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5,000 years of glory, the Great Pyramids.

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The longest river on Earth, the Nile,

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runs through the African continent.

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Ancient Egypt's civilization first developed along its banks

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about 5,000 years ago.

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Sixty or so pyramids have been discovered to date,

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half of them concentrated in the suburbs of Cairo.

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The largest is the Great Pyramid of Khufu,

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said to have been built around 4,500 years ago.

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Its three million stone blocks weigh two and a half tons each.

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It's 147 meters high, equivalent to a 40-story building.

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The stones are laid so precisely

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that not even a razor can be slipped between the joints.

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Inside the pyramid, the great gallery leads to the king's chamber.

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A stone coffin without a lid was discovered here,

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but not the mummy of the king.

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The five horizontal layers of space above the king's chamber

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are said to disperse the stone's enormous weight.

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Amazing engineering skill was used

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to join two large slabs of rocks together.

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The sand would eventually be drained out

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so the two pieces would seal together.

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Who built the monument?

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In the past, the work was thought to have been carried out by slaves,

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but evidence discovered in 1990 indicates that this was not the case.

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Burial grounds of laborers have been discovered.

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An attendance book was found

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which provided hints to the lives of ancient Egyptian workers.

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This person was absent due to a hangover.

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The workers were free to take leave,

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an indication they were not forced labor.

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The construction of these gigantic monuments

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gradually declined 500 years after the first pyramid was built.

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The decline has been linked to various factors,

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change in environment, lack of materials, and political instability.

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But it still remains a mystery.