Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

The Great Pyramid of Giza is Egypt's largest pyramid and the tomb of pharaoh Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, having been constructed over a period of roughly 27 years in the 26th century BC. It is also the only one that has remained fully intact. It borders present-day Giza in Greater Cairo, Egypt, as part of the Giza pyramid complex.

For more than 3,800 years, the Great Pyramid was the world's highest man-made edifice, standing at 146.6 meters (481 feet). The smooth white limestone casing was gradually removed, lowering the pyramid's height to the current 138.5 meters (454.4 ft). The basic core structure is what can be observed now. The base was estimated to be 230.3 meters (755.6 feet) square, with a volume of 2.6 million cubic meters (92 million cubic feet) including an internal hillock.

The Great Pyramid was constructed by quarrying 2.3 million massive pieces, weighing a total of 6 million tonnes. The majority of the stones are irregular in shape and just lightly treated. Mortar was used to join the layers on the outside. Local limestone from the Giza Plateau was primarily utilized. Other pieces were transported down the Nile by boat, including white limestone from Tura for the casing and granite slabs weighing up to 80 tonnes for the King's Chamber structure.

The burial complex around the pyramid included graves for Khufu's immediate family and court, including three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives, an even smaller "satellite pyramid," and five buried solar barges joined by a causeway (one near the pyramid and one near the Nile).

Location: Giza, Cairo, Egypt,