"Time laughs at all things, but the pyramids laugh at Time"

The pyramids of Egypt have fascinated people for thousands of years. The most famous pyramids are the three at Giza, near modern Cairo. But there are more than 80 other pyramids in Egypt, and another 100 further south in the Sudan. Each one is a tomb, built by a pharaoh (king) as the final resting place for his body. The pyramid was meant to help the dead pharaoh achieve eternal life. But we may never know why the Egyptians chose the pyramid shape. It may have developed from early burial mounds, or been a symbol of the sun’s rays or a stairway to heaven. Many centuries later, the people of Central America also built pyramids, mainly as temples. Hundreds of these are still hidden in the deep jungles.

Four and a half thousand years after the Great Pyramid rose on Egypt’s desert horizon, a different kind of pyramid is appearing on city skylines. Modern pyramids are not made of millions of tonnes of stone. It does not take thousands of workers to built them, and they represent big business, not the spiritual realm of the dead. There is something special about the pyramid shape that has inspired architects, artists, and designers throughout history.

Since 1935, the US one dollar bill has included a picture of a pyramid from the Great Seal of the United States. It represents permanence and strength. The all-seeing eye of god looks out from the pyramid’s summit. The Latin motto refers to the beginning of a new era after the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The 13 rows of bricks at the pyramid’s base stand for the 13 original states.