We can easily say that Egypt’s great pyramids of Giza, built about 4,500 years ago, are one of the world’s greatest achievements. However, among the many questions and mysteries surrounding the pyramids is the question of how the giant stone blocks used in their construction were pulled onto the construction site. Apparently, we can thank a long-dry tributary of the Nile for this feat.
When we imagine the pyramids of Giza today, we think of them as surrounded by a vast desert behind which the metropolis of Greater Cairo sprawled. The main body of the Nile is currently about 8 kilometers away, which is quite a distance to transport huge stones on the sand.
LOST ARM OF THE NIL…
But more than 4,000 years ago, a now-defunct branch of the Nile known as the Khufu branch passed right by the Giza pyramid complex, according to one study. The Khufu branch of the Nile was long suspected to be a vital vein of ancient Egypt, but its history was not fully known. Now there is new information…
‘IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT THIS ARM OF THE NIL’
Located on the outskirts of modern Cairo, the pyramids at Giza had perfect geometry and were meant to show the power of the pharaohs in Egypt’s golden age. There are 3 pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza in the region.
Khufu’s pyramid, known as the Great Pyramid, was the first to be built and the largest. According to National Geographic, each block weighs between 2.5 and 15 tons.
The Nile is about 6.5 kilometers east of the pyramids. For this reason, the question of how these huge blocks were transported in the construction of the pyramids has been on the agenda of scientists and archaeologists for a long time.
“Without this branch of the Nile, it was impossible to build the pyramids here,” says study author and geographer Hader Sheesh, according to The New York Times.
According to information in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, a study by French researchers was able to obtain a detailed history of this river section from pollen grains removed from the floodplain.
By tracking the growth and death of more than 61 different plants along the flood plain, the researchers demonstrated the rise and fall of water levels in the tributaries of the river over 8,000 years of ancient Egyptian history.
Most importantly, the waters of the Khufu branch of the river have been shown to rise significantly during the African Humid Period, which stretched from 14,800 years ago to 5,500 years ago.
Also, the water levels of the Khufu tributary seem to have remained relatively high for a time after the African Humid Period, allowing the river to remain usable until the Great Pyramid of Giza, dedicated to pharaoh Khufu, was built about 4,500 years ago.
It even seems possible that for a certain period of time, this lost branch of the Nile may have reached the Great Sphinx of Giza, which stands proudly in front of the complex.
While it is clear that the building blocks of the Khufu branch of the Nile may have helped move the building blocks closer to the Giza pyramid complex, many other details regarding the construction of the pyramids are still being curiously explored.
A PApyrus WAS DISCOVERED IN 2013…
On the other hand, a papyrus discovered in 2013 showed the location of an ancient port near the Red Sea where stones were loaded, showing that the Egyptians knew how to move blocks along rivers.
Other excavations suggested that a port was built next to the pyramids, and that builders carved complex waterways near the port.
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