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Pyramids of Giza: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As Ahrāmāt al-Jīzah • Pyramids of Gizeh
Date c. 2456 -

Did You Know?

  • While large-scale pyramid building ended after the Sixth Dynasty, small pyramids were still built for the next millennium.
  • Scholars use the art and text on the inside of the pyramids to research Ancient Egyptian language and culture.
  • Pyramids became magnets for grave robbers leading later kings to hide their tombs inside cliffs.

Photos and Videos

Three large pyramids rise from the sandy desert at Giza, Egypt, with a group of people riding camels in the foreground and scattered clouds in the sky above.
Map of northeastern Africa and the Middle East highlighting the location of the Pyramids of Giza near Cairo, Egypt, marked with a red star to indicate its status as a World Heritage Site. Surrounding countries such as Libya, Sudan, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Lebanon are labeled, with major bodies of water including the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea also shown. An inset map provides regional context.
The rear view of the Pyramid of Khafre rises from a barren desert with the distant skyline of Cairo, Egypt, visible on the horizon.
Pyramid of Menkaure
Pyramid of Menkaure
Pyramid of Khafre: mortuary temple
Great Pyramid of Giza
Silhouettes of the pyramids of Giza with the sun setting behind them and clouds illuminated in the orange sky near Cairo, Egypt.
Diagram of a cross section of the Great Pyramid of Khufu near Giza, Egypt, showing labeled internal features such as the King's Chamber, Queen's Chamber, Grand Gallery, passageways, air shafts, and subterranean chamber.
Great Sphinx and pyramid of Khafre
Exterior image of the Great Pyramid of Khufu.
Why is the Great Sphinx's nose missing?
Who built the Pyramids of Giza?
Travel down the Nile to discover important ancient Egyptian cultural sites such as the Pyramids of Giza
The Osiris Shaft: Uncovering Egypt's history
See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics

Major Events

The Battle of the Pyramids
Battle of the Pyramids

Related Places

Great Sphinx and Pyramid of Khafre
Giza
Egypt
Flag of Egypt with horizontal red, white, and black stripes and a gold eagle centered on the white stripe.
Egypt
country, Africa
Side view of the Sphinx with the Great Pyramid of Khufu rising behind it on the Giza Plateau near Cairo, Egypt.
ancient Egypt
ancient civilization

Key People

Mariette
Auguste Mariette
French archaeologist
Sir Flinders Petrie, detail of an oil painting by George Frederic Watts, 1900; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Sir Flinders Petrie
British archaeologist
Belzoni, oil painting by W. Brockedon; in the National Portrait Gallery, London
Giovanni Battista Belzoni
Italian archaeologist
Pyramid of Menkaure
George Andrew Reisner
American archaeologist
Great Pyramid of Giza
Khufu
king of Egypt
Menkaure flanked by gods
Menkaure
king of Egypt
Khafre
Khafre
king of Egypt

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