Giant Pyramid Capable Of Housing One Million People To Be Built In Dubai
Posted on September 9, 2008 by Michael Difensore	Leave a comment
english.pravda.ru
Ancient civilizations, the Maya and Ancient Egypt, are known for their incredible art of architecture. The ancient people could never imagine that the form of their pyramids would be used as a model for the latest ecology-friendly construction that will become another decoration of Dubai, InFuture.ru reports.
Timlinks, which develops environmentally safe projects, has recently published several stunning images of a giant pyramid titled Ziggurat. The company also posted the information regarding the plans to officially open the pyramid during the Cityscape Dubai exhibition which is slated to take place on October 6-9 this year. The giant pyramid will be built on 2.3 square kilometers of land and will be capable of housing up to one million people.
Timlinks said that their Ziggurat would not be dependent on the energy system due to the use of steam, wind and other natural resources. The building will also be distinctive for its highly efficient transport communication system that will operate both vertically and horizontally. In addition, the company plans to use private green zones for agricultural purposes.
Specialists of the International Environment Institute said that the technologies used at Ziggurat would make it a viable center. Timlinks has already patented the construction and the technology that were developed for the project. Several European professors will attend Cityscape Dubai to explain how an object like Ziggurat can be used in bigger projects, which probably means that the giant pyramid will not be the only construction of such kind in the world.
A ziggurat was a temple tower of the ancient Mesopotamian valley and Iran, having the form of a terraced pyramid of successively receding stories or levels. Some modern buildings with a step pyramid shape have also been termed ziggurats.
Ziggurats were important to the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians of ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest examples of the ziggurat were simple raised platforms that date from the Ubaid period during the fourth millennium BC, and the latest date from the 6th century BC. The top of the ziggurat was flat, unlike many pyramids. The step pyramid style began near the end of the Early Dynastic Period. Built in receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval, or square platform, the ziggurat was a pyramidal structure. Sun-baked bricks made up the core of the ziggurat with facings of fired bricks on the outside. The facings were often glazed in different colors and may have had astrological significance. The number of tiers ranged from two to seven, with a shrine or temple at the summit. Access to the shrine was provided by a series of ramps on one side of the ziggurat or by a spiral ramp from base to summit. Notable examples of this structure include the Great Ziggurat of Ur and Khorsabad in Mesopotamia.
The ziggurats had no internal chambers. They were almost always square or rectangular, where one side was typically more than 170 feet (50 meters) long.
The Mesopotamian ziggurats were not places for public worship or ceremonies. They were believed to be dwelling places for the gods. Through the ziggurat, the gods could be close to mankind, and each city had its own patron god. Only priests were permitted on the ziggurat or in the rooms at its base, and it was their responsibility to care for the gods and attend to their needs. The priests were very powerful members of Sumerian society.