For millennia, Egypt’s mighty pyramids have acted as emblems of the vibrant ancient civilisation that once straddled the Nile Valley. From mysteries surrounding their design and construction and the discovery of new passageways, to the enigma of the Great Sphinx, the pyramids continue to fascinate the world.
Egypt is in Africa, north east Africa. Of course Egyptians built Egypt! The local people built the ancient Egyptian civilisation that emerged about 5,000 years ago. What is there to discuss?
There are some fascinating things that make Egypt special, for one its unique proximity to Asia, this being the only possible route archaic people had to walk to a different continent. For thousands of years, it was the gateway to the east, and there is now considerable genetic evidence for the two-way movements of people across this land over many millennia. The ethnic origin of the ancient Egyptians is still hotly contested.
The Bent Pyramid at Dahshur was built during the end of 27th century BC by Sneferu, the father of Khufu, who built the Great Pyramid at Giza. It is an important stepping stone in the development of pyramid construction. Sneferu built more than one pyramid at Dashur, but the Bent Pyramid was the first. This was the second attempt by Sneferu to build a smooth-sided true pyramid.
It is believed that the first attempt, at Meidum in Fayoum, collapsed during construction. This second attempt was also plagued by engineering issues, although it was eventually completed. Sneferu’s builders were still learning and planned to built the huge structure with a steep inclination 54 degrees on each side. This proved unstable and caused them to abruptly change the plan in the middle of construction.
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The Bent Pyramid gets its name from the fact that the angle of its sides shifts suddenly about one-third of the way up from 54 degrees to the more gentle slope of 43 degrees. For this reason, the Bent Pyramid is considered a transitional pyramid, rather than a true pyramid. Despite this engineering mistake, the Bent Pyramid remains an impressive site. It is 332 feet tall and it is unique among all of the pyramids in Egypt in that much of its limestone casing remains intact so that visitors can get an impression of what all of the pyramids were intended to look like before these outer stones fell off or were taken for other construction projects.
The Bent Pyramid in Dahshur, Egypt, showcasing its unique shape.
Location and Values: The Medina of Marrakech is located in the shadow of the high Atlas Mountains of central Morocco, about 250 km south of Casablanca. It was founded in the early years of the Almoravid dynasty, around 1062-70 with the first 7km circuit of walls built in 1126-27 to replace an earlier stockade of thorn bushes. It enjoyed a ‘golden age’ later in the 12th century, under the Almohad dynasty (1145-1250) when the famous Koutoubia Minaret was built.
Yto Barrada is a multimedia visual artist known for her investigations of cultural phenomena and historical narratives.
How acrobats inspired Yto Barrada's sculptures you can climb
A two-year commission that continues MoMA PS1’s history of inviting artists to respond to its unique campus, Le Grand Soir is 53-year-old Barrada’s first major outdoor work. Admission to MoMA PS1 is free for New Yorkers. Outlanders pay $10 with 50 percent discounts for seniors and students.
Le Grand Soir also finds inspiration in Barrada’s personal history. In 1963, her father was condemned to death for his political activism in Morocco. “I am thrilled to be presenting my first large-scale outdoor sculpture in the courtyard at MoMA PS1,” she stated. “We increasingly live in a world of walls, the ones built by the powerful to exclude or contain. As someone who has long researched strategies of resistance, I have centered this project on another form: the pyramid, which instead of walls offers steps, games, secrets, and possibilities.
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Barrada’s work has been exhibited around the world, including at The Museum of Modern Art (NYC), The Renaissance Society (Chicago), Haus der Kunst (Munich), and Whitechapel Gallery (London). In 2006, she co-founded Cinémathèque de Tanger, one of North Africa’s first art house cinemas.
Read also: Unraveling Pyramid Mysteries
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