Cairo , Egypt
Pyramids of Giza , Egypt
The Pyramids of Giza
Cruise Port : Alexandria , Egypt It is utterly mind-boggling to attempt to comprehend the oceans of time that the Pyramids of Giza have withstood . Today , they ’ re approximately 4,600 years old , having been constructed around 2500 BCE . They are the oldest of the seven wonders of the ancient world , and the last to still be standing today . Another fun way to contextualize this : Cleopatra — the famed last pharaoh of Egypt ruling from 51 to 30 BCE — lived closer to the invention of the iPhone than the construction of the pyramids .
The stars of the show are the three pyramids themselves : the Great Pyramid ( the big one ; the Pyramid of Khufu ), the slightly smaller pyramid a few hundred meters southwest ( the Pyramid of Khafre ) and the smallest of the three even farther southwest ( the Pyramid of Menkaure ). Each was understandably named for the pharaoh they housed ; Khufu ’ s still holds the granite sarcophagus within the king ’ s chamber . For the adventurous ( and claustrophobia-free ), descending into the chamber is simply an adventure you can ’ t pass up .
Of course , the complex is more than just three pyramids : There ’ s the Great Sphinx just to the east ( it ’ s widely believed that the head depicts Khafre ). Then there ’ s the smattering of queens ’ pyramids , tombs , boat pits and cemeteries orbiting the pyramids . Visiting the pyramids is the perfect chance to play Indiana Jones and feel like an archeologist pulling away the shroud of millennia gone past . �
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