The Great Pyramid of Giza is the tallest Egyptian pyramid and one of the most popular construction projects of the ancient world. Its existence has led many people down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and weird ideas. However, the pyramid’s continuous survival over thousands of years remains a testament to human society’s incredible brilliance.
Along the Great Pyramid of Giza’s magnificence are many secrets worth exploring. Today, we will dive into these scary, mind-blowing, and amazing mysteries. So, climb the ladder of knowledge with us as we explore 10 unbelievable facts about the Great Pyramid of Giza.
- Key Takeaways
- Flash Facts
- It Held A Title As Old As Recorded History
- Someone Tried to Destroy It
- Its Construction Is Almost Unbelievable
- A Mysterious Part of The Great Pyramid of Giza Is Missing
- The Oldest of the Seven Wonders
- It Cost The Lives of So Many People
- It Never Featured in the Bible Or Torah
- The Mastermind
- There Are So Many Conspiracies About It That They Got A Name
- It Gets So Many Visitors, And There Are Dangers
- Conclusion
Key Takeaways
- The Great Pyramid of Giza is a marvel of the ancient world and has many secrets worth exploring.
- The Great Pyramid honors Khufu, one of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs. It stands beside two smaller pyramids, Khafre and Menkaure.
Flash Facts
| Name | The Great Pyramid of Giza |
| Official Website | Link Here |
| Location | Al Haram, Nazlet El-Semman, Al Haram, Giza Governorate 3512201, Egypt |
| Date of Construction | Around 2560 BC (About 4600 Years Old) |
| Important People Involved | Hemiunu (Assumed Architect), Khufu (Commissioner) |
| Height | 146.6 meters (Original), 138.5 meters (Current) |
| Weight | Around 5.7 million tons |
| Number of Visitors | 14.7 million (2023) |
Alternative Names: The Great Pyramid of Khufu or the Great Pyramid of Cheops.
Number of Years to Complete Construction: 20 Years.
Ancient Name: Akhet Khufu (Khufu’s horizon).
It Held A Title As Old As Recorded History
The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the oldest human constructions. It stood before so many civilizations and cultures. However, the pyramid also held a title as old as recorded human history.
For 3,800 years, the Great Pyramid of Giza was the world’s tallest human-made structure. For better context, in our last article on the Eiffel Tower, we talked about how the structure held the world’s tallest title for over 40 years. The Great Pyramid of Giza held the tallest human-made structure title for about 9500% more than the Eiffel. It was dethroned in 1311 by the Lincoln Cathedral in England.
Someone Tried to Destroy It
Imagine seeing a grand structure like the Great Pyramid of Giza and saying: ”Yeah, we need to destroy this ancient wonder right now!” Sounds brain-dead, right? Well, there was someone who thought of this and almost succeeded.
In the 12th century CE, Al-Aziz Uthman, the Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt, wanted to destroy the pyramids. His justification for the idea was that the pyramids symbolized a tradition not approved by the laws of his beliefs.
Shockingly, he employed people to start bringing down all the pyramids erected by the great pharaoh of old, including the Great Pyramid of Giza.
However, he ran into a weird problem. Tearing down the pyramids consumed too much money and time. Unable to financially sponsor such a project, Al-Aziz dropped the idea, and the pyramids lived to see another day.
Imagine if he succeeded.
Its Construction Is Almost Unbelievable
When some people argue that there is no way humans could have conceived and erected the Great Pyramid of Giza without external help, others shrug them. However, people make such statements because of how incredible building the pyramids of Egypt was.
About 2.3 million blocks of limestone were used in building the Great Pyramid of Giza. Each block weighed 2.3 tons (2,300 kilograms), and the structure took over 500,000 tons of mortar and 8000 tons of granite.
To put it into perspective, the largest oil rig platform in the world, the Berkut oil rig, weighs only 200,000 tons, twice less than the amount of mortar used for the Great Pyramid of Giza.
A Mysterious Part of The Great Pyramid of Giza Is Missing
For a structure that has stood for over 4000 years, the Great Pyramid of Giza looks perfect. However, there is part of the structure that’s missing. The Great Pyramid of Giza once had a capstone (the pyramidion) made from granite and limestone and covered in gold.
Many historians still don’t know the exact purpose of the pyramidion, and many speculate if the Great Pyramid of Giza had one. However, on top of the structure is a sign that shows where a pyramidion would likely have stayed.
The Oldest of the Seven Wonders
The seven wonders of the ancient world are engineering feats that have been the focus of awe among scientists, historians, and enthusiasts.
The wonders, which include the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Great Pyramid of Giza stand to this day, attracting millions of visitors.
However, the Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the wonders, and it remains the only structure with most of its structural integrity remaining. It perfectly fits the saying: “Oldie but Goldie.”
It Cost The Lives of So Many People
When we see a structure like the pyramids, we immediately see their magnificence. However, many don’t realize that constructing them claimed many people’s lives.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is no exception, as erecting it led to the death and injury of the workers who helped create it. Estimates for the number of lives the structure took are unknown, but they likely reside in the thousands.
It Never Featured in the Bible Or Torah
The Bible and Torah are the most sacred religious books for Christians and Jews. They talk about the journey taken by the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan, the promised land. However, even though so much of the Israelites’ history occurred in Egypt, there is not even one mention of the Great Pyramid of Gaza in their holy book.
How hard would it be to spot the world’s tallest structure?
Many historians and theologists were first baffled by the lack of mention of the Great Pyramid of Giza. However, answers popped up, including the leading theory that the Israelites were too far away from the pyramids to have noticed them.
The Mastermind
We have extensively talked about the Great Pyramid and its magnificent construction. However, who and what was it built for?
The pyramids of Egypt symbolized the power and rule of pharaohs.
The Great Pyramid of Egypt honors Khufu, the second pharaoh of the fourth dynasty (popularly called the Golden Age) of old Egypt.
The pyramid took an estimated 20 years to complete and was the final resting place of Khufu.
There Are So Many Conspiracies About It That They Got A Name
Over centuries, people have seen the Great Pyramid of Giza and marveled at its beauty and complexity. With science and technological advancement, many people express doubts about the structure.
Over the last decades, so many conspiracies about the pyramids’ construction, from aliens to inter-dimensional beings, have sprung up in many parts of the internet; these conspiracies are so many that they have their name: pyramidology.
That’s right, pyramidology or pyramidism refers to the pseudoscientific and religious speculations surrounding the construction of the Egyptian pyramids.
It Gets So Many Visitors, And There Are Dangers
Our last article explained how the Eiffel Tower gets 6 million visitors annually. However, that figure is nothing compared to the Great Pyramid of Giza, which receives over 14 million visitors annually.
One should beware when visiting the pyramids. Many tourists have claimed to be robbed, scammed, and threatened while visiting. So, it’s best to be vigilant.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed reading our incredible facts about the Great Pyramid of Giza. Don’t forget to leave us a comment and share. You can also check out our Facts Database.
