The Pyramid Complex at Giza
The Pyramid Complex at Giza is dominated by the three pyramids constructed on the Giza plateau on the west bank of the Nile during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt (c. 2575-2465 BCE). The pyramids are assumed to have been built as the final resting place for the three pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure.
The northernmost and oldest pyramid (also called the Great Pyramid) is that of Khufu, the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, with a side length at its base of 230 metres and an original height of almost 150 metres. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one still in existence. The middle pyramid to the south is that of Khafre, the fourth pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, and measures some 216 metres on each side and originally rose some 140 metres. The southernmost and smallest pyramid is that of Menkaure, the fifth pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, with each side measuring 109 metres and a height of 66 metres.
All three pyramids originally had an outer casing of white limestone which was largely removed throughout the ages for use in other structures. Only Khafre’s pyramid retains some of its outer casing at the top. Each pyramid complex also contains a funerary temple, as well as the resting places of queens and members of the nobility. Khafre’s pyramid complex also contains the Great Sphinx, a mythical creature carved out of limestone. Surrounding the pyramids are extensive grid-patterned fields of mastabas for officials and lesser relatives of the pharaohs.
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