When mentioning the Pyramids, people immediately think of Egypt with its rich history and culture. The shape of the Egyptian Pyramids is said to symbolize the primordial mound from which the Egyptians believed the Earth was created, as well as the rays of the Sun. To date, scientists have discovered 138 Pyramids in Egypt.

However, few people know that in Southeast Asia there is also a very special Pyramid. It is even considered the oldest Pyramid on Earth, but archaeologists have not yet been able to accurately identify it.

According to geologist Dr. Danny Hilman , an area in West Java (Indonesia) deserves more attention because there is an ancient temple there built between 9,000 and 20,000 years ago. That is Gunung Padang – evidence that a very large civilization was formed long ago but never really existed in current research.

Gunung Padang, whose name means “Mountain of Light” was first reported in 1914, is nestled among volcanoes, banana groves and tea gardens, at an alтιтude of 2,903ft (886m) above sea level and about 75 miles (120km) south of the capital Jakarta. According to researchers, Gunung Padang is the last pyramid in Southeast Asia and they speculate that, beneath the raised ground, there are countless chambers, shafts, overgrown trees, walls and surrounding areas covered with dense vegetation that have grown on the site over the centuries.

The steps are surrounded by stone walls, have 400 steps and are about 311ft (about 95m) high.

A drawing of the Gunung Padang monument.

The world’s oldest pyramid

The structure beneath the hill appears to be mᴀssive. Researchers estimate it is three times larger than Java’s famous Borobudur temple complex. But its purpose and whether there is an underground tomb remain a mystery.

What has puzzled scientists the most is the complexity of the Great Pyramid. It is believed that the site was occupied and rebuilt many times, as evidenced by its unique structural layers.

To date, official documents about Gunung Padang are still quite few and unclear.

The layer just below the surface of the present grᴀssy hill appears to have been built by a people who inhabited the area around 600 BC. But they were not the first to settle here.

The deeper we drill, the more puzzling this mystery becomes. Gunung Padang was initially determined to be at least 5,000 years old, then 10,000 years old, and finally 20,000 years old.

According to Live Science, the “heart” of the pyramid, the deepest layer, appears to have been built a long time ago, with the oldest parts dating back to around 25,000 BC.

If the carbon dating of this deepest section is accurate, then Gunung Padang not only “beats” other Pyramids in Egypt in age, it also predates the first recognized civilization in Mesopotamia.

Until now, official documents about Gunung Padang are still quite few and unclear. If this work is discovered, scientists may need to rewrite the history of the prehistoric period. At the same time, it will shed light on an extremely advanced but extremely mysterious ancient civilization.