About Great Pyramid of Giza
- The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called Great Pyramid and Great Pyramid of Khufu, is an ancient Egyptian pyramid that is the largest of the three Pyramids of Giza.
- Location: It is located on the Giza plateau on the west bank of the Nile River near the modern city of Cairo in Egypt.
- It was built by Khufu (Cheops), the second king of Egypt’s 4th dynasty (c. 2575–c. 2465 BCE), and was completed about 2560 BCE.
- The pyramid was first excavated using modern techniques and scientific analysis in 1880 by Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (l.1853-1942), the British archaeologist.
- Features:
- It is the largest Egyptian pyramid which rises to a height of 479 feet (146 metres) with a base of 754 feet (230 metres) and is comprised of over two million blocks of stone.
- The pyramid’s sides rise at an angle of 51.87° and are accurately oriented to the four cardinal points of the compass.
- The Great Pyramid’s core is made of yellowish limestone blocks, and the inner passages are of finer light-coloured limestone.
- The interior burial chamber is built of huge blocks of granite.
Key facts about the Pyramids of Giza:
- These are three 4th-dynasty (c. 2575–c. 2465 BCE) pyramids erected on a rocky plateau on the west bank of the Nile River in northern Egypt.
- 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, the second king of the 4th dynasty.
- The middle pyramid was built for Khafre, the fourth of the eight kings of the 4th dynasty.
- The southernmost and last pyramid to be built was that of Menkaure, the fifth king of the 4th dynasty.
Q) What are the Pyramids of Giza?
Pyramids of Giza are three 4th-dynasty (c. 2575–c. 2465 BCE) pyramids erected on a rocky plateau on the west bank of the Nile River in northern Egypt. The designations of the pyramids—Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure—correspond to the kings for whom they were built.
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