Cut Away View of Khufu's Pyramid
The King's chamber and the Queen's chamber in the Great Pyramid of Khufu are empty ! Many people have questioned whether there was ever a burial in the Great Pyramid. The simple answer is YES ! Let's look at some of the information available today. First we know that the sarcophagus and lid were too large to have been brought into the King's chamber thru the small entrance after the pyramid was finished. The sarcophagus was installed as the pyramid was constructed before the roof of the King's chamber was installed. Well, why was it never finished ? Where did the lid for it go ? The Great Pyramid was well sealed after the funeral of Khufu with most of his wordly goods placed in the tomb with him. The Queens chamber was probably used as a storeroom for many of the valuables put in the Pyramid with Khufu, although it was originally built as the main burial chamber until the Pharaoh wanted one higher up in the pyramid. The King's chamber was protected from robbers by three huge slabs of granite stone called "portcullis" that were lowered into place at the entrance to the King's chamber by ropes held by the workmen closing up the pyramid. After the portcullis were in place, the workmen removed some wood timbers in the Grand Gallery allowing three huge granite stone plugs to slid down the ascending passageway and block it at it's junction with the descending passageway entrance from the exterior of the pyramid. The workmen were able to get out of the pyramid by means of a small shaft called the "well or service" shaft that led from the grand gallery to the descending passageway to the outside of the pyramid. Then the workmen filled the descending passageway with rubble to the exterior opening of the pyramid and then closed the entrance and filled it in to look like the rest of the sides of the pyramid, lost to all forever ! One hope of Khufu's architect was that if the opening was ever discovered and the descending passagway opened to rob the pyramid, the granite blocks in the ascending passageway would hide the King's chamber and the robbers would only find the Queen's chamber and thru their greed be blinded not to look elsewhere and be satisified with the loot found there. Now, how did the entire pyramid get robbed and the King's body, sarcophagus lid and portcullis stones go missing ? Well, in my opinion, it was done by the priests that manned Khufu's mortuary and valley temple by the Great Pyramid. They had the time and opportunity to do it without being seen and knew all the secrets of the great pyramid. They also removed his body and all the valuables wrapped with the mummy and destroyed his body, so that his spirit could not come back for vengence on them. They removed all traces of their robbery, including the broken pieces of the portcullis slabs blocking the King's entrance and the broken lid of his sarcophagus. Khufu's sarcophagus was never finished because it was designed to be that way, although it was covered with a solid gold outer shell and lid cover that of course was taken. The priests had a story ready for anyone discovering the pyramid to have been robbed, by saying that the spirit of the Pharaoh came back, took his body and valuables back with him to the underworld.