19 Interesting Great Pyramid of Giza Facts

The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops. It the oldest and the largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Pyramid complex. It is located in El Giza, Egypt. It is believed that the pyramid was built as a tomb over a 10 to 20-year period concluding around 2560 BC by Pharaoh Khufu of the 4th Dynasty.

Interesting Great Pyramid of  Giza Facts

19 Interesting Great Pyramid of Giza Facts

1. Its height is 481 feet (146 meters). Archeologists say it was the tallest structure in the world for about 3,800 years. But today its height has decreased due to the erosions caused by the rain and winds.

2. The interior temperature of the pyramid is constant and equals the average temperature of the earth, 20 Degree Celsius.

3. The Pyramid of Khafre, Pyramid of Menkaure and the Great Pyramid of Khufu are precisely aligned with the Constellation of Orion.

4.The pyramid was built with an estimated 2.3 million stone blocks, which weigh 2.5 to 15 tons each. There are some blocks that weigh over 50 tons.

5. Initially it was thought that the pyramid was built by slaves. But research done in the last few decades gives us a different view. Archaeologists discovered remains of cows, sheep and goat for thousands of people to eat meat every day in the villages surrounding the pyramids. This means the people involved in the pyramid were fed by royalty. This can't be compared to slavery in the modern-day definition of slavery.

6. The mortar used in the construction of pyramid cannot be reproduced even today. It has been analyzed and its chemical composition is known, but still can't be reproduced. It is stronger than stone and still holding up today.

7. In the present scenario if you want to climb to the top of the pyramid, you have to climb 203 steps.

8. The Great Pyramid of Giza was originally covered with casing stone. These stones were made from highly polished limestone. These casing stones reflected the sun's light and made the pyramid shine like a jewel. It is believed that the reflected light was so powerful that it would be visible like a shining star on Earth from the Moon. These casing stones are no longer present. After an earth quake in the 14th century the casing stones loosened. The Arabs then used them to build mosques.

9. The base of the pyramid covers 55,000 Sqmt (592,000 Sqft) and is perfectly square.

10. The outer mantle was composed of 1,44,000 casing stones, all of them polished and flat to an accuracy of 1/100th of an inch, about 100 inches thick and weighing approximately 15 tons each.

11. The four faces of the pyramid are slightly concave, the only pyramid to have been built this way.

12. The pyramid had a swivel door entrance at one time weighing about 20 tons. Swivel doors were found in only two other pyramids, one in Khufu's father pyramid and other in his grandfather's. His father's name was Sneferu and grandfather's name was Huni.

13. When the Pyramid was first broken from the swivel door, it was found that it was so well balanced that it could be easily opened from inside by applying a minimal force. When closed it was hard to detect the opening from the outside.

14. The relationship between Pi (P) and Phi (F) is expressed in the fundamental proportions of the Great Pyramid.

15. The interior of the pyramid contains three burial chambers. One of the chambers was built into the bedrock underground. The queen's chamber was built higher than that and the king's chamber was the highest. But it is said that Khufu did not intend to use the queen's chamber for any one of his wives. He intended to use it for a statue of himself.

16. Ball and socket design of construction was used for the cornerstone foundations of the pyramid. This helped the pyramid to deal with earthquakes and earth's heat expansion.

17. We feel that the Great Pyramid has 4 sides. But that's not true; it actually has eight sides. Each of the four sides, there is an indentation of laser precision that divides each face into two pieces. If you view from ground you will only see four sides. To see all the eight sides, you have to see it from top, that too when the lighting conditions are perfect.

18. The Granite coffer in the King's chamber is so big that it would have been impossible to carry it through the pyramid passages. Experts believe that the coffer was placed there first and then the pyramid construction started.

19. The Giza pyramids are guarded by the Great Sphinx, the largest monolith statue in the World. The face of the Sphinx is generally believed to represent the face of the Pharaoh Khafra.

Hope you enjoyed reading the Interesting Great Pyramid of Giza Fact. Do not shy to share it with your friends.