History and Facts About Egypt

FACTS ABOUT EGYPT
Official Name: Arab Republic of Egypt
Capital: Cairo
Population:81.7 million Area: 997,739 sq. km
Currency: Egyptian Pound Some important numbers you should know:
Indian Embassy: 2736 3051/735 6053
Police: 122
Ambulance: 123
Tourist Police: 126
International dialing code: +202 .

History of the pyramid
It is impossible to write the history of Egypt in one paragraph. It would take pages and people write books on Egypt’s rich history. Instead, it would be wiser to discuss about the greatest monuments, which remind us of the pharoanic era: the pyramids. In the beginning, the commoners were buried in desert sand, while the elite were buried in tombs. Around 3100 BC, mud bricks began to replace the mound of sand that was heaped over tombs. They were called mastabas. Later stone replaced mud bricks ,and levels were added to form a step pyramid. The first step pyramid was built by Djoser, and it is still standing today. Some historians interpret the step shape as a ‘stairway to heaven’. Later King Snefru tried to build a straight sided pyramid, but he was not successful on his first go. The medium pyramid, built by King Snefru was the first attempt at the straight sided pyramid. Unfortunately the outer layer blocks were unstable and the blocks slide away giving the pyramid a square-like appearance. Snefru also built two pyramids in Dashur. The first one which was designed had an inclination of 54 degrees. Later during construction it was realized that the pyramid had stability problems. So the remaining part of the pyramid was built at a 43 degree inclination, giving the pyramid a bent-like shape. The second pyramid is called the Red pyramid. It was the first successful pyramid, as we know it today. However the most well known pyramid is in Giza and was built by King Cheops and is known as the great pyramid. It is the only remaining wonder of the ancient world and stands proudly as a reminder to all Egyptians of their great rich history and culture.