Giza - is the third largest city in Egypt. It is located on the
west bank of the Nile River, some 20 km (12.43 mi) southwest of
central Cairo. Along with Shubra El-Kheima, Cairo and Helwan,
the four cities form the Province of Greater Cairo metropolis.
The city of Giza is the capital of the Giza Governorate, and is
located near the northeast border of this governorate in
coordinates. It is located right on the banks of the River Nile.
The city's population was 2,681,863 in the 2006 national census,
while the governorate had 6,272,571 at the same census. Its
large population makes it the second largest suburb in the world,
tied with Incheon, South Korea and Quezon City, Philippines,
second only to Yokohama, Japan.
Giza is most famous as the location of the Giza Plateau: the
site of some of the most impressive ancient monuments in the
world, including a complex of ancient Egyptian royal mortuary
and sacred structures, including the Great Sphinx, the Great
Pyramid of Giza, and a number of other large pyramids and
temples. The plateau and its monuments have been recorded in the
Giza Plateau Mapping Project run by Ancient Egypt Research
Associates, directed by Dr. Mark Lehner. AERA's 2009 field
season was recorded in a blog. The Great Pyramid of Giza at one
time was advocated (1884) as the location for the Prime Meridian,
a reference point used for determining a base longitude.
The Giza Necropolis - is an archaeological site on the Giza
Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. This complex of
ancient monuments includes the three pyramid complexes known as
the Great Pyramids, the massive sculpture known as the Great
Sphinx, several cemeteries, a workers' village and an industrial
complex. It is located some 9 km (5 mi) inland into the desert
from the old town of Giza on the Nile, some 25 km (15 mi)
southwest of Cairo city centre. The pyramids, which have always
loomed large as emblems of ancient Egypt in the Western
imagination, were popularised in Hellenistic times, when the
Great Pyramid was listed by Antipater of Sidon as one of the
Seven Wonders of the World. It is by far the oldest of the
ancient Wonders and the only one still in existence. |