Pyramids of Giza

Guide Note:

Located on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, the Pyramids of Giza were constructed over four millennia ago by the pharaohs of Egypt as burial tombs. The largest pyramid at the site, the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, is one of the original Seven Wonders of the World.

Fast Facts:

1. Located in Cairo, Egypt
2. Of the original Seven Wonders of the World it is the last one standing
3. Built over 4500 years ago
4. Major pyramids at site named after the Fourth Dynasty Kings Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure
5. Great Pyramid of Khufu took over 20 years to build
6. Four sides of Pyramid of Khufu oriented to four cardinal directions
7. Pyramid of Khufu was tallest manmade structure in world for 3,800 years, until 14th century

One of the most enduring mysteries of the pyramids is how they were constructed. The tallest of the pyramids, the Great Pyramid of Khufu, is over 450 feet tall, and for nearly four millennia was the tallest manmade structure on Earth. It was previously thought that pharaohs forced thousands of slaves to construct the massive edifices, but today, scholars believe the workers were paid based on excavations of worker's quarters near the pyramids. Whether the workers quarried the large stones from elsewhere, or poured them from a form of limestone concrete at the site, is a matter of debate.