What was the ancient Egyptian name for the Great Pyramid?

The ancient Egyptian name for the Great Pyramid was Akhet Khufu, usually translated as “Horizon of Khufu.” The monument was built as the tomb and funerary complex of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu, whose Greek name was Cheops.

The name reflects more than a simple label. In ancient Egyptian religious symbolism, the horizon was associated with the place where the sun emerged and set, making it an especially fitting name for a royal monument connected with the king’s afterlife and solar renewal. Akhet Khufu referred to the pyramid and its associated sacred complex, not merely the stone structure viewed in isolation.

The monument is now commonly called the Great Pyramid of Giza or the Pyramid of Khufu. “Great Pyramid” is a modern descriptive name, while “Cheops” comes from the Greek rendering of Khufu. The other two major pyramids at Giza belonged to Khufu’s successors Khafre and Menkaure, so their names should not be substituted here.

Records from the Old Kingdom, including the Wadi al-Jarf papyri associated with the construction period, preserve the name in references to work at Khufu’s pyramid.