The Giza Pyramids continue to make us wonder as much as they did 5,000 years ago. Considering how many things have been built and abandoned throughout human history, it’s remarkable that these structures continue to capture our imagination. The pyramids have played a starring role in everything thanks to their imposing size, precise construction, and eerie mystique.
The Great Pyramid of Giza (also known by the names of the Pyramid of Khufu or Cheops) is the last wonder of the ancient world left for us. Standing almost 481 feet tall and measuring 230 meters on each side, this massive pyramid was likely built as a tomb for fourth-century Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu.
There are lots of wonderful facts about the Giza pyramids, here we choose 13 fascinating facts about these pyramids that you should know.
The Giza Pyramids aren’t the oldest pyramids in the world!
Despite many people’s beliefs; the pyramids of Giza aren’t the oldest in the world. The Step Pyramid of Dsojer in Saqqara was built around 2630 BC. The great pyramids of Giza were built around 2560, 70 years after the Pyramid of Dsojer.
The Giza Pyramids are the symbol of death
The Giza pyramids aren’t the only pyramids of Egypt, there are other pyramids too but the Giza is the most important. All the pyramids of Egypt were built on the west bank of the river (one of the most important rivers in the world called the Nile). When the sun goes down there, the combination of sunset and pyramids reminds everyone of the realm of the dead. The sunset in the Giza pyramids is one of the stunning views that everyone should see at least once in her/his life.
Shrunk Over the Years!
The pyramids that you can see in Egypt today are shorter than the ones ancient Egyptians built. The Great Pyramid of Khufu, which was originally 481 feet high back then, is only 455 feet tall today. Also, Menkaure, the smallest pyramid, was 218 feet tall and now it shrank to 203 feet. We have the same story for the middle pyramid, The Pyramid of Khafre was once 471 feet tall but today it stands at 448 feet.
Why have the Giza pyramids shrunk?
The Giza pyramids are 4500 years old. During these years, nature has eroded the Giza pyramids and stripped the outer casing of it. As a result, the height of the pyramids shortened to its today’s height.
Over two million stone blocks
It’s hard to believe that in the ancient world a structure was made of over two million stone blocks. These blocks range from two to over fifty tons. Here we are facing one of the biggest mysteries of the world:
How did ancient people transfer these stone blocks?
With all the technology and knowledge our historians have today they still don’t know how ancient Egyptians built these pyramids. They estimate that over 100.000 people contributed to building the Giza pyramids. It’s interesting that archaeological think all the workers weren’t slaves and there were some paid workers among them too.
The Giza Pyramids were as shiny as the sun
The casing of the Giza pyramids was covered by glimmering limestone. The limestone was so polished that it reflected the sun’s rays and made the pyramids seem beautiful and shiny. Unfortunately, the erosion of the outer casing destroys the glimmering limestone and there isn’t any reflection in today’s pyramids.
Feel the good weather inside
The climate in Egypt is hot, dry, and dominated by desert. But, the temperature inside the pyramids remains the average temperature on earth.-20 C-
Why is it cooler inside the pyramids?
There was an air shaft connected to the King’s place like the air ventilation ducts we use today for controlling our buildings’ and offices’ temperature. When the air shafts were opened, cool air entered the King’s place.
Since then, King’s place has always had a constant good and chill temperature of 68 degrees, no matter how hot the outside was. It might be one of the first forms of air conditioning in history.
The Great Pyramid was built around coffer
Most people think first the pyramids were built and then they put the coffin inside them. But with a little attention to the passways of pyramids, you understand that the passways are too small for a big solid granite coffer to pass. The historians find only one explanation for it. First, they built the granite coffers and then started to build the pyramids around them.
The Giza Pyramids attract grave robbers
As you may know, the ancient kings and pharaohs were buried with their gold and jewelry. Over the years Giza pyramids like many other royal tombs have been attacked by grave robbers who hoped to find the ancient golds under the grounds and coffins.
They stole whatever seems valuable, even the toes or clothes of pharaohs. In the ancient world when the grave robbery happened the ancient Egyptians had to replace the stolen items.
The only existing heritage of the ancient world
The 7 wonders of the ancient world are magnificent structures which existed during classical antiquity. But, today all of them are destroyed except the Giza pyramids. These pyramids are the only thing from the ancient world that is left for us today.
It was the tallest human-made structure for 3,800 years
The pyramid stood as the highest man-made structure for 3,800 years until the 520-foot-tall Lincoln Cathedral in England was finished in 1300 CE (160 m). The pyramid measures 754 feet (230 m) in diameter at its base and stands 479 feet (146 m) tall.
You can see the modernity in the Giza Pyramids
These pyramids were built in a bull and socket construction. This construction helps the resistance of pyramids in case of earthquake or heat expansion.
This foundation is a great reason to prove that Egypt was so ahead of its time in the ancient world. They not only built such a massive structure but also built it in some way to protect it from nurture’s harm.
It Was Built Over 20 Years
Building the Giza pyramids took over 20 years. The historians don’t know the certain numbers of workers. But they know that building the pyramids like these requires the help of over 100,000 men. A large number of slaves and workers lost their lives in building the Giza pyramids.
It’s a family monument
You can see a family, the grandfather, son, and grandson, in the Giza pyramids and also there are some structures around the pyramids that belong to the queens of the Khufu family.
All three pyramids are surrounded by other structures which were templates where the priest worshiped the deceased pharaohs.
Final thoughts
Getting to know the historical monuments help you get familiar with the ancient civilization and the way people lived back then. There are still a lot of undiscovered facts that we don’t know about the Giza pyramids yet which could have developed our knowledge about the ancient world. We hope with the help of more investigation and time archaeological and historians find out more about the unknown of the Giza pyramids which leads us to know the ancient world. One way for you to get full experience on this matter is travel to Egypt with trusted guides and see all the wonders of Giza by yourself. Don’t forget to check out our Egypt tours!
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