Go Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza
A guided tour
Made by member-47f4aa
Al-Ma'mun's Forced Entrance
Your journey begins at the Robbers' Tunnel on the northern face of the Great Pyramid, carved around 820 AD by crews working for Caliph Al-Ma'mun. Because the original Fourth Dynasty entrance high above was hidden behind smooth casing stones, workers tunneled straight into the solid limestone core. Sweep your light across the rough stone ledges on either side to spot an oil lamp and clay amphora resting near the doorway.
Inside the Robbers' Tunnel
Roughly chiseled walls show where medieval quarrymen heated the limestone with fire and doused it with cold vinegar to crack the rock. After tunneling more than thirty meters into the dark core, they heard a heavy stone fall in a hollow passage nearby and angled their digging toward the sound. Move your beam along the carved rock shelf on the left to illuminate a small terra-cotta lamp left in the shadows.
The Granite Plugs Junction
Here the forced tunnel breaks into the original ancient corridor system where the Descending and Ascending Passages meet. Three massive blocks of red granite still seal the lower end of the Ascending Passage, forcing visitors to climb these worn stone steps around them. Shine your light up the steps on the right to see a bronze brazier standing at the upper landing.
The Descending Passage
Below the junction, the original Descending Passage plunges at a steady twenty-six degree angle for over one hundred meters. Khufu's masons aligned this narrow corridor with remarkable precision toward the northern circumpolar stars, cutting through built masonry before entering the natural bedrock of the Giza Plateau. Aim your flashlight down the sloping floor ahead to reveal a tall storage jar tucked against the left wall.
The Subterranean Chamber
Thirty meters beneath the base of the pyramid lies the Subterranean Chamber, hollowed directly out of the living bedrock. Unlike the polished rooms above, its rough walls and uneven floor were left unfinished, leading archaeologists to debate whether it was an abandoned burial room or a symbolic underworld realm. Sweep your beam toward the lower rock shelf to uncover a ritual offering bowl sitting in the dim stone recess.
The Ascending Passage
Climbing back up above the granite plugs, the Ascending Passage rises thirty-nine meters through tightly fitted limestone blocks toward the heart of the pyramid. Barely over a meter high and a meter wide, this steep incline requires visitors to crouch as they ascend the wooden walkway. Direct your light along the stepped wooden ramp ahead to spot a small incense burner resting between the handrails.
The Queen's Chamber Passage
At the top of the Ascending Passage, a level corridor branches off toward the center of the monument and the Queen's Chamber. Despite the name given by early Arab explorers, this gabled limestone room likely held a sacred statue of Khufu rather than a royal burial. Pan your light down to the stone threshold on the right to illuminate a carved guardian head beside the low entryway.
The Grand Gallery
Rising directly above the intersection is the Grand Gallery, an architectural masterpiece forty-seven meters long and over eight meters high. Its seven-layered corbelled vault narrows toward the ceiling to distribute the immense weight of millions of tons of stone overhead, while slots along the side benches once held the granite plugs before the tomb was sealed. Move your flashlight onto the right stone bench to reveal a tall brazier perched above the ramp.
The Granite Antechamber
At the summit of the Grand Gallery, a low opening leads into the Antechamber, an ingenious security room lined with hard red granite. Vertical grooves carved into the walls once guided three heavy granite portcullis slabs that were lowered by ropes on wooden beams to block tomb robbers. Shine your beam down toward the passage opening on the right to see a flickering tomb candle on the floor.
The King's Chamber
Your exploration concludes inside the King's Chamber, constructed entirely from massive blocks of red granite quarried in Aswan over eight hundred kilometers to the south. Above the flat ceiling sit five hidden relieving chambers that protect this room from collapsing, while Khufu's lidless granite sarcophagus still rests near the western wall because it was wider than the entrance passage and built into the room during construction. Sweep your light to the left of the sarcophagus to illuminate a carved Egyptian altar standing against the dark granite wall.
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