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Great Pyramid of Khufu
Monument at Giza Pyramids · also called Great Pyramid of Giza, Pyramid of Khufu, Pyramid of Cheops, Cheops Pyramid
The Great Pyramid, built for Khufu c. 2560 BC, has no ancient texts in the rooms visitors see. Its writing is hidden: workers' marks with Khufu's name above the King's Chamber, and a hieroglyphic text from 1842 above the entrance.
Its passages, the Grand Gallery and the King's Chamber are bare, and the granite sarcophagus is uninscribed. Visitors enter through a tunnel traditionally attributed to the caliph al-Ma'mun, then climb to the King's Chamber through the Grand Gallery. There is nothing to read inside.
The proof that it is Khufu's comes from writing visitors cannot see. In 1837 low relieving chambers above the King's Chamber were opened. Red marks of the work gangs there give Khufu's name in a cartouche and in the longer form Khnum-Khufu.
What to see and read
The 1842 inscription
Above the original entrance, Karl Richard Lepsius's Prussian expedition carved a hieroglyphic text honouring the king of Prussia. Its cartouches can be seen from the ground.
Work gang marks
The crews named themselves after the king, with names such as 'Friends of Khufu', painted in red on blocks. You can see them only in photographs.
Names you can find here
Signs to look for
- Placenta Aa1ḫ The placenta (kh) is the first sign of Khufu's name in the workers' cartouches.
- Quail chick G43w The quail chick (w) appears twice in Khufu's name, around the viper.
- Horned viper I9f The horned viper (f) sits in the middle of Khufu's name.
- Stone jug with a handle W9ẖnm The stone jug stands for the god Khnum in the name Khnum-Khufu.
Reading the hieroglyphs here
- Photograph the 1842 text from the north side with zoom, in the morning.
- Learn the four signs of Khufu's name: you will meet them in the tombs of his family nearby.
Point your camera at a wall Hiero Lens boxes the signs and names them, on your phone; nothing is uploaded. On worn stone, trace a sign over the photo.
Questions
Can you go inside the Great Pyramid?
Yes, with a separate ticket bought at the site. The relieving chambers with the workers' marks stay closed to the public.
Why is there no writing inside the Great Pyramid?
Kings did not yet write texts in their burial rooms in Khufu's time. The first pyramid with inscribed rooms is that of Unas at Saqqara, about two centuries later.
Also at Giza Pyramids
Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx carries no inscription of its own, but between its paws stands the Dream Stela of Thutmose IV, the most famous text at Giza. It tells how the Sphinx, as the god Horemakhet, promised a prince the throne.
MonumentTomb of Meresankh III
The rock-cut chapel of Queen Meresankh III, granddaughter of Khufu and wife of Khafre, has the best-kept painted hieroglyphs at Giza. Her names and titles fill the walls, and a text at the door records when she died and when she was buried.
Where it is
Open in OpenStreetMap · Written from published sources and not yet checked on site by our team: displays and open tombs change.