Great Pyramids of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex bordering present-day Giza in Greater Cairo, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact.
Egyptologists believe the pyramid was built as a tomb for the Fourth Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu often Hellenized as "Cheops" and was constructed over a 20-year period. Khufu's vizier, Hemiunu also called Hemon, is believed by some to be the architect of the Great Pyramid.
Historians continue to debate about the ancient Egyptians' use of the pyramid form for the royal tombs at Giza and in funerary sites elsewhere. Several theories have been proposed about what the form represents: the pyramid may function as a stairway for the pharaoh's ka to reach the heavens, it could refer to the ancient mound of creation, or it might symbolize sunrays spreading to the earth.
The pyramids of Giza are mostly solid masses of stone with very little to be found inside. Like many ancient Egyptian pyramids, those of Khafre and Menkaure have passageways at their base that lead to small subterranean burial chambers underneath each pyramid. Khufu's pyramid also has underground tunnels, but the burial chamber is located in the centre of the structure, accessible via a climb up a tight interior passageway. Contrary to what one might expect, there are no hieroglyphic texts, treasures, or mummies in any of pyramids of Giza. Decoration inside pyramids began several centuries after those of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure were constructed. Moreover, any treasure would have been plundered in ancient and medieval times—a fate that likely affected the bodies of the kings, which have never been found.