Page 162 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

The Great Pyramid, Giza

The facts and figures about Pharaoh Khufu's pyramid,
commonly referred to as the Great Pyramid, are staggering.
It was the tallest building in the world until the 19th century,
and the precision with which it was built, using simple
surveying tools, is remarkable: the greatest difference in
length between the four 756-ft (230-m) high sides is just
2 inches (5 em). The construction methods and exact purpose
of some of its chambers and shafts are unknown, but the
architectural achievement is clear. The pyramid is estimated to
contain over two million blocks of stone weighing on average Statue of Khufu
2. 5 tons, with so me weighing as much as 15 tons. (Cheops)

Queen's Chamber
This probably held a statue
representing the ka, or
life force, of the king.
A King's Chamber
The chamber was probably emptied 600 years after "Air Shafts"
being built, but, despite holding only a lidless sarc~ These may have been
phagus, it was often broken into by treasure seekers. symbolic paths for the
king' s soul to ascend
to the stars.

Stress-Relieving
Chambers
These were built
out of huge blocks
of granite weighing ~ King's Chamber
c-....... ~~:_:__ up to 80 tons.

Counterbalanced
slabs of granite were
lowered to seal
the tomb

The "air shaft" King's
would have been Chamber
dosed off by the
outer casing

RECONSTRUCTION
OF THE KING'S CHAMBER
Bui It to protect the chamber, the
stress-relieving rooms also hold the
only reference to Khufu in the Great
Pyramid-gangs who built the Underlying
pyramid left graffiti stating, "How bed rode
powerful is the great White Crown
of Khufu." ~ Great Gallery

Unfinished
KEY DATES
underground
25 89-2 566 BC 25 55-2 530 BC 1400 BC 1979 chamber
Pharaoh Khufu builds Construction of the The Sphinx is restored The Giza Plateau
the Great Pjramid pyramids of Khaf re for the first time; four is inscribed as a Vertical Shaft
during his reign. and Menkaure more conservation UNESCO World This probably served
on the Giza Plateau. phases follow. Heritage Site. as an escape route
for the workers.