The Great Pyramid of Giza is a UNESCO-listed World Heritage site, the oldest and last remaining of the original Seven Wonders of the World. Additionally, this pyramid is the oldest and largest of all nine pyramids found at the Giza Necropolis, and is the final resting place of King Khufu. The Pyramid was completed in 2560 BC and took around 20 years to build! 

The Great Pyramid of Giza is a UNESCO-listed World Heritage site, the oldest and last remaining of the original Seven Wonders of the World. Additionally, this pyramid is the oldest and largest of all nine pyramids found at the Giza Necropolis, and is the final resting place of King Khufu. The Pyramid was completed in 2560 BC and took around 20 years to build! 

The Great Pyramid was the tallest building in the world for 3,800 years! In fact, the first building to surpass its height was the Lincoln Cathedral in England, constructed in 1311. 

In comparison, the Pyramids of Khafre is 448 feet tall, which is about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. The third main pyramid, the Pyramid of Menkaure, is much shorter at 213 feet. This is about the same height as the famous sails on Australia’s Sydney Opera House. 

Egyptologists are not 100% sure how the pyramids were built, but the most popular belief is that they were constructed by the Egyptian people as an act of civil service. 

In fact, experts believe that 20,000 – 30,000 skilled masons, engineers, architects, surveyors and other craftsmen constructed the Khufu temple. Furthermore, historians have estimated that over 100,000 construction workers were involved in the overall construction of the Pyramids of Giza. 

Also, each limestone block weighs two tonnes, so it’s hard to fathom how the people were able to lift them and form such perfect pyramids. However, some scholars have a theory that a ramp and pulley system was used to complete the mission. 

It’s believed that the pyramid once had an invisible swivel door weighing almost twenty tonnes. Interestingly, it could only be identified and opened from the inside. 

It’s no surprise, then, that the door was so heavy that the opening mechanism was only discovered when scientists were studying the Great Pyramid. The Egyptians’ ability to create and manage this effective feature has remained a mystery to date! 

The chambers of the pyramids are empty

The tombs under the pyramids initially stored human remains and gifts that their spirits would take with them to the afterlife. This was extremely common in the ninth century. However, once the pyramids were opened to the public, a lot of looting left the chambers bare, apart from Khufu’s red-granite sarcophagus.