We couldn’t skip the Egyptian pyramids, sphinx, or large museum during our visit to Cairo. 

Pyramids of Giza – Built over 4,000 years ago, the group of pyramids in this complex and the surrounding area comprise an ongoing excavation site. Many historians and archeologists believe pharaohs built the impressive pyramids as tombs for themselves. However, the debate of why and how the geometric structures were constructed continues. Graham Hancock, in his book Fingerprints of the Gods, raises many issues with the tomb theory. The easy-to-read chapter is certainly worth bit of your time if you have already been to or plan to visit the Pyramids of Giza.

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Visitors can no longer climb the pyramids, which is just as well since some of the stones were Susan’s shoulder height.

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The Great Pyramid of Khufu, originally completed about 2570 BC at 146 meters high, now stands at 137 meters. The loss of 9 meters occurred over many years as the white limestone casing was removed to build palaces and mosques. The pyramid’s four sides each measure 230 meters long at the base. No mortar or cement was used to hold together the 2.3 million large blocks, each weighing over 2 tons. Khufu was the first pharaoh to build a pyramid in the area and we were very impressed with his Great Pyramid, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

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Khafre, son of Khufu, also built his own pyramid. It looks taller than the Great Pyramid, but that is because its base is at a higher elevation. Measuring 136 meters tall, the Khafre Pyramid was originally covered with fine, white limestone from the nearby city of Tura, except for lower course with pink (sometimes called red) granite from the southern Egyptian city of Aswan, 850 kilometers away.

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King Menkaure died before artisans completed his pyramid, the smallest of the three pharaoh structures in the Giza complex. It stands just 66.5 meters high and displays a 51 degree slope. Aswan pink granite once covered the first 16 courses and Tura limestone provided a beautiful facing for the rest of the pyramid. We saw just a bit of the remaining granite on the bottom courses.

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Great Sphinx – Just a short walk from the Giza Pyramids stands the most recognized sculpture in Egypt. The large, partially restored limestone statue resembles a man with lion haunches. Many historians believe that it represents Khafre and guards the entrance of his pyramid. Workers at the Giza Pyramid complex deal with the ongoing challenge of blowing desert sand covering parts of the 73 meter-long and 20 meter-high sphinx.

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Step pyramid of Djoser – After seeing the impressive Giza Pyramids, our guide took us to Saqqara to look at the oldest known pyramid-style stone structure in the world. Built by Pharaoh Djoser in the mid 2600s BC, the six-level structure underwent a restoration project from 2006 until 2019. We were not allowed to walk around the entire pyramid, but we were able to explore a bit of the entry courtyard and unique enclosure wall.

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Museum of Egyptian Antiquities – We spent an afternoon looking at a small portion of the 120,000 museum artifacts, the largest collection of Pharaonic antique items in the world. 

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Funerary items discovered in ancient tombs

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When visiting the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, we did not go inside the tomb of King Tutankhamun. He died before his tomb was finished, so it is not as spectacular as the three pharaoh burial chambers we visited. We did, however, make a point to see the museum’s very large collection of beautiful items found inside King Tutankhamun’s tomb.

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Archeologists discovered three nested coffins inside of Tutankhamun’s stone sarcophagus. The relief photos below are of the stone sarcophagus and two of the nested coffins made of wood and covered with gold and precious stones. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos of the inner most coffin made of solid gold.

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Items discovered inside Tutankhamun‘s sarcophagus and coffins

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Other interesting museum artifacts

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The museum is not large enough to display many of the 120,000 piece collection. A new and larger museum under construction just two kilometers from the Giza Pyramids will be the new home for a portion of the Cairo collection. The Great Egyptian Museum, which should open in late 2021, will display many of the more popular artifacts, including the mummies of the kings and items found in King Tutankhamun‘s tomb. During our visit to the Cairo museum we saw many crates already prepared for the move.

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