The Pyramids of Giza

Hey there,

I have been organizing old photographs and came across some nice pictures of me with the Pyramids in the background. I thought it would be a nice blog entry with a couple of interesting information.

Egypt is popular for its interesting ancient culture and magnificent old buildings. The probably most common association with Egypt are pyramids.  In fact, there are more than 93 pyramids located at various places all over Egypt. Among these the Three Pyramids of Giza are the mostly well-known ones.  They were built in the 4^th Dynasty (aprox. 2550 B.C) and were used as tombs for Pharaohs. The biggest and tallest Pyramid is the Cheops Pyramid (also Great Pyramid or Pyramid of Khufu) and was initially constructed for Khufu a Pharaoh at this time. It became one of the Seven World Wonders of the Ancient World and is the only one that is still existing today. The other six World Wonders were destructed by wars or natural disasters. With its initially approx. 146 metres (481 feet) height the Cheops Pyramid used to be the tallest building in the world until 1889 when the Eiffel Tower in France was built. Due to erosion its current height comes to approx. 138 metres (455 feet). The second biggest pyramid is The Pyramid of Chephren, (also Pyramid of Khafre). It is named after the pharaoh Khafre who ruled in the  Fourth Dynasty and after entombed in this pyramid. It rises to a height of approx. 136 metres (448 feet) and is lower than the Great Pyramid. However, The Pyramid of Chephren may look taller as it sits on bedrock 10 m (33 feet) higher. The Pyramid of Mycerinus (also Pyramid of Menkaure) is the third and smallest one of the three pyramids of Giza. It was built by Khafre's son, Menkaure who ruled Egypt during the  4th dynasty and is only  62metres (203ft) high. All three pyramids have been plundered a lot of times in the past but also in the modern time. Besides the bodies and funeral goods, the exterior white limestone coverings were removed as well. Nonetheless, the Three Pyramids of Giza still attract flocks of tourists every year. It is worth to visit them!