Summary
Inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu are three known chambers joined by narrow passages: an unfinished room cut in the bedrock, the so-called Queen’s Chamber, and the granite King’s Chamber, reached through the soaring Grand Gallery. There are no paintings or treasures: the walls are bare stone and the king’s granite sarcophagus is empty. Visitors can climb up to the King’s Chamber with a separate ticket. It is a steep, hot, crouching climb of about 20–30 minutes in all, unforgettable for some and too tight for others.
The Layout Inside the Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramid was built for King Khufu around 2560 BC, and it is the only pyramid of its age with chambers high inside its body rather than only beneath it. From the entrance, the inside looks like this:
- The original entrance, on the north face about 17 metres above the ground, now closed.
- The Robbers’ Tunnel, the entrance visitors use today. It is traditionally said to have been dug in the 9th century AD on the orders of the Caliph al-Ma’mun, searching for treasure.
- The Descending Passage, leading down to an unfinished chamber cut into the rock beneath the pyramid (closed to visitors).
- The Ascending Passage, low and steep, climbing about 39 metres into the heart of the pyramid.
- The Queen’s Chamber, along a horizontal passage.
- The Grand Gallery, opening up to the King’s Chamber at the top.
The Grand Gallery
After the cramped Ascending Passage, the Grand Gallery is the most dramatic space in the pyramid: about 47 metres long and 8.6 metres high, rising steeply. Its walls step inwards in seven layers of fine limestone towards a narrow roof, a technique called corbelling. Engineers still debate exactly how it was used: perhaps to store the great granite blocks that later sealed the passage below, perhaps as part of the system that moved them. Today visitors climb it on wooden boards with handrails.
The King's Chamber
At the top of the Grand Gallery, through a low antechamber, is the King’s Chamber: a room about 10.5 metres long, 5.2 metres wide and 5.8 metres high, lined entirely with polished red granite brought from Aswan, 900 km to the south. At its west end stands an empty, lidless granite sarcophagus. It is slightly wider than the entrance passage, so it must have been placed there while the pyramid was being built.
Above the ceiling are five low relieving chambers, stacked to spread the weight of the stone above. They are not open to visitors, but they hold one of the most important finds of all: graffiti left by the work gangs in red paint, including the name of King Khufu, discovered in 1837. Two narrow shafts lead from the chamber towards the outside, aligned roughly with stars in the northern and southern sky.
The Queen's Chamber
Despite its name, the Queen’s Chamber was never used for a queen. The name was given by early Arab explorers, because of its pointed, gabled roof, the shape they used for women’s tombs. It is smaller than the King’s Chamber and was perhaps meant for a statue of the king. Its two narrow shafts end in small stone “doors” with copper handles, explored by robots in 1993 and 2011. The chamber is reached by a horizontal passage off the bottom of the Grand Gallery and is not always open.
Hidden Spaces: The Big Void
The pyramid still keeps secrets. Since 2015, the international ScanPyramids project has used cosmic-ray particles called muons, which pass through stone, to look inside without drilling. In 2017 it announced a large empty space, the “Big Void”, above the Grand Gallery. In 2023 a camera pushed through a gap in the stones confirmed a sealed corridor about 9 metres long behind the north face, above the original entrance. Neither has been entered, and what they were for is still unknown.
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Want to see this for yourself? This trip covers it.
View This TripWhat the Visit Is Really Like
- Ticket: a separate ticket on top of the Giza plateau ticket, with a limited number sold each day; see current prices on our Giza Pyramids page.
- The climb: the Ascending Passage is about 1.1 metres high, so you climb bent double, holding a rail, for several minutes. It is steep both ways.
- The air: warm and humid, especially in the afternoon and in summer. Ventilation fans help, but it is stuffy.
- Time: about 20–30 minutes in and out, including a few minutes in the King’s Chamber.
- Who should skip it: anyone uncomfortable in tight spaces, or with heart, breathing, back or knee problems. Small children find it hard.
- Bring as little as possible: bags may have to be left outside, so carry only what fits in your pockets.
- Go early: the first hour after opening is the coolest and least crowded inside.
Other Pyramids You Can Go Inside
| Pyramid | Why go |
|---|---|
| Pyramid of Khafre, Giza | Usually cheaper and less crowded; a long sloping passage to a rock-cut burial chamber with Belzoni’s 1818 graffiti |
| Red Pyramid, Dahshur | The first true pyramid, often almost empty of visitors; a 60-metre passage down to three corbelled chambers |
| Bent Pyramid, Dahshur | Reopened in 2019, with two chambers and cedar beams still in place |
| Step Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara | The oldest pyramid, reopened in 2020, with a maze of corridors beneath it |
Read where all the pyramids are in Egyptian pyramids: where they are, how they were made in how were the pyramids built?, and who built them in our guide to King Khafre.
Visit the Pyramids With an Egyptologist
Our Giza Pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum tour includes the plateau, the Sphinx and the panorama point; tell us when you book if you want a ticket to go inside, and your guide will time the visit for the quietest moment. From the Red Sea, see our Pyramids day trip from Hurghada.
Inside the Great Pyramid: FAQ
What is inside the Great Pyramid of Giza?
Three known chambers, the King’s Chamber, the Queen’s Chamber and an unfinished chamber in the bedrock, joined by passages and the Grand Gallery. The King’s Chamber holds an empty granite sarcophagus.
Can you go inside the Great Pyramid?
Yes, with a separate ticket on top of the Giza plateau ticket. A limited number are sold each day.
Is it worth going inside the Great Pyramid?
For many visitors, yes: standing in the King’s Chamber is unforgettable. But there is nothing to see except bare stone, and the climb is cramped and hot.
Was Khufu’s mummy found in the pyramid?
No. The sarcophagus was already empty when explorers first entered; the pyramid was robbed in ancient times.
Are there hidden rooms in the Great Pyramid?
Muon scans have found a large void above the Grand Gallery and a sealed corridor behind the north face, but no one has entered them.
Ancient Egypt: Read Next
- Imhotep, builder of the Step Pyramid
- Where the pyramids are in Egypt
- The Great Sphinx: who built it and why
- Ancient Egyptian gods and where to see them
- Anubis, the jackal god of the dead
- Horus, the falcon god, and the Eye of Horus
- Egyptian pharaohs: the rulers of ancient Egypt
- Egyptian temples: a guide to 18 temples
