Great Pyramid of Giza part1

The Great Pyramid of Giza (also called the Pyramid of King Khufu' and Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt, and is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that survives substantially intact. It is believed the pyramid was built as a tomb for Fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharoah Khufu (Cheops in Greek) and constructed over a 20 year period concluding around 2540 BC.

The Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years. Originally the Great Pyramid was covered by casing stones that formed a smooth outer surface, and what is seen today is the underlying core structure. Some of the casing stones that once covered the structure can still be seen around the base.
There have been varying scientific and alternative theories regarding the Great Pyramid's construction techniques. Most accepted construction theories are based on the idea that it was built by moving huge stones from a quarry and dragging and lifting them into place.

The Sphinx and Great Pyramid of Khufu.  The mysterious Great Sphinx, with human head and lion's body, is a colossal sculpture cut from the Giza bedrock.  It appears to preside over the Giza necropolis.

Casing stones

At completion, the Great Pyramid was surfaced by white 'casing stones' – slant-faced, but flat-topped, blocks of highly polished white limestone. These were carefully cut to what is approximately a face slope with a seked of 5 1/2 palms to give the required overall dimensions. Visibly, all that remains is the underlying step-pyramid core structure seen today. In AD 1301, a massive earthquake loosened many of the outer casing stones, which were then carted away by Bahri Sultan An-Nasir Nasir-ad-Din al-Hasan in 1356 in order to build mosques and fortresses in nearby Cairo. The stones can still be seen as parts of these structures to this day. Later explorers reported massive piles of rubble at the base of the pyramids left over from the continuing collapse of the casing stones, which were subsequently cleared away during continuing excavations of the site. Nevertheless, many of the casing stones can be seen to this day in situ around the base of the Great Pyramid, and display the same workmanship and precision as has been reported for centuries.

Inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu

From an entrance just above the base of the Great Pyramid, a cramped Ascending Passage climbs for 36 meters up through the solid stone core to a towering Grand Gallery.  This climbs another 46 meters to reach the King's Chamber and an empty sarcophagus in the heart of this colossal pyramid.  The enormous weight that bears down on the King's Chamber is dissipated by a series of ingenious stress-relieving chambers and massive granite beams built above it.

One of several cedarwood boats buried close to the Great Pyramid of Khufu.  They may have been used during Khufu's funeral, or intended as solar boats to transport the king in the afterlife.

The King's Chamber in the heart of the Great Pyramid holds an empty stone sarcophagus.
The sarcophagus in the King's Chamber was fashioned from a single piece of red granite.  The stark chamber was walled by huge blocks of the same stone.  We will never know whether Khufu or anyone else was really entombed here.  Despite efforts of the ancient Egyptians to seal the sacred chamber, it was probably violated and robbed even before the end of the Old Kingdom.