The Great Pyramids of Giza, Cairo, Egypt will always be one of the wonders of the world—at least as long as they stick around, which they’re likely to do for a good while longer!

The one and only “Great Pyramid”, also know as the Khufu or Cheops Pyramid, consists of more than 2 million limestone blocks weighing as much as 80 tons each. The construction of such a colossal building boggles the imagination. It was the largest man-made structure in the world for more than 3,800 years, according to the conventionally accepted timeline of when it was constructed, in approximately 2540-2560 BC. There are three main pyramids in the “Giza Necropolis”, the region outside of Cairo that includes the three Great Pyramids, the Sphinx, the smaller Queens pyramids, an ancient cemetery, workers village and an assortment of other tombs and monuments.

I visited the Great Pyramids in October, 2009 as part of a three-week adventure around Egypt. I spent most of a day exploring the area, which rests on the edge of the sprawling metropolis of Cairo; which at 20 million people is a quarter of the entire population of Egypt. I spent hours hiking around in the nearby desert, which I was surprised to find relatively, well…deserted. Other than the occasional tourists roaming by on camels, there were places with amazing views that were also far away from the bustling crowds and hustlers that accost you from every direction around the pyramids themselves. I was also lucky to be  treated with a variety of lighting throughout the day, so that I was able to get photos in cloudy, partly cloudy and fully sunny conditions, which made these incredible structures that much more interesting and enigmatic to document.