View from the Giza Plateau to the city limits of Cairo.
The Pyramids of Giza are one of Egypt's main attractions. The pyramids are located in the Giza Necropolis and are part of a series of ancient monuments that include the Great Pyramid of Cheops, the Great Sphinx of Giza and many more. For thousands of years they were the tallest man-made structures in the world. Today they are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Pharaoh Cheops began the first pyramid project at Giza around 2550 BC. His Great Pyramid is the largest in Giza, rising about 147 meters into the sky. The estimated 2.3 million stone blocks weigh an average of 2.5 to 15 tons.
Cheops' son, Pharaoh Chephren, built the second pyramid at Giza around 2520 BC. His necropolis also included the Sphinx, a mysterious limestone monument with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh. The Sphinx may have stood as a guardian over the entire pharaoh's funerary complex.
The third of the Giza pyramids is considerably smaller than the first two. It was built by Pharaoh Mykerino around 2490 BC and contained a much more complex mortuary temple.
However, each of the massive pyramids is only part of a larger complex that also includes a palace, temples, solar boat pits and other facilities.