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Alone in
The Great Pyramid of Giza

The U.S. dime is the smallest of the half dozen coins in circulation. At an average thickness of 1.35 mm, it is over 10% thinner than the penny – the next smallest coin produced by the U.S. Mint. It’s not very often that I carry change in my pocket, as I have gone mostly cashless, but the few times I do have a dime on me, it is hardly perceptible.

This is why it came as a surprise to me when I absent mindedly reached into the left front pocket of my North Face khaki pants and felt the reeded edges of a singular dime. Drawing it out, I stared at it for a few seconds wondering how it hitched a ride almost halfway around the world with me. As I contemplated this rather trivial mystery, another thought struck me, causing me to continue holding on to Mr. Roosevelt.

I had been slowly walking around the perimeter of the King’s Chamber within the Great Pyramid of Giza, just outside of Cairo, for over three minutes now. By sheer luck, I had the entire chamber to myself – a rectangular room 35 feet long by 17 feet wide, situated 141 feet above the sands of the Great Western Desert, entombed inside of a structure weighing around 6 million tons. The enormity of standing in this near empty chamber washed over me as I considered the forty-five centuries of human history that had passed by since it was first constructed during the 4^th dynasty of the Old Kingdom: feasts and famines, wars and peace, earthquakes and sandstorms, and yet…

I looked back at the dime pressed between the thumb and index finger of my left hand. I had already walked around the room twice and didn’t recall seeing a single crack on any of the faces of the pink granite walls the King’s Chamber was made of. The coin now had another purpose. I would use it to determine if there was a single crack 1.35 mm or wider that it could slip into. A structure this old, primitive, and built on shifting desert sand could not have survived this long without some structural damage, or at least wear and tear.

I circled the room a third time, but now with a mission. Besides myself, the only other objects in the room were the open sarcophagus of the pharaoh, a seismometer to measure movements of the earth, and a few lights. I was still the only person in the chamber – not even the sound of human voices echoing through the long halls made its way up to me. 'This is almost unbelievable', I thought to myself. ‘A city of 20 million people is just a few minutes’ walk away, with tens of thousands of tourists at any given time, yet here I am completely alone in the most famous pyramid in the world. How often does this happen in a place like this?’

I kept the dime close to the wall as I deliberately walked, my eyes continuously shifting from the floor to the ceiling, lit by the set of flickering halogen lights. I consciously took short steps, softly striking the dime onto the wall if I suspected something. Several minutes went by before I returned to my starting point. I was unsuccessful in my pursuit. In the 4,500 years since its construction and my visit, the structure was just as sound today as it was when Khufu was pharaoh…in 2580 BC. I was in awe.

I returned the dime to my pocket and made my way back through the Grand Gallery and Ascending Chamber to the entry. Exiting the pyramid back into the blinding light of the desert on the edge of Cairo, I knew I just had personal existential experience I’d never forget.

If you ever get a chance to travel to Egypt, take the time to go into the King’s Chamber. Once in there, close your eyes and let yourself be taken back to one of the earliest civilizations in human history. There aren’t too many opportunities in the world today to connect with our distant past. But if you find yourself alone in a pyramid one day, count yourself extremely lucky and savor the opportunity.

Has Egypt been on your list of places to visit? Whether it is the pyramids of Giza, the Valley of the Kings, or the Temples of Karnak or Abu Simbel, there is no shortage of incredible things to see and do. You can find a number of inspirational trips on our Egypt Travel page.