Más Travel: Giza

Giza Egypt

The oldest of the wonders, and curiously the only one that has reached us, is the monumental complex of the pyramids of Giza in Egypt. We have all heard of them and recognize their appearance, just as we know they were the tombs of the pharaohs. But let’s get closer and discover some interesting details. The Egyptians began building pyramids a long time ago, throughout their Old Kingdom: the oldest are about five thousand years old. In fact, the oldest known is the Step Pyramid of Saqqara, tomb of Pharaoh Djoser, dating from 2750 BC. The architect who invented the pyramid was the great vizier and famous sage Imhotep. After this first example, the Egyptians continued to build pyramids well into the Middle Kingdom, when they began using underground tombs instead of pyramids. Nevertheless, from the Old Kingdom no fewer than eighty pyramids remain, scattered across Lower Egypt. Now let us imagine we are present at the burial ceremony of Pharaoh Khufu. A light boat carries us along the Nile from the ancient capital, Memphis, to the necropolis on its outskirts, on the vast Giza Plateau. Burial constructions abound here, because it is the cemetery where all the inhabitants of the capital, nobles and commoners alike, are buried. Our boat docks: a group of priests awaits us on the shore. Behind them stands the temple built especially for our pharaoh, where he will be worshipped as a god (is he not of divine nature?). This is where the pharaoh’s body is carefully prepared and placed in the sarcophagus. Then a procession takes him along a funerary causeway to his tomb. We can already see the pyramids. Their impressive mass dominates the horizon of the plain and leaves us open-mouthed. All of that is stone. Exceptionally heavy blocks of granite, about a meter high, form courses so tightly joined that it is impossible to slip a knife blade between them. The rows of stones are painted, forming bands of different colors; the tip is gilded. All the pyramids, absolutely all, have the same alignment: they are oriented to the north with complete accuracy. The sides of the pyramid have an impressive slope of 51 degrees, which, as we come closer, gives us the feeling that the pyramid is “falling” on top of us. In the surroundings there are smaller pyramids and mastabas (rectangular buildings with sloping walls) for high officials.

Recommended airport

Cairo Intl (CAI)

Nearby destinations

Cairo, IL a 5.23 km

Giza, Egypt

Giza Egypt