Pyramids with their original limestone shell

[Stranger]

I found this on a Reddit thread. 

Someone left this comment about how the outer covering was lost:

"The great pyramid had stood almost unchanged for thousands of years weathering many events but in 1303 a large earthquake struck the area and although the pyramid structure survived, gaps in the limestone some of the corners opened up and for the first time the locals had exposed places to get the tools in and start pulling away the beautifully polished blocks of white limestone. The pyramid was stripped of casing stones and used to build mosques and fortresses commissioned by a local Sultan of the day. The gold capping was also taken but the real loss is probably the white stone which in the sun would have made the pyramids visible from miles away and are said to have themselves been carved with hieroglyphics."

Link to the Reddit discussion thread provided to credit the author.