Profile of a Sacred Space: The Great Pyramid by Javelo Jones

General Description:
The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called the Pyramid of King Khufu, and in Greek Pyramid of Cheops, is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt, and is the first of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and is the last remaining the only surviving one substantially intact. The pyramid was built as a tomb for Fourth dynasty Egyptian King Khufu and it too over 20 years to complete, finishing around 2540 BC. The Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years, but was not the first, furthermore was not the first true pyramid. What makes this one significant is because of its architectural advancement and the effort needed to build it.

Architectural Design:
Similar to pyramids constructed after it, it encompasses all of the standard elements of the pyramid complex, though most have since disappeared. The finished pyramid included a superstructure and substructure and enclosed with a wall of Turah limestone, which surrounded a court paved in limestone. The casing stones, 144,000 in all, were so brilliant that they could literally be seen from the mountains of Israel hundreds of miles away. After the Great Pyramid was initially sealed, its original entrance was hidden and faced with smooth limestone and blended in so well with the surrounding casing it was invisible. The base covers over 13 acres with a volume of around 90,000,000 cubic feet. You could build 30 Empire State buildings with its masonry. It stands 454 feet high, equivalent to a modern 48-story building. Each of the four triangular sides slopes upward from the base at an angle of 51 degrees each side has an area of 5 1/2 acres. The joints between adjacent blocks fit together with optical precision and less than a fiftieth of an inch separates the blocks. The cement that was used goes against chemical analysis, and with all our modern science and engineering, we would not be able to duplicate the pyramid. The Great Pyramid is the only pyramid to contain both ascending and descending passages. There are three known chambers inside which are arranged centrally, on the vertical axis of the pyramid. After entering, an 18 meter corridor leads to a split, one way leads to the lowest and unfinished chamber, which is cut into the bedrock of the foundation. It is the largest of the three other passage leads to the Grand Gallery where it splits again. One tunnel leads to the Queen's Chamber, while the other intersects with the descending corridor. An antechamber leads from the Grand Gallery to the King's Chamber.

Harmony with Nature:

While being the oldest structure on the face of the earth, the Great Pyramid is the most accurately oriented, being laid out almost exactly due north, south, east, and west. It is built to face true North. The Pyramid is located at the exact center of the Earth's land mass. That is, its East-West axis corresponds to the longest land parallel across the Earth, passing through Africa, Asia, and America and the longest land meridian on Earth, through Asia, Africa, Europa, and Antarctica, passes right through the Pyramid. Since the Earth has enough land area to provide 3 billion possible building sites for the Pyramid, the odds of it's having been built where it is are 1 in 3 billion.

Symbolism and Sacred Object:

A quote by William Fix in his book "Pyramid Odyssey" summarizes what many have thought and believe about the Great Pyramid as follows:

...men are capable of perceiving the Pyramid in an astonishing number of ways. Some have thought the Pyramid was an astronomic and astrological observatory. Some have thought it functioned as the equivalent of a theodolite for surveyers in ancient times... Some think it performed as a giant sundial... Some think it records the mathematics and science of a civilization which vanished... Some think it is a huge water pump. Others have thought it was filled with fabulous treasures... One early investigator came away convinced it was the remains of a huge volcano. Another thought the pyramids were Joseph's granaries. Some thought they were heathen idols wich should be destroyed. Some believe the Pyramid captures powerfule cosmic energies... Some think it is a tomb. Some think it is a Bible in stone with prophecies buld into the scheme of its internal passages... Some think it was a mammoth public works project which consolidated the position of the pharaoh and the unity of the nation. Some think it was built by beings from outer space. Some say it was a temple of initiation. Some hold that it was an instrument of science. Some believe it is an altar of Guild built through direct Divine Revelation. And today, judging by the uses to which it has been put, some apparently think it is an outhouse.

The Great Pyramid has an array of various geometric, geophysical, astronomical, numerical, and prophetic interpretations or coincedences made by explorers, authors, and visitors to the Great Pyramid over the last couple of centuries, such as the Great Pyramid having been used as a sundial, to the calculation of the speed of light, to the prediction of the exact dates of the birth of Adam, when the nation of Israel fled Egypt, and the life of Jesus. Some believe the existence of the Great Pyramid implies that God exists because achieving the pyramid's design with the characteristics it posseses would require one to change the size and shape of the earth, the alignment of the planets, and even components the solar system which would require power beyond human imagination.

Sources:

Great Pyramid of Giza Research Association: http://www.gizapyramid.com/index.html

Romer, John (2007). The Great Pyramid: Ancient Egypt Revisited. Cambridge University Press.
Winston, Alan. The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza in Egypt: An Introduction: http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/greatpyramid1.htm

The Great Pyramid Part One: The Ancient Mystery Unraveled: http://www.greatpyramid.org/aip/gr-pyr1.htm

Hunkler, Tim G, Symbolism and Coincedences of the Great Pyramid
http://www.hunkler.com/pyramids/pyramid_symbolism.html