What are the Pyramids of Giza?

The Pyramids of Giza are royal tombs. That is the shortest accurate answer, and it sounds almost disappointingly sober for structures of this size. Three kings from the same family had them built in the 26th century BC, within about eighty years, each for himself. After that, Egypt never again built on such a scale.

They stand on the western edge of the greater Cairo area, on a limestone plateau at the edge of the desert. The largest of the three structures, the Great Pyramid of Khufu, originally measured around 147 meters and was thus the tallest structure in the world for nearly four thousand years. It is also the only one of the seven ancient wonders of the world that still exists.

To put these structures in perspective, it helps to look at their neighbors. Giza is not an isolated case but the peak of a series. Along the desert edge west of the Nile stretches a whole belt of pyramid fields over roughly thirty kilometers, from Abu Roash in the north via Saqqara to Dahshur in the south. Together, there are well over a hundred pyramids in very different states of preservation. The three at Giza are the largest and best preserved, but neither the oldest nor the only ones.

If you read only these two paragraphs, you have grasped the essentials. Everything else on this page answers the questions that arise from it: Why so large, who built it, what else stands there, and what can you see today.

A note in advance because it corrects almost all preconceptions about this site: They are not three structures in the desert. It is a planned city for the dead, with temples, streets, harbors, cemeteries, and its own settlement for the workers. The three pyramids are the highlights within it, not the whole picture.

The layout follows the same schema for all three

The layout follows a schema that is identical for each of the three complexes, and once you understand it, you can orient yourself immediately on the grounds.

At the bottom edge of the former fertile land stood a Valley Temple, accessible by water. From there, a covered causeway led up the slope, in some complexes almost a kilometer long. It ended at a Mortuary Temple located directly on the east side of the pyramid. Only behind that did the tomb itself rise.

Surrounding this basic pattern lies the rest. Smaller pyramids for queens, boat pits carved into the rock, and entire rows of mastabas—the flat tomb structures of officials, priests, and craftsmen. These cemetery fields were not grown organically but planned and allocated in rows, like building plots.

Who was buried where says much about the society that built it. In the mastabas east of the Great Pyramid of Khufu lie members of the royal family; to the west, high officials, priests, and senior craftsmen. The location of a grave corresponded to the rank of its owner, and proximity to the king was the currency. A project manager who was assigned a grave within sight of the pyramid achieved more with that than with any title.

If you count everything together, depending on the method, you get about ten pyramids instead of three on the plateau. Add quarries, harbor basins, and the remains of the settlement where the builders lived. A description of the complex as an ensemble therefore captures the essence better than any listing of the three well-known structures.

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Where the pyramid shape comes from

Why a tomb takes the form of a pyramid is best answered historically, because this shape is the result of a surprisingly short development.

It began with mastabas, flat rectangular tomb structures made of mudbricks. Around 2670 BC, King Djoser had several of these structures stacked on top of each other in Saqqara, giving rise to the very first pyramid, the Step Pyramid. It is also the oldest known stone building in Egypt. The Complex of Djoser is still visible today.

After that, things moved quickly. Under King Sneferu, father of Khufu, the stepped form became the smooth-sided pyramid, initially through renovation, then planned anew from scratch. Two of his structures in Dahshur show the transition so clearly that you can read it off: one with a bent profile, one already perfect.

And then came Giza. Between the very first pyramid and the Great Pyramid of Khufu lie less than two hundred years. In this period, Egypt went from mudbrick to the largest stone structure of antiquity. This acceleration is the truly astonishing part of the story, and it also explains why nothing comparable followed later: The effort was economically unrepeatable.

Who built it

Who built the pyramids is the question whose image has shifted most dramatically in the last forty years.

They were not slaves. Southeast of the structures, an entire workers' settlement was excavated, with sleeping galleries, bakeries on an industrial scale, breweries, storage facilities, and an administration that recorded deliveries of cattle and grain. There was also a cemetery where the workers were buried within sight of their construction site, with healed bone fractures that had received medical care.

The workforce was organized into named crews that rotated and were provided for. Their markings remain on blocks inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu to this day. Since 2013, there is even a logbook for this: the records of an inspector named Merer, who noted how his crew brought limestone to Giza by boat.

The number of participants is often cited as one hundred thousand, stemming from Herodotus and significantly overstated. The archaeologically supported estimates place the simultaneous presence at the site at a few thousand people and a total number in the order of twenty thousand over the entire construction period.

What is visible today

What is visible today is less than originally stood, and more than most visitors perceive.

Less, because the smooth outer skin is missing. All three pyramids were once clad in polished white limestone and tapered to a point at the top. This cladding was removed in the Middle Ages and used in Cairo. What you see is the core masonry, which was never meant to be visible. A remnant of the original skin still sits at the tip of the middle pyramid.

More, because almost everything else is still there. The Valley Temple of Khafre stands with its granite pillars and is included in the standard admission. The causeways are traceable on the ground. The boat pits are open. Some mastaba graves are walkable, and in at least one, the wall paintings are fully preserved.

An example of what is overlooked: In the eastern cemetery field lies the rock-cut tomb of a queen from Khufu's family, whose walls depict daily life scenes in vivid colors, from baking bread to brewing beer. It costs a small additional ticket fee and is usually almost empty, while queues form just a few hundred meters away. If you want to see color and images, find them here and not inside the large pyramids.

Visiting is practically uncomplicated. The grounds are open year-round, admission is in the low double-digit Euro range, and since the redevelopment in 2025, electric shuttle buses run between the points, with usage included in the ticket. Private vehicles are no longer allowed up, and the main entrance has been located in the southwest since then.

Jordi Orts Segalés

Many readers do not need another section at this point but a compact version, perhaps for school or a presentation. Therefore, here is a short text about the Pyramids of Giza that can stand on its own.

The Pyramids of Giza are three royal tombs from the 26th century BC, built for Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. They lie on the western edge of Cairo on a desert plateau and belong to a larger complex consisting of temples, causeways, subsidiary pyramids, and cemetery fields. The largest structure was, at around 147 meters, the tallest in the world for nearly four thousand years and is the only surviving one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. It was built by paid Egyptian workers, not slaves. Since 1979, the necropolis has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Those seeking a more detailed description of the Pyramids of Giza will find it in the sections above. Those needing reliable numbers, i.e., dimensions, dates, and their sources, are better served on the facts page. And those looking for further information about the Pyramids of Giza, such as construction methods, interiors, or visit planning, will find it on the respective dedicated pages of this offering.