European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 21, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Ancient Egypt 1 ,111 Quot Quot t a. ? it Quot if. To a a v / t it Ltd w i it i  a a its a a a # v a a / a a f f of v at in a a 4 it it 4 Ita a a v by Craig Martin staff writer looming Over the outskirts of Cairo Are the Best known features of Egypt. Nine Miles Southwest of the capital lies the City of Giza and the great pyramids that represent three generations of pharaonic Rule from 2575 to 2465 . The great pyramids of Khufu Cheop Shafra Chep fourth dynasty and were the final phase of Pyramid pyramids Over is dead nobility construction in Egypt popular photographs of these structures Lead one to believe they Are located in the Middle of nowhere but actually they Are on the left Bank of the Nile River. One can stand with one foot on the Fertile land of the Delta the other foot in the Barren desert and the pyramids will be a few Hundred feet away. Funerary temples were constructed on the East Side of each Pyramid and their entrances were always at the North facing the North Star where the Paradise of Good spirits exists. Orientation was very important to the ancient egyptians. The East signified rebirth while the West signified the Empire of the dead. In the East Side of each Pyramid is a chamber for the statue of the deceased King. In the West Side is a chamber designated for die sarcophagus. The pyramids Are structures of purely religious significance designed to enable the divine King to live on in the afterword and promote the Well being of his people. Thus workers Felt it a religious duty to undertake the building of a Pyramid rather than a task for slaves. All of the ancient egyptians pyramids Are oriented on the four Cardinal Points and were built with great. Precision. These timeless structures were made before the invention of the wheel Iron tools and pulleys so building them was a painstaking process. Builders used Diorite hammers quartzite blocks for smoothing arid polishing Flint drills and axes and saws of hardened Copper. The stones were floated up the Nile and moved to the a amps photos by Ken George 12 stripes Magazine january 21, 1993