Pyramids at Gizeh

Fact 1 on Pyramids at Gizeh:

The Gizeh plateau is the location of the greatest tombs of the pharaohs that are referred to as:

The Great Pyramid of Khufu
Khafre's Pyramid - the Second Pyramid
Menkaure's Pyramid - the Third Pyramid
 

Fact 2 on Pyramids at Gizeh:

These great monuments are the most famous of the 138 pyramids have so far been discovered in Egypt and the Gizeh plateau is also the site of the Great Sphinx.
 

Fact 3 on Pyramids at Gizeh:

Khufu (aka Cheops), Khafre (aka Chephren) and Menkaure (aka Mycerinus) were all Kings of the 4th Dynasty who ruled ancient Egypt in the period of history referred to as the Old Kingdom.
 

Fact 4 on Pyramids at Gizeh:

The Gizeh plateau is located about 25km (15 miles) south west of Cairo on the west bank of the River Nile.
 

Fact 5 on Pyramids at Gizeh:

The ancient Egyptians believed that the River Nile was the bridge to the afterlife and is why all Egyptian tombs were located on the west side of the Nile. East of the Nile was a place of life and beginnings, west of the Nile was considered to be the land of the dead.
 

Fact 6 on Pyramids at Gizeh:

The ancient Egyptians oriented each pyramid to the four cardinal points of the compass so that one side faced exactly east, another south, and so on. They were each precisely aligned with the Constellation of Orion and therefore had a strong astronomical association with the sun and the stars. Click here for the meaning of the pyramids

Fact 7 on Pyramids at Gizeh:

The ancient Egyptians believed that the pyramid was resurrection vehicle, a type of 'Stargate' for the king, leading to heaven and eternal life.
 

Fact 8 on Pyramids at Gizeh:

The royal pyramids at Giza were the central point of the funeral complexes of the kings. The Giza funeral complexes included mortuary temples, causeways, smaller subsidiary pyramids, solar boat pits, Valley Temples, smaller tombs of the royal family, nobility & priests and a worker's village.
 

Fact 9 Pyramids of Gizeh:

The magnificent tombs were all made of stone, built to last for eternity. Ordinary homes, even the great royal palaces, were constructed using mudbricks that easily perished in time.
 

Fact 10 on Pyramids at Gizeh:

The Design, Development and architecture of these amazing monuments evolved over many years and the First pyramid began as a traditional, flat-roofed Mastaba Tomb but six tiers were added creating the pyramidal shape.
 

Fact 11 on Pyramids at Gizeh:

The ancient Egyptian architects devised different methods to deter tomb robbers and increase the security of the burial chambers built deep inside the pyramids. The Giza necropolis was surrounded by a great wall and each pyramid complex was guarded and surrounded by a trench and thick, 12ft  wall with only one entrance.
 

Fact 12 on Pyramids at Gizeh:

The entrances to each pyramid were difficult to locate and the passageways leading to the burial chambers was booby trapped with portcullis doors, blocked chambers and hidden deadfalls. There were even wires designed to decapitate tomb robbers.
 

Fact 13 on Pyramids at Gizeh:

Despite the efforts of the ancient Egyptian architects most of the tombs had been looted of their great treasures by 1000 BC. Tomb robbers were tortured and then impaled or burnt alive.
 

Fact 14 on Pyramids at Gizeh:

Giza is the most popular tourist destination in Egypt. Climbing a pyramid is extremely dangerous and is officially banned.