Facts about Giza Pyramids

One of the most interesting Giza Pyramids facts is that the Great Pyramid held the record as the tallest structure in the world built by man for almost four thousand years. It was not until the Eifel Tower was built in Paris, France. All Pyramids in Egypt, including those built on the Giza Plateau are situated on the west bank of the River Nile because that is where the sun sets every evening, symbolizing the realm of the dead.

Inside the main chamber of the Great Pyramid lies a granite coffer that is far too large to have fit down the narrow passageway at the entrance. This realization has led historians and archaeological to believe that the Great Pyramid was built around the coffer rather than it being brought inside. The Pyramids of Giza were once covered in a white casting made of glimmering limestone which was so polished that it would reflect the sun rays. The original pyramid with its casing stones would act like gigantic mirrors and reflect light so powerful that it would be visible from the moon as a shining star on Earth.

The size of the Great Pyramid of Giza is enormous measuring 756 feet at its base and 455 feet in height. In fact, the pyramids are so big that can be visible from space on clear days. No other man made structure in the world can boast this incredible fact. The quarry of Aswan, about 525 Miles upriver, was the site for the stone used to make the massive blocks that comprise the pyramid and it has been suggested that there are enough blocks in the three pyramids to build a 10 feet high 1 feet thick wall around France.

Modern Egyptologists now believe that the pyramids were built by thousands of skilled workers rather than slaves. It is known that Pharaon Khufu’s nephew Hemiunu was appointed head of construction for the Great Pyramid and that Khufu provided good food and clothing for his workers. The Great Pyramids of Egypt now stand a full 3 miles south of the spot where they were originally built. That’s how much the earth’s surface has shifted in the last 4500 years. The Great Pyramid’s base is a perfect square and each side of the square measuring 756 feet. The base spans over 13 acres of land and is big enough to accommodate nearly 10 football fields.