PERHAPS the most awe-inspiring and majestic structure built by man, the Great Pyramid at Giza, has been gazed at, studied and explored for centuries. No one knows how old it is, though many have tried the guessing game and even scientifically tried to explain its origin. But the mystery does live on.

Yours truly has already written much about the Great Pyramid in this column as in others, so we shall not dwell much on the same stuff we spoke about. Today we have an entirely new aspect to the whole subject - the missing capstone.

What might that be, some of you might ask? It is something that has made the entire saga or story appear in a different light. And looking into the mystery has yet opened another big box of yet more puzzles and exiting theories. So let’s begin our mystery or myth without delay.

It has long been assumed that the Great Pyramid at Giza, Egypt, had a top that is no longer there, which means though the pyramid looks like a perfect four-sided triangular structure, it is not absolutely pointed at the top like a triangle, but is flat at the top — at least 30 feet of flat walking space at the summit for people who have climbed to the top and measured it.

According to ancient tradition, the capstone or the top of the pyramid is added to the structure after it is almost completed just before the top. It is said to be the same shape but smaller to finish off the shape. And it is supposed to be the most important piece that gives the pyramid its actual purpose. There have been many speculations and assumptions through the ages as people have tried to understand what happened to the capstone of the Great Pyramid.

First of all, no one knows if there really was one. Yes, there are some who say that it was never there. But then, according to ancient knowledge and legends, if the capstone did not exist what was the exact purpose of building the huge monument that took so much effort and time?

Since the time of Christ, people who came to look at this huge monument stated, according to some records, that it was missing its capstone. And so, the question comes down from centuries because the ancient people knew that there was no purpose to it without the capstone. Also, it is believed that the capstone was either made of gold or covered by a layer of gold.

The reason? That too is an enigma. While mostly researchers believe it was to show the riches and glory of the pharaohs, others say there was another and more important purpose. The metal absorbed the sun’s energies and was used as the main part of the entire structure and made it work like turning the key to a machine. The whole pyramid was actually covered with polished limestone and with its golden capstone; it shone at night like a bright star on Earth, which would have been visible from space!

According to the Egyptian authorities, there seems to be no confusion to the matter. They claim that the Great Pyramid was built as a tomb for the pharaoh Cheops, some 2,500 years ago and the capstone was looted by thieves who also stole many other relics and treasures from the pyramids. But here, dear friends, is what we call the more interesting theory; that the Great Giza is much older, that it is not a tomb but a machine that was used for a much more higher and important purpose and that it was the capstone that turned it on. And here is the basis of that theory.

The pyramid has encoded information about the form and function of the universe. The reason it was made with the hardest of stones was because it needed to stand the test of time. There are no hieroglyphs or inscriptions inside the pyramid as thought previously. Just on the outside. It was built by an ancient civilisation that brought with itself the knowledge that had died with Atlantis. Which is the reason that even with today’s cutting edge scientific technology, it is not possible to build one this size and so precise. The length, base and diameter, all represent the geometric measurements of planet Earth. It’s circumference, diameter and surface area.

The imaginary numbers of the Greek Pi and Phi are both represented here. The inner rooms and chambers do not make sense in the “tomb” theory. In fact, the relation of the rooms to one another, the material used in their construction and the descending and ascending stairways tell another story. But what story? Researchers can only speculate.

So the Great Pyramid at Giza was a machine that cannot work without its capstone. But what did this machine do? That is a “13-acre, six-million tonne mystery”, according to experts.

Interestingly, the Egyptian government planned to top the Great Pyramid with a golden capstone as part of its turn of the millennium celebrations at Giza. All were excited and looked forward to the ceremony. Then suddenly, without any explanation, when the time came, the ministry involved cancelled its plan.

Why? Did someone warn them of the consequences of turning on the most advanced and oldest machine on the planet? Moreover, they might also have considered that there have been changes over the centuries. Electric lights and bulbs have been installed. Would that have altered or endangered the workings? They are not telling. But there is a certain form of energy still at the top as discovered by Sir Siemens, a British inventor who climbed to the top with his Arab guides many years ago.

He stood in the centre and spread out his hands and heard a kind of ringing noise. He wrapped a wet newspaper around a bottle and held it over his head. The bottle became charged with electricity and sparks started coming out. When he pointed it towards one of his guides, the man got shocked and fell to the ground. What is it capable of is a looming mystery. As large or even larger than the structure itself.