Simon Catling
People have started to realise that the location of the famous pyramids in Egypt is not what it seems.
Users on TikTok have been reacting to a viral video that shows the first view of the famous Giza pyramid as you drive through the city on the outskirts of Cairo.
Most stock images have it that the ancient structures stand tall over the desert, miles away from modern civilization. However, a quick Google search reveals that's not the case and that Giza runs right up to the stunning monuments.
Many people don't seem to have realised this, though, and a short TikTok video uploaded by @itsjustgizem proves how one of the historical pyramids looms over modern day Giza.
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One user reacted to the video by saying: "Can’t believe I used to think it was in the middle of nowhere".
Someone else commented: "Wait… what? I thought they were in the middle of nowhere".
A third added: "I'm kinda upset that it's not in the middle of nowhere".
Others in the know were nonetheless impressed by the scale of the pyramid in comparison to the modern buildings in the foreground.
One wrote: "It’s actually wild seeing the scale of it next to buildings. Like I don’t think I realized just how giant the pyramids are omg."
Another said: "I can't get over the casualness of the literal pyramids while you're just driving to work or something".
Alongside the pyramid of Giza lies The Great Pyramids, which - estimated to have been built in the 26th century BC - is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World and incredibly is still largely intact.
The region also contains the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or Chephren) and more modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinus), as well as a number of smaller edifices.
A popular tourist resort, the pyramids are still proving a place of discovery for archaeologists, historians and scientists alike.
In 2018, for example, researchers have found that the Great Pyramid can concentrate electric and magnetic energy in its chambers and below its base, creating pockets of higher energy within its walls.
Researchers from the ITMO University said: The researchers said: "The electromagnetic energy accumulates in the chambers... It is shown that basically the Pyramid scatters the electromagnetic waves and focuses them in to the substrate [underground] region."