Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza is a huge pyramid built by the Ancient Egyptians over 4,500 years ago. It stands 18.4 km from Cairo, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain mostly intact.

When it was built, the Great Pyramid was 146.5 metres (481 feet) tall. It was the tallest building in the world for over 3,800 years.  Erosion and other causes have shrunk it to 138.8 metres (455.4 feet).

 Construction 
The pyramid was built for Khufu, an Egyptian pharaoh, perhaps by Khufu's vizier Hemiunu.Shaw, Ian 2003. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press, p89.  Experts believe it took about 20 years to build and was completed between 2700 and 2500 BC.

There have been many different theories to explain how the pyramid was built. Most accepted building ideas are based on the idea of moving huge stones from a quarry and dragging and lifting them into place.  Archaeologists found that the Pyramids of Giza were not built by slaves, but workers who were paid for working. Their graves were found near the pyramid in 1990.

When it was built, the Great Pyramid was covered by white stones that formed a smooth outer surface. Some of these stones can still be seen around the base. However, most of the visible pyramid today is its basic core 2,300,000 blocks of limestone and granite. 

 Inside the pyramid 
There are three known rooms, or chambers, inside the Great Pyramid. The lowest chamber is cut into the rock on which the pyramid was built. This chamber was not finished. 

The other two chambers are higher up inside the pyramid. They are called the Queen's Chamber and the King's Chamber, but these are modern labels - historians do not know how the Egyptians planned to use them.John Romer, in his The Great Pyramid: Ancient Egypt Revisited notes "By themselves, of course, none of these modern labels define the ancient purposes of the architecture they describe." p. 8 

The Great Pyramid has two passages, one leading up, and the other down. It is the only Egyptian pyramid to have two passages.

 The Giza Necropolis 
The Great Pyramid is part of a group of buildings called the Giza Necropolis. The Necropolis includes two mortuary temples in honour of Khufu. One is close to the pyramid and one near the Nile. There are also three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives. 

Other buildings in the Necropolis include an even smaller "satellite" pyramid, and a raised causeway which joins the two temples. There are also other tombs, called mastaba, probably for other important people.

 References 

 Other websites 
 Great Pyramid of Giza -Citizendium

Category:Pyramids
Category:Archaeological sites in Egypt
Category:Giza
Category:Buildings and structures in Ancient Egypt
Category:3rd millennium BC buildings and structures