The Great Pyramid of Giza Facts

The Great Pyramid of Giza is also known as Pyramid of Cheops and Pyramid of Khufu. Among the many tourist attractions in Egypt, this is one that is truly magnificent. It is undeniably a real masterpiece considering the fact that it was built with skills and precision without using any of today’s technology. If you are highly fascinated with this Egyptian pride, this list of the great pyramid of Giza facts should be helpful to you.

1. The great pyramid of Giza is estimated to have been built using about 2.3 million stone blocks (each one weighing around 2 to 30 tons) and seven blocks weighing more than 50 tons. These blocks are believed to have been carried from the nearby quarries and the Tura limestone that was used for casing had been quarried across the river. There were also huge granite stones found in the pyramid (in the King’s chamber) and each weighs 25 to 80 ton and these were believed to have been carried from Aswan, a place that is more than 800 km away from the site.

2. The pyramids of Giza have been aligned precisely with the Constellation of Orion.

3. The pyramid’s base covers 55,000 m2 – with each side bigger than 20,000 m2 in area.

4. Inside the pyramid, the temperature is amazingly constant and stable, and is alike the earth’s normal temperature, which is 20 Degrees Celsius or 68 Degrees Fahrenheit.

5. The outer mantle of the pyramid of Giza was constructed using 144,000 casing stones. These stones were flat and highly polished to an accurateness measurement of 1/100th of an inch, that is about 100 inches thick and each stone weighed around 15 tons each.

6. The great pyramid of Giza’s cornerstone foundations have been incorporated with ball and socket so that the structure will be able to handle earthquakes and heat expansion.

7. The mortar used for the pyramid of Giza is said to be of an unknown origin and you cannot find anything about it anywhere. There was an analysis though and the chemical composition was identified. It is a sad fact though that it cannot be reproduced. Which is really unfortunate as the chemical composition is really strong and still holding up until today.

8. The pyramid was covered originally with casing stones that were made from exceedingly polished limestone. The casings reflected sun’s light, which made the pyramid look like a shining jewel. Sadly though, these casing stones are no longer in existence as many of them got loosened after an earthquake that occurred in the 14th century. It has been reported though the original pyramid of Giza with the casing stones would be like huge mirrors that can reflect light powerful enough that would make it evident from the moon.

9. Ancient Egyptians named the great pyramid of Giza as “Ikhet”, which means “Glorious Light”.

10. The Great Pyramid of Giza facts include one fact that states it as the most precisely aligned structure that ever existed. It faces true north and it only has 3/60th degree of error.

11.  The Great Pyramid of Giza is located exactly at the center of the earth’s land mass. The east/west parallel crossing the most land, while the north/south meridian is crossing the most land intersect in two places – one in the ocean, while another at the Great Pyramid.

12. The pyramid also has four faces that are concave slightly, making it the only pyramids that have been built in such a way.

13. The four sides’ centers are notched with an astonishing degree of accuracy that formed the only eight-sided pyramid on earth. This effect is only visible on air and cannot be determined from a distance or from the ground. What makes this eight-sided feature really special is that it can really be noticeable only where there is proper lighting condition. So, it only means that even if you are up there in the air and you want to see the pyramid in that angle, you still won’t notice the eight-sidedness of the structure. To get the best view of this wondrous structure, you need to make sure that you are going to get up there at the right time. There should be enough light that will cast shadows on the pyramid of Giza.

14. It is believed that the King’s chamber’s granite coffer was installed during the pyramid’s construction as it is simply too big that it did not fit though the designated entry ways. The coffer was confirmed to be constructed out of block of solid granite.

15. At one time, the Great Pyramid of Giza used to have a swivel door for entrance.

16. It was also reported that when the pyramid of Giza was initially discovered, the swivel door (that weighs about 20 tons) had been so well-balanced that minimal amount of force was all that was required to open it. When closed though, the construction was so perfect that it was actually hardly detectable.

17. It was estimated that the pyramid is about 5,955,000 tons in weight.

18. The pyramid’s Descending Passage was pointed to Alpha Draconis (the pole star) during 2170-2144 BCE. At that point in time, it was the North Star and there have been no other star aligned with that passage since that time.

19. The King’s Chamber’s southern shaft on the other hand pointed to the star Al Nitak in the constellation Orion during 2450 BCE.

20. The pyramid’s faces have curvature design that precisely matches the earth’s radius.

21. For about 3,800 years, the great pyramid of Giza was known as the world’s tallest structure.

22. There are three chambers inside the pyramid; the lowest chamber, the Queen’s chamber and the King’s chamber.

This pyramid is indeed one magnificent structure and the great pyramid of Giza facts listed here only proves that it was indeed built with the kind of precision that only the best minds can come up with. It really has every right to be called a Wonder.