Pyramids of Giza

The afterlife was a major focus for the royals during the time of the pharaohs. When these rich people died, if they prepared properly, they would travel through the underworld, face a final judgment, and hopefully reach paradise.

Preparation involved rituals like mummification, burying the mummy with necessary goods for the afterlife, and reciting spells from the Book of the Dead.

The pyramids and ancient tombs are all on the west side of the Nile. Each night, the sun god Ra died on the west side. So, tombs and mortuary temples were built on the west side of the river. The sun was reborn each morning on the east side - the side of life. So people lived on the east bank.

The Giza pyramids are closest to Cairo. The most famous of these is the Great Pyramid, or Pyramid of Khufu, which is the largest and oldest. For millennia, it was the tallest structure in the world. The other two main pyramids are the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaure. These pyramids were built between approximately 2600 and 2500 BC.

There used to be a 3 meter stone apex block at the top, which has fallen off over time. The pyramids' original exteriors were covered with limestone or granite, almost all of which has chipped off. The great pyramid is made of 2.3 million blocks of stones, and took 100K workers 26 years to build it. The King's autobiography tracked all the numbers, including that 6.5k workers died. Most of the workers were paid labour, not slaves (and the Hebrews lived in Egypt in a different time than the pyramids were constructed).

As soon as the king comes to the throne, he or she started building their pyramid. Over time though, our guide explained, the pharaohs realized that the pyramids were easy to find and loot, so they started building their burial tombs underground.Read more