The three stars Alnilam, Alnitak and Mintaka which make up the belt stars in Orion are at a distance of about 1400 light years and are classified as O and B-type supergiants, specifically, B0 Ia, O9.5 Ib and O9.5 II. Many civilizations have found these stars intriguing, and for the Egyptians, since Orion was called Osiris, these prominent stars were particularly important to them.
A recent book on the so-called 'Orion Mystery' makes for interesting reading and you can learn more about the alignment of the Great Pyramids (left photo) and the Belt Stars of Orion (right photo) at http://ds.dial.pipex.com/ritson/quest/orion/orion.htm. The arguments sound very plausible from the standpoint of astronomy, but I am not an eqyptologist and can't voice an intelligent opinion about this subject.
Copyright 1997 Dr. Sten Odenwald
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