Khufu commissioned the Great Pyramid of Giza as his royal tomb during Egypt’s Fourth Dynasty.
Khufu, also known by his Greek name Cheops, ruled during the Old Kingdom, probably in the 26th century BCE. His pyramid became the largest monument at Giza and the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World. The complex included temples, a causeway, subsidiary pyramids, cemeteries, and pits containing boats associated with the king’s funerary cult.
The Great Pyramid was built mainly from local limestone, with finer Tura limestone used for its outer casing and granite from Aswan used in internal chambers. Modern estimates put the total at roughly 2.3 million stone blocks. Archaeological evidence indicates that organized teams of laborers, craftsmen, administrators, and seasonal workers built it rather than a mass of enslaved people as popular stories often suggest.
A common mix-up is confusing Khufu with Khafre, whose pyramid is the second-largest at Giza, or Menkaure, whose pyramid is the smallest of the three principal royal pyramids.