The Pyramids of Egypt

From the Giza plateau to the older experiments at Saqqara and Dahshur

There are more than a hundred pyramids in Egypt, and the three at Giza are only the most famous. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the last of the Seven Wonders still standing, and the Great Sphinx keeps watch below it.

The more interesting story is south of Giza, where the form was worked out over a century of trial and error: the stepped tomb of Djoser at Saqqara came first, and the Red Pyramid at Dahshur was the first to get the true shape right. Saqqara and Dahshur are quiet enough to walk at your own pace, and both sit within an easy day tour of Cairo.