Mystery of the Great Pyramid
The theories of French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin may hold the key to an ancient mystery
Although Egyptologists have been studying the Great Pyramid of Khufu for centuries, they haven’t yet reached a consensus on how exactly it was built. How were the massive two-tonne blocks placed almost 150 metres above the desert floor? A French architect named Jean-Pierre Houdin has formed a theory to explain the mystery. Houdin has devoted his time to studying the Great Pyramid and creating graphical models using 3D software.
Jean-Pierre Houdin demonstrates his theory
Houdin believes that an external ramp was built to haul the rocks - pulled by means of ropes - for the first 60 metres or so of the pyramid. Then an internal ramp was built to continue hauling rocks up. It is a narrow structure spiralling inside the pyramid, much like the ramps in a parking garage. To allow for men to haul the stones, the ramp is at a seven per cent slope. Somehow it has remained hidden inside the pyramid since its completion 4,500 years ago.