I have a feeling a lot of Wikimapia and Google Earth users have visited the Egyptian Pyramids before, but I still think they are interesting and I am sure there are still many that haven’t seen them. I have also added a more modern version of the pyramids at the end of the post. (Images are clickable for larger versions.)
The Egyptian city of Cairo is in the northeast (upper right) corner of this image with the Giza pyramid complex residing in the southwestern (lower left) outskirts.
Zooming in closer shows the layout of the Giza pyramids. The Pyramid of Khafre is the large pyramid in the center square. The Pyramid of Khufu is the large pyramid in the upper right. The smaller pyramid in the lower left is the Pyramid of Menkaure.
Here we have a closeup shot of the Pyramid of Khufu or the Great Pyramid. It was completed sometime around the year 2560 BC and stands some 481ft/146m high although has lost about 30 feet due to erosion.
No, this isn’t a pyramid. This is the Great Sphinx of Giza, one of the largest single-stone statues on Earth. It resides in the east side of the Giza pyramid complex.
Wikipedia has a cool map of the area as well. Visit the Giza Pyramid Complex at Wikimapia.
Now I bring you to a modern day marvel: the pyramid of the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas seems to be a bit more crowded than Giza!
As we zoom closer in, the distinctive pyramid shape can be seen. While modern, this 350ft (106m) tall pyramid still isn’t as tall as Giza’s Great Pyramid. Like the pyramids in antiquity, a sphinx welcomes in visitors (can be seen on the east side of the pyramid).
The closeup image clearly reveals that this modern construction wasn’t made with back-breaking stones, but with steel and glass. Reflection from the surrounding buildings can be made out from this altitude. This pyramid contains an extremely bright spot light that points directly up from its peak. The sphinx, while white-washed, can be clearly seen as well at the eastern entrance.
Visit the Luxor Hotel at Wikimapia. So there you have two quite different versions of our world’s pyramids. Enjoy!
cocoricamo wrote:
i remember when google earth *just* came out; the pyramids were the first thing i went to go “see”. now if i could only get there in the flesh!
have you seen this googlemap/geoIQ mashup? it tracks heat patterns from traffic and can compare locations side-by-side http://blog.fortiusone.com/2006/10/11/heat-maps-for-google-maps-aka-geoiq-mashup
Posted 12 Oct 2006 at 6:09 am ¶
Matt Jones wrote:
I agree! I have to live vicariously through Google Earth and Wikimapia! Hopefully someday they will be visited!
The geolQ looks like a VERY impressive mashup. It aims to be quite useful I think. You should point it out to the folks over at Google Maps Mania because they always seem to be the leaders in Google Maps mashups. Thanks for pointing it out! Any ideas when it will be released?
Posted 12 Oct 2006 at 10:36 am ¶
f1chris wrote:
Just FYI — some additional mashups and a more polished version of the original one, along with the first release of the GeoIQ API have been released!
You can get all the info and sign up for a key on the GeoIQ website — http://www.geoiq.com
As a bit of an egyptology enthusiast myself, I’d be thrilled if there was some way to work some of that in with GeoIQ (although the exact form that would take escapes me at the moment).
Posted 10 Nov 2006 at 9:36 am ¶
Matt Jones wrote:
Looks very cool! You might want to contact the guys over at Wikimapia and see if they have any thoughts!
Posted 15 Nov 2006 at 1:18 am ¶