Giant Pyramids of Giza

Like many others before me, the Seven Wonders has been on my ultimate bucket list like… forever.

On December 8, I struck gold with the Pyramids of Giza, which is the sole surviving wonder from the ancient world that is still standing today and was granted honorary status on the Seven New Wonders of the World, first announced in 2007.

Rising above a rocky desert plateau on the west bank of the Nile near Cairo, the pyramids are built by three generations of Egyptian kings – Pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure (left to right).

As the oldest man-made structure that is still mostly intact, the sheer size, magnificence and engineering feat will totally blow you away.

The most famous of them is Khufu (The Great Pyramid) the oldest & largest Giza pyramid with an original height of 481 feet. Each row of limestone block is sightly more than 2 feet high.

Today, the Great Pyramid has lost its smooth outer surface of limestone casing stones due to time and erosion, including 26 feet of missing capstone (pyramidion).

Inside, there are three chambers, starting with the lowest chamber which is cut into the bedrock and left unfinished. The Queen’s and King’s chambers are higher up. The largest granite stones are found only in the King’s chambers.

The original entrance is located 57 feet above ground level. It is possible to enter via the Robber’s Tunnel, a tunnel purportedly created around AD 820 by Caliph al-Ma’mum’s workmen using a battering ram.

That said, there isn’t a lot to see, as the mummies have long been moved to the Egyptian Museum.
Nb. Be prepared for poor ventilation inside the chambers.

The Great Sphinx
Pharaoh Khafre, the second son of Khufu constructed his own pyramid next to his father’s. While the interior is more simple, it is surrounded by a more elaborate complex that includes the Great Sphinx and other statues.

Carved from an outcropping of limestone left after quarrying the stone for his father’s pyramid, the Great Sphinx measures 66 feet high (20 m) and 240 feet long (73 m) bearing the shape of a recumbent lion with the head of Pharaoh Khafre.

The nose was supposedly shot off by Napoleon‘s troops with a cannon when they arrived in Egypt in 1798.

Khafre’s valley temple, located at the east end of the causeway leading from the pyramid base, is beautifully preserved. It was constructed of megalithic blocks sheathed with granite and floors of polished white calcite.

Opening Hours
8.00 am to 5.00 pm (October to March)
7.00 am to 7.00 pm (April to September)

Tickets
General Entry : 200 EGP / USD12.50 (includes the Great Sphinx)
Pyramids : 400 EGP / USD25 (Khufu) 100 EGP / USD6.25 (Khafre)