Architectural and geotechnical aspects affecting earthquake resilience for the antique Egyptian Khufu pyramid

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The Great Pyramid of Khufu, completed during Egypt's Old Kingdom (2600-2450 BCE), exhibits the architectural expertise of ancient Pharaonic Egypt. To understand the structural longevity and earthquake resilience of this iconic monument, we carried out a comprehensive ambient noise survey employing horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) analysis at 37 measurement points distributed throughout the pyramid's internal chambers, construction blocks, and adjacent soil. Our analysis reveals several critical findings. First, the pyramid exhibits uniform fundamental frequencies (2.0-2.6 Hz) with an average of ~ 2.3 Hz across all structural elements, indicating exceptional homogeneity in dynamic characteristics. Second, this frequency band differs significantly from that of the surrounding soil (~ 0.6 Hz), preventing resonance amplification through soil-structure interaction-a key mechanism protecting the monument during seismic activity. Third, seismic relative amplification increases systematically with elevation up to 48.68 m, but diminishes substantially within the pressure-relieving chambers (48.86-61.07 m), demonstrating how their geometry actively reduces seismic response. Finally, seismic vulnerability assessment of the subsurface foundation yields a low value (kg = 8.2), confirming excellent bearing capacity and minimal earthquake-induced risk. The low seismic vulnerability index estimated for the foundation soils suggests that any future earthquakes are likely to produce only limited damage to the main pyramid body. These findings present compelling quantitative evidence that ancient Egyptian architects possessed profound geotechnical understanding, optimising structure design and site characterisation to assure millennial-scale stability against seismic hazards.

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