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The Egyptian pyramids are ancient masonry structures located in Egypt. Sources cite at least 118 identified "Egyptian" pyramids. Approximately 80 pyramids were built within the Kingdom of Kush, now located in the modern country of Sudan.

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Egyptian pyramids

The Egyptian pyramids are ancient masonry structures located in Egypt. Sources cite at least 118 identified "Egyptian" pyramids.[1][2] Approximately 80 pyramids were built within the Kingdom of Kush, now located in the modern country of Sudan. Of those located in modern Egypt, most were built as tombs for the country's pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.

The earliest known Egyptian pyramids are found at Saqqara, northwest of Memphis, although at least one step-pyramid-like structure has been found at Saqqara, dating to the First Dynasty: Mastaba 3808, which has been attributed to the reign of Pharaoh Anedjib, with inscriptions, and other archaeological remains of the period, suggesting there may have been others.[6] The otherwise earliest among these is the Pyramid of Djoser built c. 2630–2610 BCE during the Third Dynasty.[7] This pyramid and its surrounding complex are generally considered to be the world's oldest monumental structures constructed of dressed masonry

The most famous Egyptian pyramids are those found at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo. Several of the Giza pyramids are counted among the largest structures ever built The Pyramid of Khufu is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence, despite its being the oldest wonder by about 2,000 years.

The designations of the pyramids—Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure—correspond to the kings for whom they were built. The northernmost and oldest pyramid of the group was built for Khufu (Greek: Cheops), the second king of the 4th dynasty. Called the Great Pyramid, it is the largest of the three, the length of each side at the base averaging 755.75 feet (230 metres) and its original height being 481.4 feet (147 metres). The middle pyramid was built for Khafre (Greek: Chephren), the fourth of the eight kings of the 4th dynasty; the structure measures 707.75 feet (216 metres) on each side and was originally 471 feet (143 metres) high. The southernmost and last pyramid to be built was that of Menkaure (Greek: Mykerinus), the fifth king of the 4th dynasty; each side measures 356.5 feet (109 metres), and the structure's completed height was 218 feet (66 metres). All three pyramids were plundered both internally and externally in ancient and medieval times. Thus, the grave goods originally deposited in the burial chambers are missing, and the pyramids no longer reach their original heights because they have been almost entirely stripped of their outer casings of smooth white limestone; the Great Pyramid, for example, is now only 451.4 feet (138 metres) high. That of Khafre retains the outer limestone casing only at its topmost portion. Constructed near each pyramid was a mortuary temple, which was linked via a sloping causeway to a valley temple on the edge of the Nile floodplain. Also nearby were subsidiary pyramids used for the burials of other members of the royal family.

Pyramids of Giza

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pyramid of Khafre

Pyramid of Khafre, near Giza, Egypt.

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pyramid of Menkaure

Pyramid of Menkaure, the smallest of the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt.

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pyramid of Menkaure

Entrance to the pyramid of Menkaure, with reconstructed blocks showing the different construction stages, near Giza, Egypt.

pyramid of Khafre: mortuary temple

Mortuary temple of the pyramid of Khafre, near Giza, Egypt.

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Khufu's pyramid is perhaps the most colossal single building ever erected on the planet. Its sides rise at an angle of 51°52′ and are accurately oriented to the four cardinal points of the compass. The Great Pyramid's core is made of yellowish limestone blocks, the outer casing (now almost completely gone) and the inner passages are of finer light-coloured limestone, and the interior burial chamber is built of huge blocks of granite. Approximately 2.3 million blocks of stone were cut, transported, and assembled to create the 5.75-million-ton structure, which is a masterpiece of technical skill and engineering ability. The internal walls as well as those few outer-casing stones that still remain in place show finer joints than any other masonry constructed in ancient Egypt.

pyramid of Khufu

Pyramid of Khufu, also known as the Great Pyramid, near Giza, Egypt.

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The entrance to the Great Pyramid is on the north side, about 59 feet (18 metres) above ground level. A sloping corridor descends from it through the pyramid's interior masonry, penetrates the rocky soil on which the structure rests, and ends in an unfinished underground chamber. From the descending corridor branches an ascending passageway that leads to a room known as the Queen's Chamber and to a great slanting gallery that is 151 feet (46 metres) long. At the upper end of this gallery, a long and narrow passage gives access to the burial room proper, usually termed the King's Chamber. This room is entirely lined and roofed with granite. From the chamber two narrow shafts run obliquely through the masonry to the exterior of the pyramid; it is not known whether they were designed for a religious purpose or were meant for ventilation. Above the King's Chamber are five compartments separated by massive horizontal granite slabs; the likely purpose of these slabs was to shield the ceiling of the burial chamber by diverting the immense thrust exerted by the overlying masses of masonry.

Great Pyramid of Khufu: cross section of interior

Cross section of the interior of the Great Pyramid of Khufu (also called the Great Pyramid of Giza), facing west, near Giza, Egypt.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Patrick O'Neill Riley

The question of how the pyramids were built has not received a wholly satisfactory answer. The most plausible one is that the Egyptians employed a sloping and encircling embankment of brick, earth, and sand, which was increased in height and in length as the pyramid rose; stone blocks were hauled up the ramp by means of sledges, rollers, and levers. According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, the Great Pyramid took 20 years to construct and demanded the labour of 100,000 men. This figure is believable given the assumption that these men, who were agricultural labourers, worked on the pyramids only (or primarily) while there was little work to be done in the fields—i.e., when the Nile River was in flood. By the late 20th century, however, archaeologists found evidence that a more limited workforce may have occupied the site on a permanent rather than a seasonal basis. It was suggested that as few as 20,000 workers, with accompanying support personnel (bakers, physicians, priests, etc.), would have been adequate for the task.

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To the south of the Great Pyramid near Khafre's valley temple lies the Great Sphinx. Carved out of limestone, the Sphinx has the facial features of a man but the body of a recumbent lion; it is approximately 240 feet (73 metres) long and 66 feet (20 metres) high. (See sphinx.)

Great Sphinx and pyramid of Khafre

The Great Sphinx and the pyramid of Khafre, near Giza, Egypt.

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Great Sphinx

The Great Sphinx, near Giza, Egypt.

Great Sphinx and pyramid of Khafre

The Great Sphinx and the pyramid of Khafre, near Giza, Egypt.

In 1925 a pit tomb containing the transferred burial equipment of Khufu's mother, Queen Hetepheres, was discovered near the upper end of the causeway of Khufu. At the bottom of a deep stone-filled shaft was found the queen's empty sarcophagus, surrounded by furniture and articles of jewelry attesting to the high artistic ability and technical perfection of the 4th-dynasty craftsmen.

Surrounding the three pyramids are extensive fields of flat-topped funerary structures called mastabas; arranged in a grid pattern, the mastabas were used for the burials of relatives or officials of the kings. Besides the core mastabas of the 4th dynasty, numerous mastabas from the 5th and 6th dynasties (c. 2465–c. 2150 BCE) have been found around and among the earlier structures.

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In the late 1980s and '90s, excavations in the environs of the pyramids revealed labourers' districts that included bakeries, storage areas, workshops, and the small tombs of workers and artisans. Mud sealings seem to date the workshop areas to the late 4th dynasty. The tombs range from simple mud-brick domes to more-elaborate stone monuments. Statuettes were found within some of the structures; hieroglyphic inscriptions on tomb walls occasionally identify the deceased.

Pyramids of Giza

Pyramids of Giza, Egypt.

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Giza

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Alternate titles: El-Giza, Giza, Gizah, Jīzah, Al-

By The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica • Last Updated: Apr 23, 2022 • Edit History

Giza, also spelled Gizah, also called Al-Jīzah or El-Giza, city, capital of Al-Jīzah muḥāfaẓah (governorate) in Upper Egypt, located on the west bank of the Nile River just south-southwest of Cairo. It is a suburb of the national capital, with a distinctive character enriched by several archaeological and cultural sites.

The district was settled in prehistoric times; Neolithic objects have been found there. Southwest of the city are the three great pyramids of the pharaohs: Khufu (Cheops), Khafre (Chephren), and Menkaure (Mykerinos), all 4th dynasty (c. 2575–c. 2465 BCE). Because of their tremendous size and precise construction, they have been visited by travelers for millennia (see Pyramids of Giza). Other monuments include the Sphinx, smaller pyramids, tombs, and temples. In earliest Muslim times, Giza formed a defense line with the island of Roda (Al-Rawḍah) and, later, Cairo, against incursions up the river from the sea. In 643 CE its defenses were completed by ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, general of the caliph ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb; they were restorations of earlier Byzantine fortifications. In the time of al-Maʾmūn (reigned 813–833), Giza was linked to Cairo by a bridge of boats and then by successive permanent bridges. Later a chief mosque was added (961), and Giza became the chief town of a kūrah (district) and later of its province. In the last half of the 19th century, the area witnessed considerable growth: a causeway was built to the pyramids for the convenience of the European tourists who were expected in conjunction with the 1869 inauguration of the Suez Canal; a rail terminus serving Upper Egypt was constructed there in the 1860s; and the Cairo Zoo, also located in Giza, was opened in 1891. In the 21st century the Grand Egyptian Museum was constructed to house ancient Egypt's most well-known artifacts near its historic monuments; the Sphinx International Airport (opened in 2019) allows tourists to bypass crowded Cairo in order to visit Giza.

Great Sphinx and Pyramid of Khafre

Great Sphinx (foreground) and the Pyramid of Khafre, near Giza, Egypt.

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The city has modern housing, government offices, embassies, research institutes, hotels, parks, a zoo, and a well-known entertainment district. The University of Cairo, founded in 1908, was reestablished in Giza in 1924. The city also has an ophthalmic research institute, the Academy of the Arabic Language, the Higher School of Applied Arts, and offices of the Ministry of Agriculture. Most of Egypt's motion-picture industry is also concentrated there. Other industries produce cement, iron products, wood products, automobile parts, cotton and polyester textiles, footwear, and beer. A number of bridges now link both banks with Al-Rawḍah and Al-Zamālik islands. The Cairo-Aswān railway has a station in the city. Pop. (2006) 3,021,542; (2020 est.) 4,324,653.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Zeidan.

blocks of stone were cut, transported, and assembled to create the 5.75-million-ton structure, which is a masterpiece of technical skill and engineering ability. The internal walls as well as those few outer-casing stones that still remain in place show finer joints than any other masonry constructed in ancient Egypt.

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