Science & Tech

The world's tenth biggest pyramid is in Tennessee - and it's a shop

The world's tenth biggest pyramid is in Tennessee - and it's a shop
Long-Lost Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Building Tech May Have Just Been Unearthed
ZMG - Amaze Lab / VideoElephant

A huge pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee is, by some measurements, the 10th biggest of its kind on Earth.

The Memphis Pyramid is said to be a two-thirds replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza and is now home to the biggest outdoor recreation store on the planet as Bass Pro Shops has a megastore there.

It's 98m high and has base sides measuring 180m.

The structure first opened in 1991 as a 20,000-seater stadium but has not been used as a sports or entertainment venue since 2007.

It was then completely transformed and reopened in 2015; it is now home to the massive Bass Pro Shops store and also has a hotel, restaurants, activities such as a bowling alley and archery range and an outdoor observation deck.

The Pyramid also has the tallest free-standing lift in America.

Ducks Unlimited has a museum inside the building too.

Bass Pro Shops at the Memphis Pyramid in MemphisThe Memphis Pyramid, now home to a Bass Pro Shops megastore, is the 10th largest pyramid in the world / Trev0B, CC BY-SA 4.0

When it was still in use as a sports venue, the pyramid was the home court for the University of Memphis men's basketball team in 1991 and later for Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA.

Both teams left in 2004 though to relocate to the FedExForum.

The Pyramid was also home to Memphis Pharaohs of the Arena Football League for a couple of seasons in the mid 1990s.

It also hosted some huge boxing matches too.

Lennox Lewis beat Mike Tyson there in 2002 before Tyson beat Clifford Etienne by knockout in the first round of their fight a year later.

A number of huge music acts such as Rolling Stones, Mary J Blige and Phish have played at the venue as well.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Conversation (0)
x