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Ancient Egypt Pyramids The Pyramids of Giza is the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world that is still standing. It has been standing since 2500 B. C.. The oldest and largest pyramid of Giza is the great pyramid of Khufu and it was 146 meters high and was built around 2570 B. C.. The pyramid is still about 135 meters tall today. The pyramid is built with approximately 2.3 million limestone blocks and each one weighs an average of 2.5 tons each. The pyramids are some of the largest structures ever built in the world. They have some of the most enduring symbols of Ancient Egyptian civilization. Most of them were built during the Old and Middle Kingdom eras. The first documented pyramid was said to have been built by the architect known as Imhotep. It was he who got the credit for planning the structure of the tomb of the pharaoh Djozer. He may also have been the one who came up with the idea to stack the mastabas (bench like structures where the dead were buried), on top of each other. This created an edifice which was comprised of a number of ‘steps’. These ‘steps’ decreased in size as they as it reached the peak. The pyramid called the Step Pyramid of Djozer was the result of this style of structure. This design was said to have been built so the deceased could descend the stairway to the heavens. The most famous pyramids were built, near Giza at this time, during the greatest degree of rule by the pharaohs. Later on the pyramids being built were much smaller in size, and they were also not built as strong and were built in haste which made them much less likely to last as long as those previously built. Years after the end of the building of pyramids in Egypt, there were pyramids built in what is known as Sudan today. This was during the rule of the Kings of Napata. This rule was brief and lasted until 661 B. C., and also during the Sudanese Kingdom of Meroe which was about 300 B. C. To 300 A. D.. After that there was a renewed interest in building pyramids and there was more than 200 royal tomb pyramids built in the area of the kingdom’s capital city. The shape of the pyramids is believed to represent how the people believed the earth was created. It was also thought that the suns rays descended this way so most of the pyramids were faced with polished, reflective limestone. The pyramids were often named for the solar luminescence. The Bent Pyramid was originally named The Southern Shining Pyramid. Other pyramids built were Sneferu, Djedefre, Khafre, Menkaure, Sahure, Neferirkare Kakai, Nyuserre Ini, Amenemhat I, Senusret I, and more.