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A couple from Istinka, a small village located 12
kilometres outside St Petersburg, Russia, have built a concrete replica
of the Great Pyramid of Giza right in their own backyard.
Measuring 9 meters above ground and 9 meters deep, and consisting of
about 400 tonnes of concrete blocks, the pyramid of Istinka is 19 times
smaller than the structure that inspired it – the Great Pyramid of Giza,
in Egypt. But, according to its owners, Andrey Vakhrushev and his wife
Victoria, apart from the size difference, the two imposing structured
are actually quite similar. The couple claim that attention to detail
was crucial for this project, adding that they spent years studying the
design of the Pyramid of Cheops and visited it many times just to get
everything right.
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“I was really striving to achieve exact sizes, up to one-centimetre
accuracy, on the right level, not with one or two-centimetre error, but
the exact size, perfect and nothing less,” Andrey said. “Of course, the
blocks we used are different, but this is still a monolithic structure,
we made careful calculations in terms of masonry, making it in a special
way so that it is as close (to the original) as possible.”
After calculating the exact size of their pyramid, Andrey and Victoria
spent a month looking for a construction crew willing to build it
according to their specifications. Many flat out refused, but they
finally found a contractor who actually thought the project was cool.
It’s not clear how long construction lasted, but the pyramid first
started making headlines in Russia back in March.
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While Euronews recently described the Pyramid of Istinka as an unusual
garden decoration for an eccentric couple, Russia media tells a very
different story. Apparently, the Vakhrushevs have made some pretty wild
claims about their pyramid, including that it can protect people from
harm and heal them.
For example, Nevsky News reports that Andrey Vakhrushev said that all
workers who suffered injuries during the construction process were
healed by the pyramid, and that none of the members of the construction
team was ever sick during the building process. In a conversation with a
correspondent of Nevsky News, Vakhrushev said that he and his wife began
to build a pyramid in order to save the Earth. According to Metro News,
Victoria said that their pyramid can boost immunity and protect from
coronavirus infection.
Those who would like to benefit from the healing and protective powers
of the pyramid will be able to book a stay inside it to meditate and
fill themselves with its energy. They’ll have to cough up between 3,500
($50) and 10,000 rubles ($140) a night to do it, though.
Whether you believe in the super powers of this Giza Pyramid replica or
not, if you can’t afford a trip to Egypt to see the original, you may
want to consider the Russian village of Istinka as an alternative. |