Cairo Travel Guide

Pyramids of Giza

The pyramids are the earth's oldest tourist attraction and the Great Pyramid of Khufu (also referred to as the Great Pyramid of Cheops) is the only remainder of the seven ancient wonders of the world. Throughout their history, they have fired human imagination, with much speculation as to their origin and purpose, but most evidence supports the theory that they were built by the ancient civilisation as tombs or great monuments in which to bury their kings and nobles, a place to start their mystic journey to the afterlife. The oldest and largest pyramid, the Great Pyramid, is thought to have taken 20 years to build and is made of about two million blocks of limestone. No one knows how the two-ton blocks were moved into place, but it was known to be the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 40 centuries. The Great Sphinx, known as the Abu al-Hol (Father of Terror), stands in front of the Great Pyramid and is thought to be older than the pyramids themselves.

Tours of
Address: Pyramid Road, 11 miles (18km) southwest of the centre
Transportation: Bus 8 from Midan Tahrir
Opening Time: Daily 7am to 7:30pm; pyramid chambers 8am to 4pm.
Admission: Site: LE 60. Great Pyramid: LE 100. Other pyramids: LE 30-100. Concessions available