Pyramids of Giza were not built by slaves, but by paid laborers who even went on strike when their rations of beer and garlic were delayed.

A closer look

Pyramids of Giza were not built by slaves, but by paid laborers who even went on strike when their rations of beer and garlic were delayed. These magnificent tombs were originally encased in highly polished white limestone that gleamed blindly in the desert sun, until later generations simply stripped the stones away to build mosques and palaces in nearby Cairo. Today, the pyramids sit shockingly close to a bustling modern metropolis, meaning your majestic desert camel ride is likely taking place right across the street from a heavily trafficked Pizza Hut. It is a stunning juxtaposition of ancient architectural wonder and modern hyper-capitalism, ensuring that while the pharaohs spent their entire lives preparing for immortality in the afterlife, their final resting place now serves primarily as a dusty backdrop for aggressive souvenir hawkers trying to sell you miniature plastic sphinxes manufactured in a factory thousands of miles away