Egyptian Pyramids At Giza – Perspective Time!
You’d have to be living under a rock to not know that the Giza Pyramids are in Egypt.
What I found most striking about Giza wasn’t the pyramids themselves, but just how much Cairo suburbia encroached onto the pharaoh’s place of permanent rest over the years.
Here is a photo that we are all familiar with – a view of the Pyramids in the middle of a heap of sand. Probably one of the most cliched travel photo shots in the world!
Judging by the numerous clichéd photos of Giza showing three pointy edifices surrounded by endless sand, I’d always assumed the Pyramids were located in an isolated section of the Sahara, not as an almost token mausoleum part of Cairo’s outskirts.
Here’s the proof: This is the view looking out from the Giza Pyramids out into the very smoggy surrounds of the very chaotic Cairo metropolis. Yes, and the air smells as bad as it looks! There’s nothing liking inhaling the equivalent twenty packets of cigarettes a day, especially when you don’t smoke!
The travel brochure photographers obviously used the correct angles ensuring grimy slums don’t spoil the ridiculous tributes to the pharaohs.
Or the photos were 20 years old.
Or both!
The Giza Egyptian Pyramids – The Final Word!
But as a final photograph of proof, here is a painfully obvious photo of how much the Giza Pyramids have turned into a Tourist Trap: The view from a inside the comfort of a multinational pizza chain!
There you go! Nothing escapes the clutches of mass tourism!
If you haven’t yet visited the Egyptian Pyramids at Giza, sorry for spoiling your image of them! At least you will know what to expect if you ever go there!
I guess you could still marvel at Lost Technologies of Ancient Egypt: Advanced Engineering in the Temples of the Pharaohs.
For more stuff about Egypt, see:
- Aswan Egypt – River Nile Felucca Cruise Sights on Lake Nasser
- Egyptian Pyramids at Giza – Aren’t In The Middle Of Nowhere
- Egyptian Pyramid Construction – What Do They Look Like Inside?
- Abu Simbel Temples, Egypt – An Impressive Piece of Legoland
- Camel Rides at the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt. Try Avoiding Them!
- Unfinished Obelisk – D’oh, I stuffed it up!
Would be a nice excercise to check that for all the great brochure photo’s of monuments, beaches, etc. I think you’ll see many such surprises.
I does spoil the experience though – hope the pizza hut doesn’t serve bacon in Egypt.
.-= Luc J´s last blog ..Nikon COOLPIX S1000pj – First camera with built-in projector =-.
The key word here is that you “assumed” the pyramids were in the middle of the desert. Who on earth would look no further than a travel brochure before going to Egypt?
It’s no mystery.
Of course it’s not a mystery! Just an insight into how tourist cliches are projected out into the world!
I had no idea that they weren’t in the middle of the desert until I first saw the above photo through the Pizza Hut window.
If I was actually going to Egypt I would have done my research but in the meantime all I really know about is what we learned at school!
It would be interesting to find lots of brochure images and take photos facing the other direction, wouldn’t do much for sales though!
.-= Thomas´s last blog ..Boost Your Running Performance With Music =-.
Well, thank you. I really can’t believe how someone would think that Cairo is just Pyramids and Sphinx. I actually got a question from an American once asking if we (still) live in cages, and she was very surprised to find out we have internet connections :O
Thanks for this post, I enjoyed it 🙂
If you ever have free time, please visit my blog about Cairo from an Egyptian point of view:
Have a good day 🙂
The pyramids are still beautiful and amazing, the city hardly spoils it’s ancient sense.
It’s the same the world over, unfortunately. *Sigh* Here where I live in Puerto Rico, most of the natural beauty has been paved over and covered with houses. You see photos of pristine beaches in all the travel brochures, but what you don’t see is the pollution floating in the water, the bums everywhere begging for a dime to get drugs, and all the rest of the mess that Puerto Rico has become.
.-= PuertoRicoGuy´s last blog ..The Grouchy Travel Writer Lady Talks about Health Care Reform =-.
I always had a sneaking suspicion that the pyramids and surrounding area would’nt be as nice as i imagined. shame
seeing the pyramids in person must have been soooo amazing, too bad, of all places, a pizza hut was right next door … what a funny site to see.
Wow this reminds me of last year when they took the Starbucks out of the forbidden city in china. Modern day encroachment of cities on historical treasures is a worldwide issue. Either way it looks like you had a great time. Cant wait to get to go too.
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Oh. Well yeah that kind of ruins it a bit doesn’t it? Whenever I see pictures of pyramids they always look very mysterious and stand alone, like in a Disney movie. It’s a bit weird now to know they’re not in the middle of nowhere and you can even head out for a pizza after visiting them. Ruins the effect of it.
I’d also presumed they were in some sort of preserved area of the desert too and had images of a 4hr camel trek to get there, having done precisely no research. Its definitely a let down to know that it is so close to suburbia.
When I first came to Egypt, I was very excited to see the pyramids. When I got there, I was very surprised to find them so close to the city too. There are also buses that reach the site! But it is also kind of cool to feel in the middle of the desert and ancient monuments, and see the city on the other side. The pyramids remain awesome anyway. A little less awesome is that Pizza Hut in there, even if from their roof top you can have a BREATHTAKING view of the pyramids and sphinx. Worth to go to take beautiful pictures!
Awh man that’s broke my heart! I always thought they were in the middle of nowhere… that’s really ruined the longing for me to go visit them 🙁
Don’t let it stop you – just try and block out the modern day stuff from your field of view!
Obviously civilization wouldn’t be far from them. A look at Google Maps will give you an idea of how close it is to the city. But in one direction, it is mostly desert. So I guess you can still feel like you’re in another time period or another world as long as you don’t look behind you. But having modern things nearby is much better for tourism. I would get me some Pizza Hut and then tour me some pyramids. 🙂
Thank you mate really cool stuff,love your page
Oh the once upon time syndrome. Once they were in the middle of “nowhere” but those who want comfort food, location and a view showed up soon after. :-/ I do prefer the images I constructed in my mind’s eye from years of studying art history in dimly lit auditoriums. *sigh*
Oh well!
Your blog is fantastic!
Thanks for the information, we’re planning on going in February any idea how crowded it will be? Also it sounds like we can get a room at that hotel get up early and just go for it no tour guide needed?
This is a well-informed post. Thank you for that. ❤
When I first came to Egypt, I was very excited to see the pyramids. When I got there, I was very surprised to find them so close to the city too. There are also buses that reach the site! But it is also kind of cool to feel in the middle of the desert and ancient monuments, and see the city on the other side. The pyramids remain awesome anyway. A little less awesome is that Pizza Hut in there, even if from their roof top you can have a BREATHTAKING view of the pyramids and sphinx. Worth to go to take beautiful picture