The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one still standing. Built as a tomb for Pharaoh Khufu, it required 2.3 million stone blocks! Discover the amazing facts about this massive, ancient Egyptian masterpiece.

Did you know there is a massive, ancient structure that was the tallest thing on Earth for thousands of years?

Get ready to blast off to Ancient Egypt because today we’re talking about the Great Pyramid of Giza! This incredible building is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and guess what? It’s the *only* one that is still standing today! When it was first built, it reached a mind-boggling height of 481 feet (147 meters), which is taller than most skyscrapers you see now! It was built as a giant tomb for a powerful Egyptian king, or Pharaoh, named Khufu. Let’s discover the amazing facts for kids about this incredible, stone masterpiece!

Mira

Mira says:

"Wow, 481 feet tall! That’s like stacking about 33 double-decker buses on top of each other! The ancient Egyptians sure knew how to build BIG things for their pharaohs."

What is the Great Pyramid Made Of?

The Great Pyramid looks rough and sandy today, but imagine this: when it was brand new, it was covered in thousands of smooth, shiny white limestone blocks! These outer stones reflected the sun’s light so brightly that the Egyptians called it “Ikhet,” which means “glorious light.”

Most of the pyramid is made of limestone blocks quarried nearby, but the special rooms deep inside use huge blocks of granite brought all the way from Aswan, which is about 500 miles (800 km) away!

Mind-Blowing Fact!

From the air, the Great Pyramid actually looks like it has eight sides, not four! This is because there is a very small, precise dip or curve in the middle of each of the four sides.

How Many Stones Made This Giant?

To make a structure this huge, you need a LOT of building materials. The Great Pyramid is made up of an estimated 2.3 million stone blocks!

The average stone block used for the main body of the pyramid weighed about 2 to 3 tons—that’s as much as a car! The biggest granite blocks inside weighed up to 80 tons!

2.3 Million Estimated Stone Blocks
To build the entire structure
3,800+ Years Tallest Structure
The time it held the world record
c. 2570 BC Approximate Finish Date
When construction was completed
500 Miles Distance for Granite
How far the heaviest stones traveled

How Did They Build It So Perfectly?

Building the Great Pyramid took incredible planning and amazing teamwork. Most experts think it took about 20 years to complete! That means workers had to put the blocks in place incredibly fast.

If they worked around the clock for 20 years, they would have needed to place about 12 blocks every single hour! Imagine moving a small car into place every hour, day and night!

The Amazing Workforce

For a long time, people thought the pyramids were built by slaves, but new discoveries suggest otherwise. It was actually built by thousands of skilled, paid laborers and tradesmen who lived in nearby camps.

Some estimates suggest a main workforce of 20,000 to 30,000 people helped build this wonder for their king.

The workers likely used clever systems of ramps and maybe even sleds pulled over wet sand or special water sluices to move those giant stones into place layer by layer!

💡 Did You Know?

Inside the Great Pyramid, there are three main chambers: the King's Chamber, the Queen's Chamber, and a passage called the Grand Gallery. Khufu’s huge granite sarcophagus (a stone coffin) is in the King's Chamber, but there aren't many decorations inside, unlike pyramids built later!

🎯 Quick Quiz!

What was the Great Pyramid originally covered with that made it look super shiny?

A) Gold dust
B) Polished black marble
C) Polished white limestone casing
D) Bronze shields

Who Was the Big Boss of the Pyramid?

The main reason for this giant tomb was the Pharaoh Khufu, who ruled Egypt during the Old Kingdom period, around 2600 BC!

Some history detectives think that Hemiunu, Khufu’s vizier (like a chief advisor or assistant), was the actual main designer or architect of this masterpiece.

  • It was built for Pharaoh Khufu (also called Cheops by some historians).
  • It is located on the Giza Plateau near modern-day Cairo, Egypt.
  • It is the largest of three main pyramids at Giza—the other two belong to Khufu's son and grandson!
  • Its base is so perfectly level that it is only off by about 15 millimeters (less than the width of a coin) across the entire base!

The Great Pyramid is a true puzzle made of stone, showing just how smart and dedicated the ancient Egyptians were. Even with all our modern tools, building something this precise and massive would still be a huge challenge for kids today to imagine!

Questions Kids Ask About Ancient Egypt

Who was the Great Pyramid built for?
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built as a magnificent tomb for the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh named Khufu, who ruled during the Old Kingdom.
How tall was the Great Pyramid when it was finished?
When it was first completed around 2570 BC, the Great Pyramid stood about 481 feet (147 meters) tall, making it the world's tallest structure for over 3,800 years!
Did it take slaves to build the pyramids?
Most modern evidence suggests that the pyramids were built by thousands of skilled, paid laborers who worked on the project, not slaves.
Why does the Great Pyramid look different now?
The pyramid lost its smooth, shiny appearance because the outer layer of polished white limestone casing stones was removed over time, likely to build other structures in Cairo.

Keep Exploring Ancient Wonders!

You’ve learned incredible facts about the Great Pyramid! It’s proof that history is full of massive achievements built by brilliant people long ago. What other ancient mysteries should we explore next?