The pyramid itself isn't particularly large, especially when contrasted to the gigantic Louvre Palace, which contains the museum (and yes, it's quite massive!). The pyramid is 21.6 meters (71 feet) tall, and its square base has 34 meters (112 feet) long sides, implying that the base occupies around 1,000 square meters (11,000 square feet). That's less than half a hectare - or about 20 percent of the size of a soccer field! - so there's no need for concern over damage to the environment.
The base of the pyramid was originally coated in white limestone, but over time this has been worn away due to traffic on its surrounding streets. Today, the blacktop surface beneath shows through, especially where there have been repairs done to existing roads.
The pyramid was built as a tomb for King Khufu (also known as Cheops), his wife Queen Henutsen, and their son Prince Thutmose. It was designed by King Khufu, who also ordered the construction of the Great Wall of China. The king died before he could enjoy success or failure because of his great building projects, but what we know about him from other sources is that he was a fairly large-minded man who wanted to leave his country with some important things accomplished after his death. His successors completed the project, adding their own decorations until the design of the monument was finished around 2455 BC.
It is far too large for the Louvre. One of the weirdest facts about the Louvre Pyramid is that it grew much too little to serve as a fitting entrance to the world's largest museum. It was initially designed for a museum that would get 4 to 5 million visitors each year. But in fact it has been visited by only about 7 million people since its opening in 1995.
The pyramid was meant to accommodate growth within the museum sector. At the time of its construction, there were already plans for another larger version of the Louvre Pyramid on the site of today's Tuileries Garden. This second pyramid was supposed to hold 2 million objects - a quarter of all those now held by the Louvre. In fact, it has never been filled beyond the first few floors because security concerns brought development to a halt. Now the location of this unfinished pyramid has become part of a new public park called the Parc du Louvre.
In addition to these two pyramids, the Louvre had also planned to build several other museums inside the complex. But financial difficulties caused the closure of some of these projects, including one that was going to hold the European Museum of Modern Art. Although the Louvre Museum remains by far the most visited attraction in France (with more than 8 million visitors annually), it does not generate enough revenue to cover its costs.
The Quetzalcoatl Pyramid in Cholula de Rivadavia, 101 kilometers (63 miles) south-east of Mexico City, is the biggest pyramid and the greatest monument ever built. It is 54 meters (177 feet) tall and has a base area of about 18.2 hectares (45 acres). Its entire volume is expected to be 3.3 million m3.. " - Wikipedia.
The pyramids were created between 250 BC and AD 150 by the ancient Egyptians. The word "pyramid" comes from the Greek pyr "pear" + mid "middle". According to myth, King Midas made his own tomb around this time and it consisted only of a large pear tree outside his palace gate. As soon as anyone touched the tree, it turned them into slaves or beggars.
Why did the Egyptians build such huge monuments? Were they trying to show off their wealth and power?
No, the Egyptians didn't build these monuments to show off their wealth and power. They built them as places for the dead. When the Egyptians died, they weren't buried in small family tombs with some bones tossed in a hole in the ground. They wanted something that would last forever, so they built huge pyramids as their final resting place.
Also, don't think that just because someone lived a long time ago, that means they were rich. In fact, most people back then were really poor. The only way for someone to become rich was through power.
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