Everything in Ancient Egypt was bigger than life — much bigger than life – -their pyramids, their temples, their statues, and their columns. How the Egyptians, so many years ago, were able to build monuments of that size is still a matter of discussion.

Since these structures were erected without the technology we have today, it is even more surprising that they used stones of colossal proportions and weight. For example, for Khufu’s pyramid it has been calculated that 2,500,000 stones weighing between 6.5 to 10 tons each, with the smallest one weighing 1.3. tons, were used. It is hard to imagine how big that is, but when standing next to them and feeling like an insect, you know they are huge.

And it is not only their size that is surprising, it is also the way they were put together. Often it seems like nothing is holding them, yet they are firmly in place and have been so for thousand of years.

Both of these pictures were taken at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor – as you can see they are holding in place – hard to understand how, but they do.

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In Abydos one of the most ancient cities in Upper Egypt, is the Osirion Temple. It is believed that the head of Osiris, the god of the dead and the underworld, is buried here. This temple was built long before the Pyramids, and the stones they used are even bigger.

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Don’t be afraid to walk through the doorway seen below. It is the only thing left of one of the temples at Medina Habu. It has been there for many centuries and it is not going to fall down now. The stones used here are limestone and granite. The mountains you see beyond the doorway are part of the Valley of the Kings.

Why the Ancient Egyptians used stones of such colossal dimensions to build their temples and monuments is still a mystery. Could it be that cutting the stones smaller was more difficult than moving and lifting a 6 ton stone? We might never know. But even if one day we will find out, our admiration for their architectural achievements will never vanish.

More from Egypt soon

Brigitte