to quarry limestone at the cliff .
of Tura, across the Nile, another to haul the stone to the site where .
master carvers shaped each block and put it in place.
The Step Pyramid is a terraced structure rising in six unequal .
stages to a height of 60 meters, its base measuring 120 meters by 108 .
meters. The substructure has a system of underground corridors and .
rooms. Its main feature being a central shaft 25 meters deep and 8 .
meters wide. The step pyramid rises within a vast walled court 544 .