in what is now Sudan. The pyramids are among
the most fascinating and monumental structures
ever built. The pyramids, as symbols, are a testa-
ment of the genius and craftsmanship of the
ancient Kemetians. Moreover, evidence inscribed
in the monuments demonstrates clear signs of
organizational structure and the skills of engineers
and laborers at their peak.
The Kemetic term for pyramid ismer, meaning
“light.” One can contrast this with the Greek
word pyramid, which means “wheat cake.” A
pyramid is a solid stone figure with a polygonal
base. Its sides come together to form the base, and
their triangular surfaces join once again to form a
common vertex. The decision to use pyramid
shapes may have occurred to Africans because of
the landscape of Upper Egypt, which has many
natural mountains that appear in the shape of
pyramids. The fact that they had stood for mil-
lions of years may have inspired the early builders.Of course, we do not know this for certain, but we
do know that their creations have become the
most magnificent examples of spiritual inspiration
in the ancient world.
In African religious traditions, rites of passage
and initiation ceremonies are part of daily life and
signify transformations such as birth, marriage, or
death, all of which are associated with a process
of shedding the old and welcoming the new.
The pyramids have actually been described as
sanctuaries for astronomical observations particu-
larly due to the precise alignment of the structures
with the four cardinal points and alignment with
various stars, significantly those of Orion. Of
course, no one knows for sure what many func-
tions the pyramids served for ancient Africans.
The Great Pyramid, a map as well as an initia-
tion chamber, is in precise alignment with the pro-
portions of the Earth and moon. Pyramids and
burial tombs have contrasting characteristics suchPyramids 551Two Egyptians lead three camels past the Great Pyramid at Giza.
Source: Mark Goddard/iStockphoto.