Picture This

When we take our tours to Egypt, we always ask “Who can remember all seven wonders of the ancient world?” We haven’t had any one person yet who can name them all, but as we round the bend on the Giza Plateau just outside of Cairo, we ask, “And who can guess what is the last and only remaining wonder of the ancient world?” As the Great Pyramid comes into view, everyone gets that one right! But, are there only three pyramids in Egypt and is the Great Pyramid the oldest one? Let’s explore.

We have been blessed to see some pretty remarkable things in our lifetime. Some of them have lived in our minds for decades before we ever saw them. Sometimes we will see some site, some ancient archaeological structure, some waterfall, and we will comment: “It’s not how I pictured it.” Or “I thought such and such was a lot bigger than this.” When we first saw the Great Pyramid of Giza, we were not disappointed—we were overwhelmed with awe.

The Great Pyramid, at 481 feet (146.5 meters) was the tallest structure in the world for more than 4,000 years! Because of weathering and age, it has lost 31 feet from the top (9.5 meters) and you know, it still knocks your socks off!

I am not going to attempt to tell you how the Great Pyramid was built, but we do know that it took more than 2,300,000 (two million three-hundred and 00/100) limestone and granite blocks that were floated, pushed, pulled, dragged and hoisted in place to build this magnificent structure. The average weight of each block is 2.5 tons (5,000 lbs or 2.3 metric tons). The footprint of the pyramid is 592,000 square feet (55,000 square meters) or 13.59 acres! The largest blocks in the Great Pyramid (that we know about) weigh between 25 and 80 tons each and sit about the king’s chamber deep within the structure. Are you impressed yet? I am.

But the Great Pyramid is not the only pyramid on the Giza Plateau. Most people think there are three pyramids—but there are actually 13!

And 9 of those 13 are still visible! And there are at least 118 pyramids that have been identified in Egypt that we know of today! This sounds like a travel sale’s pitch.

When Abraham and Sarah arrived in Egypt, the pyramids had already been standing for more than 500 years! When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, the pyramids had been in place for more than a thousand years. When Joseph and Mary brought their precious baby Jesus to Egypt to escape the evil decree of King Herod, the pyramids had been there for 2,600 years! No wonder we call the Great Pyramid one of the wonders of the ancient world. But, is this the oldest pyramid in Egypt?

Actually, the Step Pyramid, or the Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara is the oldest, in fact, it is the oldest stone structure in the world, built more than 4,700 years ago—about 2680 B.C. There is a new claim of an older structure in Indonesia, but there are so many questions about this recent discovery, I do not include it here.

What I can say is this: Whenever I drive up a steep mountain road with switchbacks, or even Interstate 70 through Colorado, I always comment to Maurine, “I am so humbled and so impressed by the roadbuilders who put in this road. I am so grateful. This is remarkable!” I bet I’ve said that statement at least 100 times on amazing roads all around the world. But, when we visit the Great Pyramids in Egypt, I am so overwhelmed, I try to express the awe that I feel and I simply can’t. I am dumbfounded.

And now, you can picture this.