The great Pyramids at Giza -- the only remaining wonder of the ancient world -- are a testimony to the engineering excellence of those times, excellence that even today is not easy to replicate.

Each block of stone, weighing not less than two tonnes was brought from Aswan, 1,000 km away. Nobody knows how the Egyptians moved those stones to the place where the Pyramids stand so majestically today. But historians believe they might have used sledges which would have signalled the start of the age of machines.

Image: The Pyramids are located 25 km from Cairo in the town of Giza. They are situated on the edge of one of the largest metropolises of Africa and according to online encyclopedia Wikipedia.com, contrary to popular perception, they are virtually part of this urban area and KFCs and Pizza Huts are just a stone's throw away.

Text and photographs: Ujjal Bhattacharya.
Rediff reader Ujjal Bhattacharya works as an IT systems and database architect in Kuwait.

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