It's impossible to imagine a trip to Égypte without visiting the famous Pyramids of Giza. Built by the ancient Egyptian pharaohs of the Fourth Dynasty (Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure), these pyramids have been the subject of mystery and fascination throughout the world. Discover the anecdotes and surprising facts to know about the Pyramids of Giza before you see them in person…

The Pyramids of Giza are quite close to the city of Giza

Many photographs give the impression that the Pyramids of Giza are located in the middle of the desert. In reality, they sit on the Giza Plateau, on the eastern edge of the city of Giza, on the West Bank of the Nile. For your information, Giza is the third-largest city in Égypte.

The Pyramids of Giza are not the earliest pyramids in Égypte

The Pyramids of Giza are not the first pyramids to have been built in Égypte. According to estimates, the pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara was built between 2,650 and 2,630 BCE, making it one of the oldest pyramids in the world. As for the Pyramids of Giza, the pyramid of Khufu (also called the Great Pyramid) was built around 2,600 BCE, the pyramid of Khafre was built around 2,570 BCE, and the pyramid of Menkaure around 2,510 BCE.

The Pyramids of Giza are the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The Pyramids of Giza are the last monumental structures of the Old Kingdom of Égypte. They constitute the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one that still stands today. Originally, these included the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia.

The Great Pyramid is made of more than 2.3 million stone blocks

The architecture and sheer scale of the pyramid of Khufu continue to captivate the world. Indeed, this structure measuring 232 meters on each side and 146 meters in height required 2.3 million stone blocks, with individual weights ranging from 1.5 to 15 tonnes. By comparison, the Great Pyramid exceeds Notre-Dame de Paris by 56 meters and weighs nearly 500 times more than the Eiffel Tower.

How did ancient Egyptians manage to build such a structure with meager resources such as copper tools and wooden mallets made from sycamore? Even today, no "consensus" explanation has been found for how workers managed to lift such heavy stone blocks to such a height.

The sides of the Great Pyramid are aligned with the four cardinal directions

The sides and base of the Great Pyramid of Khufu are perfectly aligned in the direction of the four cardinal points (North, South, East, and West). Measurements have shown a precision accurate to the millimeter.

How did the Egyptians achieve such a degree of perfection? Again, this is an enigma that continues to puzzle experts.

According to architect and Egyptologist Jean-Pierre Adam: "The Egyptians owed their survival to agriculture and therefore to the course of the sun," explains Jean-Pierre Adam. "Consequently, they sought astronomical landmarks to know when to sow, when to harvest… and connected these phenomena to deities. Hence this fascination with the equinoxes that mark seasonal changes and the particular orientation of temples."

If ancient civilizations had excellent astronomical knowledge, how did they determine true north without today's technologies? According to the expert's hypothesis, "they simply needed to build a small semi-circular brick wall and observe the movement of stars over a month".

The face of the Sphinx of Giza is perfectly symmetrical

Standing before the great pyramids of the Giza Plateau, the Sphinx of Giza is the largest monolithic sculpture in Égypte. It is also the largest in the world, measuring 73 meters in length and 14 meters in height. Carved from rock, the Sphinx is said to have, according to laser measurements, a perfectly symmetrical face on either side of the nose. Here again, the complexity and level of precision of such a construction is the subject of numerous theories.

The three Pyramids of Giza were once covered with a layer of white limestone

In ancient times, the three Pyramids of Giza were covered with an envelope of polished white limestone. This thin layer reflected the sun's rays and created the impression of a smooth surface. Over time, the limestone disappeared from the surface of the pyramids due to earthquakes. The limestone was also reused for other construction projects. Today, a small layer of white limestone can still be seen at the top of the pyramid of Khafre.

The pyramids of Égypte were topped with a pyramidion

At the summit of the pyramids of Égypte, there were originally pyramidions. This is an architectural element that takes the form of the pyramid in miniature, in the same proportions as the structure it crowns. It is an important element of Egyptian funerary worship. Indeed, the name of the deceased and prayers to prepare for passage to the afterlife were inscribed upon it.

The most important pyramidions were composed of diorite covered with gold, electrum, and other precious stones or metals. Many pyramidions have been plundered throughout history, but some have been preserved. You can discover a few of them at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

As for the pyramidion that once crowned the summit of the Great Pyramid, no one knows exactly where it is. The pyramidion currently displayed near the south-east corner is actually that of the small satellite pyramid.

The Pyramids of Giza have shrunk over the years

Due to thousands of years of erosion and the loss of their outer casing, the Pyramids of Giza have all shrunk over the years. The pyramid of Khufu originally measured 146 meters in height and now measures 138 meters. The pyramid of Khafre once measured 143 meters in height and currently measures 136 meters. Finally, the smallest of the pyramids, that of Menkaure, originally measured 66 meters in height and now measures 62 meters.