The last surviving Wonder of the Ancient World, the Pyramids of Giza have stood on the edge of the Sahara Desert for over 4,500 years, defying time and continuing to inspire awe in everyone who gazes upon them. The Great Pyramid of Khufu originally stood 146 meters tall and was constructed from an estimated 2.3 million stone blocks, each weighing an average of 2.5 tons — a feat of engineering that remains astonishing by any modern standard. Beside it stand the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, along with the enigmatic Great Sphinx, a 73-meter-long limestone guardian with the body of a lion and the face of a pharaoh. The scale is impossible to grasp from photographs alone — standing at the base of the Great Pyramid, with the vast desert stretching behind and the modern Cairo skyline shimmering in the distance ahead, is a moment that connects you viscerally to the deepest reaches of human civilization.

Pro tip: Enter the Giza Plateau from the desert-side entrance near the Panorama viewpoint for the most dramatic first impression — you will see all three pyramids aligned against the sky with no buildings in the frame.