The largest and most famous pyramid is the Great Pyramid located in the Giza plateau, near Cairo. This pyramid was built for the pharaoh Cheops. Over two million blocks of limestone were used and it took over twenty years to build. The pyramid was built so that it faces the four cardinal directions. There are two other smaller pyramids in the same area. The three pyramids together are known as the Giza Pyramids. The Giza pyramids are the first of the seven wonders of the Ancient World.

When a pharaoh died he was buried in a tomb called a pyramid. The reason for this was that if a pharaoh’s body was destroyed, his Ka would have nowhere to go and would die. If his Ka died, he would not be able to go to the afterlife. This would make the gods angry and they no longer protected the land or people of the pharaoh. This is what the pyramids started out to be but they soon became not only a final resting place, but a symbol of power.