Pyramids of Giza 
The ancient pyramids of Giza have withstood the ravages of time and are the only three survivors among the Seven Wonders World. For millions of people, the Giza pyramids embody antiquity and mystery. The site is directly accessible from Cairo by the 11 km long Sharia al-Ahram (Pyramids Road).  

Climbing the pyramids is now forbidden and it is undoubtedly very dangerous.  Though going inside is quite safe, anyone suffering from claustrophobia should avoid it. 

The Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)
This is the oldest and largest of the Giza Pyramids, of the IV Dynasty pharaoh Khufu better known as Cheops - who probably reigned between 2589 and 2566 BC. Called the "Glorious Place of Khufu " by the ancient Egyptians, it originally stood 140m (roughly 480ft) high and measured 230m along its base, but the removal of its casing stones has reduced these dimensions by 3 mt. 

The pyramid is estimated to weigh six million tons and contain over 2.3 million blocks whose average weight is 2.5 tons (though some weigh almost 15 tons). Visitors are allowed inside the structure daily via an opening created by the treasure-hunting Khalif Ma'mun in 820, some distance below the original entrance on the north face (now blocked).

The Solar Boat Museum 
Situated to the south of the Great pyramid is a humidity-controlled pavilion containing a 43-mt long boat from one of the five boat pits sunk around Khufu's pyramid. Another boat has been located by X-rays and video cameras, but not unexcavated.

Archaeologists term these vessels "solar boats" (barques), but their purpose remains uncertain. It is assumed that they were necessary for carrying the pharaoh through the underworld or accompanying the sun god on his daily journey across the heavens.

The Pyramid of Chephren (Khafre) 
Sited on higher ground, with an intact summit and steeper sides, the middle or Second pyramid seems taller than Khufu's. Built by his son Khafre (known to posterity as Chephren), its base originally covered 214.8 sq mt. Classical writers such as Pliny believed that the pyramid had no entrance, but when Belzoni located and blasted open the sealed portal on its north face in 1818, he found that Arab tomb robbers had somehow gained access nearly a thousand years earlier, undeterred by legends of an idol "with fierce and sparkling eyes", bent on slaying intruders.

In March 1993 an explosion inside Chephren’s pyramid, probably caused by a bomb, injured several tourists.

Chephren's Funerary Complex and the Sphinx 
The best-preserved example of the typically Old Kingdom arrangement can be seen in the design of the  funerary complex of Chephren's pyramid. It consists of a pillared hall, central court, e-niched storerooms and a sanctuary, but most of the outer granite casing has been plundered over centuries and the interior may not be accessible. Amongst the remaining blocks is a 13.4 mt long monster weighing 163,000 kg. Flanking the temple are what appear to be boat pits, although excavations have yielded nothing but pottery fragments. 

The Sphinx
This legendary monument is the first large, royal statue known in ancient Egypt and is one of the world's most significant monuments. A colossal 240 ft long and 66 ft high, it lies in the old kingdom quarry, carved from a core of solid bedrock and completed with masonry. Conventional archeology credits Chephren with the idea of shaping it into figure with a lion's body and a human head, which is often identified as his own, though it may represent a guardian deity.

Pyramid of Mycerinus (Menkaure) 
Situated on a gradual slope into undulating desert, the smallest of the Giza pyramids speaks of waning power and commitment. Though started by Chephren's successor, Menkaure (called Mycerinus by the Greeks), it was finished with unseemly haste by his son Shepseskaf, who seemingly enjoyed less power than his predecessors and depended on the priesthood. Herodotus records the legend that an oracle gave Mycerinus only six years to live, so to cheat fate he made merry round the clock, doubling his annual quantum of experience.

Another story has it that the pyramid was actually built by Rhodophis, a Thracian courtesan who charged each client the price of a building block (the structure is estimated to contain 200,000 blocks). In any event, no subsequent pyramid ever matched the standards of the Giza trio.

The Pyramids of Zawiyat al-Aryan 
The Zawiyat aI-Aryan pyramid lies roughly midway between Giza and North Saqqara and about 3.5km from the Sun Temples of Abu Ghurab at Abu Sir.

Pyramids of Saqqara
The largest archeological site in Egypt, today is the Square, pronounced "sa' 'ahrah". Its name probably derives from Sokar, the Memphite god of the dead, though Egyptians may tell you that it comes from saq, the Arabic word for a hawk or falcon, the sacred bird of Horus.

Besides the pyramids and mastabas seen by visitors, Saqqara has an incalculable wealth of monuments and artefacts still hidden beneath the windblown sands. In 1986, the tomb of Maya, Tutankhamun's treasurer, was discovered, stuffed with precious objects. Yet aside from Zosers Pyramid, the site was virtually ignored by archeologists until Auguste Mariette found the Serapeum in 1851. The highlights are Zoser's funerary complex, the serapeum, and two outstanding mastabas. 

Zoser's Funerary Complex 
The funerary complex of King Zoser (or Djoser) is the largest in Saqqara, and its Step Pyramid heralded the start of the Pyramid Age. When Imhotep, Zoser's chief architect, raised the pyramid in the 27th century BC, it was the largest structure ever built in stone.

Before it was stripped of its casing stones and rounded off by the elements, Zore's Pyramid stood 62m high and measured 140m by 118m along its base. The original entrance on the northern side is blocked.

South of Complex the Pyramid of Unas 
A low passageway on the northern side leads into its burial chamber, whose alabaster walls are covered with inscription listing the rituals and prayers for liberating the pharaoh's ba, and the articles for his ka to use in the afterlife. These pyramid texts are the earliest known example of decorative writing within a pharaonic tomb chamber, and formed the basis of the new kingdom Book of the Dead.

Other Tombs and Ruins 
A stone hut to the south of the Unas Pyramid gives access to a spiral staircase that descends 25m underground, to where three low corridors lead into the vaulted Persian Tombs. Other tombs and pyramids within the complex include: the Tomb of Horemheb, Tomb of Tia, Tomb of Maya, Pyramid of Userkaf and Pyramid of Teti.

The Pyramid Complexes
At the southern end of the pyramid field a low mound marks the core of the unfinished Pyramid of Neferefre, whose brief reign preceded Nyuserre's. North is the much larger pyramid of Neferirkare, the third ruler of the V Dynasty, who strove to outdo his predecessor, Sahure.