Giza pyramid complex facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Giza pyramid complex

The three main pyramids at Giza, together with subsidiary pyramids and the remains of other structures
Location in Egypt
Location	Giza, Greater Cairo, Egypt
Region	Middle Egypt
Coordinates	29°58′34″N 31°7′58″E / 29.97611°N 31.13278°E / 29.97611; 31.13278
Type	Monument
History
Periods	Early Dynastic Period to Late Period
Site notes
Website
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part of	"Pyramid fields from Giza to Dahshur" part of Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur
Includes	Great Pyramid of Giza Pyramid of Khafre Pyramid of Menkaure Great Sphinx of Giza Giza West Field Giza East Field Cemetery GIS Central Field, Giza
Criteria	Cultural: i, iii, vi
Inscription	1979 (3rd Session)
Area	16,203.36 ha (162.0336 km2; 62.5615 sq mi)

The Giza pyramid complex (also called the Giza necropolis) is an amazing ancient site in Egypt. It is famous for its three main pyramids: the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure. You can also find the huge Great Sphinx here. These incredible structures were built a very long time ago, between about 2600 and 2500 BC, during the Fourth Dynasty of ancient Egypt.

The complex is located on the edge of the Western Desert. It's about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) west of the Nile River in the city of Giza. This site is part of a larger World Heritage Site called "Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur," which was recognized by UNESCO in 1979. The Great Pyramid is especially famous because it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is the only one of those wonders that is still standing today!

The Pyramids and Sphinx

The Giza complex has three main pyramids and the Great Sphinx. The Great Pyramid of Giza was built for King Khufu around 2580–2560 BC. A bit to the southwest is the Pyramid of Khafre, built for Khufu's son, King Khafre. Even further southwest is the smaller Pyramid of Menkaure, built for King Menkaure. The Great Sphinx sits on the east side of the complex. Most experts believe the Sphinx's head looks like King Khafre.

Besides these huge monuments, there are smaller pyramids, pathways, and temples. These were built for queens and other important people.

Khufu's Pyramid Complex

Giza pyramid complex (map)

King Khufu's pyramid complex included a valley temple, a causeway, and a mortuary temple. The valley temple is now buried under a village. The causeway, which connected the valley temple to the mortuary temple, was mostly destroyed. Only the basalt floor of the mortuary temple remains.

Khufu's pyramid also has three smaller pyramids for his queens. There were also three boat pits. Two of these pits on the south side of the pyramid held complete ships. One ship, the Khufu ship, has been put back together and is now in the Grand Egyptian Museum. The Great Pyramid still has some of its original smooth, white limestone casing stones at its base. These stones came from quarries across the Nile.

Khafre's Pyramid Complex

Aerial view from north of cultivated Nile valley with the pyramids in the background (1938)

King Khafre's complex includes a valley temple, the Sphinx temple, a causeway, a mortuary temple, and his pyramid. Many statues of Khafre were found in his valley temple. His complex also had five boat-pits and a smaller pyramid.

Khafre's pyramid looks taller than Khufu's because it was built on higher ground and has steeper sides. However, it is actually a bit smaller in height and volume. You can still see some of the original casing stones at the very top of Khafre's pyramid.

Menkaure's Pyramid Complex

The Great Pyramid and the Great Sphinx of Giza in 1914 (Autochrome Lumière)

King Menkaure's complex has a valley temple, a causeway, a mortuary temple, and his pyramid. His valley temple once held several statues of Menkaure. The mortuary temple also had many statues. Menkaure's pyramid, finished around 2510 BC, has three smaller pyramids for his queens.

Of the three main pyramids, Menkaure's is the only one that no longer has its original polished limestone casing.

The Great Sphinx

The Sphinx partially excavated, photo taken between 1867 and 1899

The Great Sphinx was built during the time of King Khafre. Later, during the New Kingdom, other pharaohs added to the area around the Sphinx. For example, Amenhotep II built a temple dedicated to a god named Hauron-Haremakhet.

A famous story tells that the future pharaoh Thutmose IV had a dream while resting near the Sphinx. In his dream, he was told that if he cleared the sand covering the Sphinx, he would become king. He did this, and this event is written on the Dream Stele, a stone slab placed between the Sphinx's front paws.

How the Pyramids Were Built

The Giza pyramid complex at night

Most experts believe the pyramids were built by moving huge stones from quarries. Workers then dragged and lifted these stones into place. The biggest debates are about exactly how the stones were moved and lifted.

The builders chose a flat, rocky area for the foundation, not sand, to make sure the pyramids were stable. After carefully planning the site, they built the pyramids in horizontal layers, one on top of the other.

For the Great Pyramid, most of the inner stones came from a quarry right next to the building site. The smooth outer layer was made of fine white limestone from quarries across the Nile River. These outer blocks were cut precisely, floated by boat to Giza, and then dragged up ramps to the pyramid. Only a few of these outer blocks remain at the bottom of the Great Pyramid today. During the Middle Ages, people might have taken the rest to use for building projects in Cairo.

To make sure the pyramid was perfectly even, all the outer casing stones had to be the same height and width. Workers likely marked the blocks to match the pyramid's angle and carefully shaped them so they fit together perfectly.

Recent discoveries, like the Diary of Merer (an ancient papyrus journal), have given us new information about how the Great Pyramid was built. This diary describes how a team delivered white limestone from the Tura quarries to Giza.

Why Were Pyramids Built?

The pyramids at Giza and other sites were built as tombs for the pharaohs, the kings of ancient Egypt. Egyptians believed that a part of the pharaoh's spirit, called his ka, stayed with his body after death. Taking good care of the body was important so the pharaoh could perform his duties as king of the dead in the afterlife.

The pyramid served not only as a tomb but also as a storage place for items the pharaoh would need in the next world. Ancient Egyptians believed that death on Earth was the start of a journey to the afterlife. The pharaoh's embalmed body was placed inside or under the pyramid to protect it and help his journey to the next world.

Pyramids and the Stars

The sides of all three Giza pyramids are lined up almost perfectly with the main directions: north, south, east, and west. Some people believe that the way the pyramids are arranged on the ground matches the pattern of stars in the Orion constellation.

The Workers' Village

One face of the Pyramid of Khafre at Giza, as seen from Khafre's valley temple

Building the pyramids required thousands of skilled workers, regular laborers, and many support staff. Bakers, carpenters, and water carriers were also needed. Historians have different ideas about the exact number of workers. The Greek historian Herodotus was told that the Great Pyramid took 400,000 men 20 years to build, working in shifts. However, evidence from tombs suggests that about 10,000 laborers, working in three-month shifts, took around 30 years to build a pyramid.

A large stone wall surrounds the Giza pyramid complex. Outside this wall, archaeologists led by Mark Lehner discovered a town where the pyramid workers lived. This village is southeast of the Khafre and Menkaure pyramids.

In the workers' village, archaeologists found shared sleeping areas, bakeries, breweries, and kitchens. They found evidence that the workers ate bread, beef, and fish. There was also a copper workshop, a hospital, and a cemetery. Some skeletons in the cemetery showed signs of injuries from accidents on a building site.

The workers' town seems to have been built during the middle of the 4th Dynasty, after the Great Pyramid was finished. It was likely built quickly, within 35 to 50 years, during the reigns of Kings Khafre and Menkaure. This shows that the Egyptians had very early forms of city planning.

Cemeteries Around the Pyramids

As the pyramids were built, smaller tombs called mastabas were constructed around them for less important royals and officials. These cemeteries were arranged like streets and avenues.

East Field Cemetery

The East Field is located east of Khufu's pyramid and contains Cemetery G 7000. This was a burial place for some of Khufu's family members, including his mother, Queen Hetepheres I. It also has tombs for officials and priests from the 5th and 6th Dynasties.

West Field Cemetery

The West Field is west of Khufu's pyramid. It has many cemeteries with mastaba tombs. Some members of Khufu's family, like his son Wepemnefert and his daughter Nefertiabet, were buried here. This area was expanded during the 5th and 6th Dynasties.

Central Field Cemetery

The Central Field has several tombs for royal family members. These tombs date from the end of the 4th Dynasty to the 5th Dynasty or even later.

Tombs of the Pyramid Builders

In 1990 and 2009, tombs belonging to the pyramid workers were found near the pyramids. These workers were not mummified, but they were buried in mudbrick tombs with food and drink like beer and bread for the afterlife. The fact that their tombs were so close to the pyramids and how they were buried suggests that they were paid workers who were proud of their work, not slaves, as some people once thought. Most workers seemed to come from poor families. Highly skilled people like architects and masons were likely employed full-time by the king.

Giza in Later Times

The Dream Stele between the Sphinx's front legs

Even after the Old Kingdom, Giza remained an important place. During the New Kingdom, new temples and structures were built. For example, King Thutmose I built a chapel near the Sphinx. Later, King Tutankhamun had a "king's resthouse" built.

During the 19th Dynasty, King Seti I added to the temple near the Sphinx. His son, Ramesses II, also put up a stone slab in front of the Sphinx and used Tutankhamun's resthouse.

Modern Use and Tourism

The Giza pyramid complex is still a very active and popular place today. It has hosted concerts by famous artists like the Grateful Dead and Shakira. It was also used for important sports events, like the final draw for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Egyptian government has been working to improve the complex for visitors. They plan to add a new visitors' center, electric buses, a restaurant, a cinema, and free Wi-Fi. These changes are part of a bigger plan to make the 4,500-year-old site even more welcoming and easy to explore for tourists.

Images for kids

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  Pyramids of Ghizeh. 1893. Egypt; heliogravure after original views. Wilbour Library of Egyptology. Brooklyn Museum

• 

  The complex in 1955

• 

  View from top of the Great Pyramid to the Pyramid of Khafre

• 

  Giza pyramid complex seen from above

See also

In Spanish: Necrópolis de Guiza para niños

• Egyptian pyramids
• List of Egyptian pyramids
• List of largest monoliths, includes section on calculating weight of megaliths
• Outline of Egypt
• Teotihuacan