The Pyramids of Giza
Pyramids are a tangible symbol of determination, ingenuity, and human supremacy over death, for this reason, they will continue to attract human attention forever.
Pyramids are the most famous symbol of Egypt.
The Pyramids of Giza are located in the city of Giza. Giza is set on the west bank of the River Nile, about 10 miles away from Cairo. These pyramids date back to 2560 BC, whose construction began at the order of the second ruler of the Fourth Dynasty, Pharaoh Khufu.
Which pyramids can you see in Giza?
The Pyramid of Cheops
The rocky plateau, or necropolis, in the city of Giza, a few kilometers from Cairo, is home to the most famous and best-preserved Egyptian pyramids: an incalculable heritage united in a single common territory. The Pyramid of Cheops, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, is certainly the best-known pyramid in Egypt. It was built around 2500 BC with as many as 2 million blocks of stone (each stone block weighs 10 tons). Although time has changed its dimensions and ruined the external covering, which was made of smooth red marble stone that could only be found in Egypt, the glory and greatness of this monument remain unquestionable.
The Pyramid of Cheops was 146.6 meters high (today this is reduced to 138.8 m) and 230.3 meters long.
This was the tomb of the Pharaoh Cheops (ancient Egyptian monarch and the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty).
The pyramid of Cheops is the only Ancient World Wonder that still exists.
The Pyramid of Khafre
The Pyramid of Khafre, part of the complex of Cheops, slightly smaller than its famous "sister", is covered with white limestone of Tura, which had been exploited since the Predynastic Period. The only funerary furniture that could be found inside of this pyramid was a red granite sarcophagus, devoid of inscriptions, with bovine bones next to it. Thanks to the Greek historian Herodotus, we know with certainty that the base was also made up of red and gray Aswan granite.
The Pyramid of Khafre is 136m high and 216m long.
This was the burial place of the Pharaoh Khafre.
The Pyramid of Menkaure
The Pyramid of Menkaure is a smaller pyramid, built in several stages, with various materials and different techniques: stone blocks much larger than the ones used for the previous two pyramids, but with imperfect surfaces, which makes it appear like a disharmonic structure.
Originally, it was conceived that the pyramid is to be completely covered in red granite from Aswan. However, with the premature death of the King Menkaure, the partial use of the limestone of Tura began.
The Pyramid of Menkaure is therefore a "small" structure, although very articulated in its anatomy, and with a great expenditure of the precious granite of the Upper Egypt, a very hard and difficult material to work with. The particularity of this pyramid concerns one decree, issued by Menkaure himself, which states that "... no man performs forced labor but according to his own satisfaction": an unusual inclination in the severe and very hard origin of the construction of the pyramids.
The Pyramid of Menkaure is 65.5m high and 103.4m long.
This was the burial place of the Pharaoh Menkaure.
The Great Sphinx of Giza
The Sphinx, a mythological figure with the head of a man and the body of a lion, is the most famous and majestic symbol of Egyptian culture in the Giza Necropolis. A limestone structure obtained from a rocky substrate, the Sphinx is something that takes your breath away due to its grandeur and proportions, being the largest monolithic statue among the various monuments of this type.
Built during the construction of the pyramids of Giza, it is the only "isolated" Sphinx (the following sphinxes were always built in pair), built with the aim to protect the pyramids in the plateau of Giza. Sculpted on the spot, the structure of Sphinx has several rocky layers - from the most fragile layer of the base, to the hardest one at the head.
The hidden passages of the Sphinx created numerous legends and led to numerous studies, which contribute to the charm of this magnificent structure, known and admired by the entire world.
The Great Sphinx of Giza is 20m high and 6m long. It was built by Pharaoh Snefru.
Price ticket for the Pyramids of Giza
The ticket price that includes the visit to the plateau of Giza, the visit to all pyramids located in the plateau and a single visit to inside of one pyramid, the middle pyramid out of pyramids of the Queens of Cheops.
The price of a ticket is 160 EGP.
Visitors may also choose to enter other pyramids as well. But keep in your mind that this is not as exciting as getting inside the tombs at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor. Everything found inside the pyramids, including the mummies, has been removed so there is no much to see.
If visitors would like to go inside the Khufu’s pyramid, this will cost additional 300 EGP, while a visit to Khafre’s pyramid costs 60 EGP, or 360 EGP for a combined ticket.
Students will get a 50% discount with their student ID.
Working hours of the Pyramids of Giza
The site opens every day between 8 am and 5 am from October to March, and every day from 7 am to 7 pm between April and September.
