Jump directly to the content

Where is the Great Pyramid of Giza, who was buried inside it and what was it used for?

It's the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and still standing, forming part of the wider Giza necropolis in Egypt

THE Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one still largely intact.

Egyptologists believe the enormous structure was built over a 20-year period ending in around 2,560BC.

 The Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of GizaCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk

Where is the Great Pyramid of Giza?

The Great Pyramid of Giza , completed around 4,577 years ago, is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza complex in Egypt.

As the name suggests it is in Giza, a city on the west bank of the Nile close to Cairo.

The pyramid is part of a complex of three large pyramids in the Giza Necropolis, part of a Unesco world heritage site

The Great Sphinx is also there.

Experts believe the Great Pyramid took 20 years to build using 100,000 slaves.

Around 2.3million blocks would have to have been transported from quarries up to 500 miles away.

The square sides of the pyramid are 756ft long and the whole thing weighs an estimated 5.8million tons.

At 481ft high including the tip, which is no longer present, it was the tallest man-made structure for more than 3,800 years until Lincoln Cathedral was completed in 1311.

Originally the pyramid is thought to have been completely covered in white casing stones, creating a smooth surface.

A few of these stones can still be seen near the base.


What was it used for? Who was buried inside it?

It was built as a tomb for the Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu, also known as Cheops, and his queen.

Khufu is believed to have reigned during the 26th century BC from 2589BC to 2566BC.

Few details about the ruler are known for certain, with all the information coming from inscriptions in his necropolis in Giza and later documents.
He is thought to have had two wives, Meritites I and later Henutsen.

Inside the pyramid are three chambers - the Queen's Chamber and the King's Chamber, connected by the Grand Gallery. Another unfinished chamber is beneath the pyramid.

Shafts that lead to the outside were once thought to be for ventilation, but some experts believe they point to stars in the night sky and are meant to help the spirit ascend to heaven.

 The top of the Great Gallery in the Great Pyramid of Giza
The top of the Great Gallery in the Great Pyramid of GizaCredit: Getty - Contributor

Pyramid building in Egypt reached its peak with the Fourth Dynasty of Pharaohs which saw constructions in both Giza and Dashur.

Pyramids were not built in isolation but formed only one part of a pyramid complex.

Other elements usually included a satellite pyramid, other small pyramids for queens, a mortuary temple, a valley temple, and a causeway between them.

There were shrines, funerary boat pits, and tombs for other family members and nobles.

The main complex was surrounded by a wall and was frequently a part of a larger necropolis, or "city of the dead".

In August 2018 it was discovered that the pyramid can focus electromagnetic energy in its internal chambers and its base.

Scientists have deduced that the pyramid concentrates this electromagnetic energy in its hidden chambers, which includes rooms containing the remains of Pharoah Khufu and his wife.

But scientists believe it is highly unlikely Ancient Egyptians knew anything about the science behind it and would not have built it in this way deliberately.

Secrets of hidden chambers inside Great Pyramid of Giza will finally be revealed after 4,500 years thanks to a robot
