Pyramids of Giza

The only surviving wonder of the ancient world

The pyramids were built 4,500 years ago as tombs for pharaohs (kings of Egypt). The biggest — the Great Pyramid of Khufu — is made of 2.3 million stone blocks, each as heavy as a car! For 3,800 years it was the tallest building in the world. Next to it stands the Sphinx — a giant statue with a human head and a lion's body.

The Giza complex (2600–2500 BC) comprises the pyramids of the 4th-dynasty pharaohs Khufu (Cheops), Khafre and Menkaure, the Great Sphinx and temples. The Great Pyramid: originally 146.6 m (now 138.5 m), base 230 m, 2.3 million limestone and granite blocks (2.5 t on average), built in 20 years; its sides align to the cardinal points within 0.05°. It was built not by slaves but by paid workers — their village and bakeries have been found. It was originally cased in smooth white limestone that gleamed in the sun. Exactly how it was built (ramps, levers) is still not fully known. It is the only surviving one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. A UNESCO site (1979).

Fun facts

• The Great Pyramid was the world's tallest building for 3,800 years — until 1311!
• Its blocks could build a 3 m wall around all of France.
• The pyramids were already ancient in Cleopatra's time — she lived closer to us than to their builders.