The Egyptian ruler who commissioned the Great Pyramid of Giza was Khufu.
Khufu was the second pharaoh of Egypt’s Fourth Dynasty and ruled during the Old Kingdom, probably in the 26th century BCE. The pyramid was built as his monumental tomb on the Giza plateau, west of the ancient city of Memphis. It originally had a smooth outer casing of white limestone, much of which was later removed or lost.
The Great Pyramid was the tallest human-made structure in the world for more than 3,800 years. Its construction required quarrying, transporting, and precisely arranging millions of stone blocks, supported by a large organized workforce rather than the popular image of enslaved labor alone.
Khufu’s pyramid is the only surviving member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The nearby Giza complex also includes pyramids associated with Khufu’s successors Khafre and Menkaure.