Distant Day Out - Egyptian Pyramids in Giza

I went on holiday to Egypt over the past week, and I must admit that it was far more enjoyable than I had expected it to be. The weather was more than just wind and rain (though there was rain on my last day there), and the sights and experiences were so enjoyable they were unlike any I'd ever had before. And luckily I was able to visit the pyramids of Giza, which stand stranded in the desert, just off the capital Cairo. And none are more spectacular than the Great Pyramid, with a height of about 138 metres.

The Great Pyramid is impressive for its age, which is about 5,000 years. Its construction came about due to then pharaoh Khufu (most historians assume) commissioning the building of the pyramid to house his tomb, and it's served that purpose since it was completed. It was the tallest structure ever built in human history at the time, indeed it held that title for nearly 4,000 years, and took twenty-seven years to be completed. And with its construction, Khufu inadvertently sorted out Egypt's tourism industry - millions of people visit the pyramid annually.

There had been prior attempts to build pyramids before, to varying degrees of success. The Bent Pyramid, for example, features a prominent change in angle as you go up the pyramid, whilst the Red Pyramid was the previously tallest built structure and is more pyramid-like. But the Great Pyramid would never be topped, even as the pyramid construction industry carried on for another two thousand years. Pharaohs more prominent and celebrated would come and go, but none would displace Khufu's pyramid. Historians like Herodotus were amazed by the pyramid thousands of years later, and were praised as engineering marvels even as structures started to look less pyramid-like. 

So of course there's money to be made from it. I visited the pyramid as part of a tour, with a company deciding what we'd visit and how much time we'd have there. We only had ten minutes beside the Great Pyramid, while having over twenty minutes to buy perfume. Admittedly the total time to visit all the pyramids in Giza was about an hour in all, but that doesn't take away the fact that they were demoted to supporting actors in the whole trip.

To see the pyramids, you need a ticket - 540 LE, or £14 - but you can see it protruding from behind the visitor centre, so if you want to see it in person, you can afford a slightly worse view. But get past the turnstiles and there it is, perhaps the most iconic human structure in history. Perhaps it's not impressive if you compare it to more modern, elaborate structures, but it most certainly is if you're standing in the desert looking at it.

It used to be cased in white limestone, but that was removed long ago, thus revealing its sandy exterior, though some casing stones remain along its base. There are entrances to its inside, large holes which lead to corridors holding the tombs - one is the original entrance which is no longer used, with the smaller "Robbers' Tunnel" used by tourists to this day. I didn't go beyond admiring its exterior, though I'm sure it looks impressive. Pedants will say the pyramid isn't actually pyramidal anymore, because the top is flat, since the pyramidion which used to top it doesn't stand there anymore, and is now missing. 

Vendors stand outside, hoping to flog their wooden pharaohs, cats and pyramids, hoping you're enticed by their bargains and encouraged by their friendly smiles. I personally didn't take any, and noticing their almost full tables of souvenirs, I can only wonder how successful the job actually is. One man put a headscarf on me and took a photo, before wanting to be paid. I will not include that photo here. But beyond the magnets, you're left with a unique part of history, one which will likely stand for thousands more years to come, untouched by anyone, such is their age. I reckon Khufu would be impressed.

There's more to the pyramid complex than Khufu's, however. All in all there are six of varying heights, with two others being the most prominent. One, the Pyramid of Khafre, comes close to matching Khufu's in height (just two metres shorter), and is named for Khufu's son. The other, the Pyramid of Menkaure, is much shorter, nearly half the height of Khufu's pyramid, and the three make a nice set when you watch them from a distance. Menkaure's is awkwardly distanced from the rest, and three smaller pyramids - the Pyramids of Queens, which are more like slabs of stone placed on top of each other and given less catchy names (classified as G1-a, G1-b and so on). 

There's also the Sphinx nearby, a large statue of a creature part human, part lion, which also looks rather impressive. As with the Great Pyramid, I only had ten minutes to take photos and be near it, probably as the perfume shop was the more legendary landmark. But I shouldn't complain - I'm rather fortunate to have seen all these structures.

No, I didn't get any perfume.