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Why did ancient Egyptians build the Great Pyramid of Giza?
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Great Pyramid of Giza
Great Pyramid of Giza, built to honor Khufu, near Giza, Egypt.
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built as a royal tomb for the pharaoh Khufu, the second king of Egypt's 4th dynasty. It is the largest of the three pyramids at Giza and was completed around 2470 BCE. The pyramid's form may have symbolized a stairway for Khufu's spirit to ascend to the heavens, represented the ancient mound of creation, or symbolized sunrays spreading to Earth. The construction of this massive structure, estimated to weigh 5.75 million tons, involved cutting, transporting, and assembling approximately 2.3 million blocks of stone.12