Who Built the Great Pyramid?

The Great Pyramid was built by the Pharaoh Khufu. It was 204 feet high and it took 20 years for the Great Pyramid to be built.

Still primarily in good shape today, the Great Pyramid of Giza was probably built as a tomb for the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu, who would have reigned from 2589 to 2566 B.C.E.

The pharaoh Khufu instructed the builders to line it up due north, which they did with surprising accuracy. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is also called the Great Pyramid of Giza, Pyramid of Cheops, and the Pyramid of Khufu.

It took over half a million stone blocks to build the pyramid along with over 40,000 casing stones that weighed about 15 tons each. It is the only pyramid with air shafts and some chambers above ground. It has three chambers, two of which are above ground level.

His mummy has not been found within the pyramid but scholars assume the pyramid is his creation due to the discovery of a preserved solar barge called the Khufu Ship was discovered in a pit at the pyramid’s base.

Interesting Facts

There has never been a mummy found in a pyramid in Egypt. They are found in tombs from the Valley of the Kings.

The mantle of the Great Pyramid reflected light very well and was used as a beacon. It also marked the equinoxes and solstices. It is at the center of all land mass on Earth. If you look at the line of longitude and the line of latitude that covers the most land mass, they intersect in two points. One is over the ocean and the other is at the Great Pyramid.

The Great Pyramid is the only pyramid with curved sides and the curvature matches the Earth’s radius. The length of a side of the base is 365.24 cubits, which is the length of a year.

Why did it take 20 years to build the Great Pyramid? There is an elaborate  connection between some stars and the pyramid.

• The Descending Passage points to Alpha Draconis, the Northern Star at that time.
• The southern shaft in the King’s chamber points to a star in the Orion constellation, which is associated with the god Osiris.
• The Sirius star system is lined up with the northern shaft of the Queen’s chamber, which had significance in the Dogon tribal ceremonies in Africa. They believe they have been visited by beings from that star system. 

Pyramid's Purpose

It was believed that a dead pharaoh became Osiris, god of the dead, and that part of his “ka” or spirit remained with the body. If the corpse did not have the proper care, the king could not perform his duties and disaster would come to Egypt.

So to continue the life-death cycle of the pharaohs and ensure a good life for Egyptians, everything that the king would need in the afterlife was placed in his tomb. This included pottery of clay, stone, or gold, furniture, and food. The Egyptians brought food offerings long after his death.

The Great Pyramid was the center of a great complex which included:

• Two temples
• Smaller pyramids
• Five boat pits
• Causeway
• Tombs for the royal family and government officials

The builders of the pyramids came from all walks of life. They were not slaves as some have said. It took 20,000 to 30,000 people to build the pyramids at Giza.

Wonder of the World

The Great Pyramid is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one of them that is largely intact today. The other wonders are the:

• Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• Statue of Zeus at Olympia
• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
• Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
• Colossus of Rhodes
• Lighthouse of Alexandria