The Great Pyramid at Giza - built for pharaoh Khufu (Cheops)

The pyramids were built as royal tombs to contain the mummified bodies of pharaohs -
although some people believe they have strange powers or were built by aliens!

The Great Pyramid is 147 metres
high. It towers above other famous landmarks.
It was built for pharaoh Khufu and is just
outside modern Cairo, at Giza.


Inside the Great Pyramid

A passageway inside
the Great Pyramid


The burial chamber at the centre
of the Great Pyramid


The pyramids
at Giza

 

A computer recreation showing how the Giza pyramids and temples
would have looked soon after they were built
by Mark Millmore


Who built the pyramids?

The Egyptian Pyramids
were built by thousands of workmen.
Building pyramids was very dangerous and
every day was a challenge. The workmen pulled
heavy blocks of limestone to the building site on wooden sledges.

The ground had to be levelled to make a flat surface to build the pyramids on. The pyramids were built from huge stone blocks, and covered in a limestone casing, with a golden capstone at the top.

A large pyramid took over twenty years
to build.

A wooden sledge used to carry
stone blocks to the pyramids

Some Pyramid Dates

The first pyramid was built in 2635 B.C.
The Great Pyramid was built in 2500 B.C.
The Egyptians stopped building pyramids in 1780 B.C. This was
because tomb robbers kept stealing all the royal treasures from inside.


Fact!
Chephren's pyramid cracked and fell to the ground!

Page made by Alex, Caity and Samantha