The Great Pyramid of Giza was originally white and shone in the sun
Some trivia is so bizarre it forces you to rethink your entire understanding of the world. Check out the fact below, see how others reacted, and scroll down to dive into the verified science and history behind it.
The Great Pyramid was originally covered in highly polished Tura limestone casing stones that gave it a brilliant white appearance — visible from dozens of kilometres away. Ancient texts describe it as 'glowing like the sun'. Over millennia, the casing stones were stripped (primarily after an earthquake in 1303 CE loosened them) and used to build mosques and fortresses in Cairo. The rough inner stones we see today were never meant to be exposed. Some casing stones still remain at the base of the neighbouring Khafre pyramid.
The dark, rough stone pyramid is an icon so embedded in culture it feels primordial. Discovering it was originally a brilliant white structure, essentially a giant mirror in the desert, makes the monument we think we know feel like a shadow of its original self.
The Science Behind It
The Great Pyramid was originally covered in highly polished Tura limestone casing stones that gave it a brilliant white appearance — visible from dozens of kilometres away. Ancient texts describe it as 'glowing like the sun'. Over millennia, the casing stones were stripped (primarily after an earthquake in 1303 CE loosened them) and used to build mosques and fortresses in Cairo. The rough inner stones we see today were never meant to be exposed. Some casing stones still remain at the base of the neighbouring Khafre pyramid.
Why Your Brain Finds This Hard to Believe
Sources & Verification
OddlyHuman Editors
VerifiedWritten and fact-checked by the OddlyHuman Behavioral Science Team. We verify all psychological, sociological, and historical claims against peer-reviewed journals, primary sources, and established encyclopedias to bring you accurate insights.
Read our Editorial Guidelines →“The Great Pyramid of Giza was originally covered in polished white limestone and shone in the sun for miles. The stones were stripped to build Cairo after a 14th-century earthquake. 🏔️ #OddlyHuman”