A section through Khufu
Inside the Great Pyramid
The published route is short, and almost empty. The drawing below is our own, geometric and not to scale. It follows the chambers and passages named by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
- Entrance (north side)
- Descending passage
- Unfinished subterranean chamber
- Ascending passage
- Queen’s Chamber
- Grand Gallery
- King’s Chamber
- Five relieving compartments
- Shafts of unknown purpose
The route, chamber by chamber
The entrance to the Great Pyramid is on the north side, about 59 feet (18 metres) above ground level.1 A sloping corridor descends from the entrance, penetrates the rocky soil, and ends in an unfinished underground chamber.1
From the descending corridor an ascending passageway leads to a room known as the Queen’s Chamber and to a great slanting gallery 151 feet (46 metres) long.1
The King’s Chamber is entirely lined and roofed with granite.1 From the King’s Chamber two narrow shafts run to the exterior; it is not known whether they were designed for a religious purpose or were meant for ventilation.1 Above the King’s Chamber are five compartments separated by massive horizontal granite slabs, likely to divert the thrust of the masonry above.1
There are no hieroglyphic texts, treasures or mummies in any of the pyramids of Giza; decoration inside pyramids began several centuries after these three were built.1
The interiors of all three pyramids of Giza are open to visitors, each with a separate ticket, and climbing the pyramids is now illegal.1
The names “Queen’s Chamber” and “King’s Chamber” are the usual modern terms. Britannica uses them for the rooms on this route; they are not evidence, by themselves, of who was meant to be buried in each room. The kings’ bodies have never been found.