How the Pyramids Became Ruined

Why did the pyramids lose their casing stones? The largest pyramids of Old Kingdom Egypt are stripped bare, with scant few white Tura casing stones remaining on the structures. Only the Bent Pyramid still retains a significant amount of its original cladding. This video examines the full history of casing stone damage to the 4th dynasty pyramids, and offers new insights into the complex story of how so many of the stones disappeared. Contrary to popular belief, many pyramids were not quarried directly and in fact the damage to them is only attributable to natural phenomena. This understanding reveals the underlying cause that continues to damage the Bent Pyramid casing stones today, and shows how urgent the work is to protect and preserve the last remaining physical evidence that can prove how the pyramids were constructed. -------------------- Tour the pyramids of Egypt with me this October 2026! https://adeptexpeditions.com/tours/eg... -------------------- Join this channel to get access to livestreams:    / @historyforgranite   -------------------- Thanks to the Isida Project for photos: https://isida-project.ucoz.com/ Thanks to the Glen Dash Foundation for images at the summit of the Great Pyramid    • Great Pyramid Climb   Quotation Sources: Flinders Petrie “Medum” London 1892 Pp. 4 Mark Lehner “The Pyramids: Solving the Mystery” Ep 4 Label News, 2018 Monica Hanna https://theworld.org/segments/2024/04... Mostafa Waziry https://www.itv.com/news/2024-01-30/e... John Greaves "Miscellaneous Works of Mr John Greaves: Pyramidographia; or Description of the Pyramids in Egypt" London, 1737, Pp. 148-149 George Sandys “Voyages en Egypt des annees 1611 et 1612” Pp 167. Benoit De Maillet "Description De L'Egypte, Contenant Plusieurs Remarques Curieuses Sur La Géographie Ancienne Et Moderne De Ce Pais..."The Hague, ISAAC BEAUREGARD, 1740 Pp. 284 Vincent Stochhove, Gilles Fermanel, Robert Fauvel "Le Voyage d'Italie et Dv Levant..." Chez Antoine Maurry, 1670 Pp. 427 Ellis Veryard "An Account of Divers Choice Remarks Taken in a Journey Through the Low-Countries... as also, A Voyage to the Levant..." London, St. Paul's Church, 1701 Pp. 297 Graphics Sources: https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsCont... https://www.egyptindependent.com/acti... https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-... Sébastien Léger live for Cercle at the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt    • Sébastien Léger live for Cercle at the Gre...   Glen Dash Archaeological Foundation: "Great Pyramid Climb" Corneille le Bruyn "A Voyage to the Levant: or Travels in the Principal Parts of Asia Minor, the Islands of Scio, Rhodes, Cyprus, & with An Account of the most Considerable Cities of Egypt, Syria and the Holy Land." London, Printed for Jacob Tonson, within Gray's Inn-Gate in Gray's Inn. Lane; and Thomas Bennet, at the Half-Moon in St. Paul's Church-Yard, 1702 Jean de Thevenot "The Travels of Monsieur de Thevenot into the Levant" London, St. Paul's Church, 1687 John & Morton Edgar “The Great Pyramid Passages” Bone & Hulley 1910. Ali El-Khouli "Meidum" The Australian Centre for Egyptology Reports 3. Aris & Phillips, Oxford, 1991 George B Johnson "The Pyramid of Meidum" KMT Magazine Volume 4 Number 2 Summer 1993 Richard Pococke "A description of the East, and some other countries..." W Bowyer, 1743 Giovanni Borra sketches 1750-1751 https://collections.britishart.yale.e... James Dawkins "Wood 5" Robert Wood (1751) https://sas-space.sas.ac.uk/9479/ John Shae Perring “Pyramids to the Southward of Gizeh: Part III.” London, 1842 Peter James "New Theory on Egypt's Collapsing Pyramids" Structure Magazine May 2013 Johann Helffrich "Kurtzer and Warhaftiger Report, Von der Reyß from Venice to Hierusalem, From Then in Egypt, to Mount Sinai, Alcair, Alexandria, and the following to Venice" 1579 Hans Jacob Breuning "Oriental Journey Of the Noble and Brave Hans Jacob Breuning,of and from Buochenbach... in Greece, Egypt, Arabia, Palestine, the Holy Land and Syria..." 1612 Peter Brand X: https://x.com/Andercot/status/2013503... https://x.com/PeterBrandEgypt/status/... https://x.com/PeterBrandEgypt/status/... PBS “Time Scanners” Season 2 Ep 3, Atlantic Productions Ltd., 2013 00:00 Introduction 02:20 Stepped Pyramid 05:09 Meidum Pyramid 10:38 Red Pyramid 13:47 Bent Pyramid 18:38 Great Pyramid 20:42 Menkaure Pyramid 26:08 Khafre Pyramid 30:56 Casing Stone Patterns