Egypt Pyramids Satellite image

ISS032-E-009123 (26 July 2012) --- Pyramids at Giza, Egypt are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 32 crew member on the International The Great Pyramids at Giza (center) are the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and are perhaps the most famous of the ancient They are also a favorite subject of photography from orbit - particularly when high resolution imagery can be obtained. This shadowing also highlights smaller unfinished pyramids to the south of Menkaure This shadowing also highlights smaller unfinished pyramids to the south of Menkaure, as well as fields of rectangular flat roofed mastabas (tombs) to the east and west of Khufu's pyramid. While not as grand as the pyramids, mastabas were the burial places of prominent persons during the periods of the ancient pharaohs. To the southeast of Khufu's pyramid, the head and rear haunches of the Sphinx are also visible (albeit not clearly). It is a short distance between the glories of ancient Egypt and the modern Cairo metropolitan area to the north and east. The green vegetation of a hotel golf course (center left), and the numerous buildings and streets of El Giza, provide stark contrast to the bare rock and soil of the adjacent desert. visible in the desert (right) connect the urban regions to the east with further development to the north.