# How the Great Pyramid was built > The Great Pyramid at Giza was built for King Khufu in the 26th century BC by a paid, provisioned Egyptian workforce; the logbooks of Inspector Merer… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-27T17:47:27+00:00 --- **MYS** 0CSMNN502D05·Mystery · site # How the Great Pyramid was built **0** [Follow][Ask a question](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=great-pyramid) How the Great Pyramid was built ![Kheops pyramid](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/great-pyramid-lead) Nina · CC BY 2.5 Where Giza plateau, Egypt⁠[[11]] Built for Khufu, Fourth Dynasty⁠[[5]] When about 2600–2550 BC; Old Kingdom start modelled at 2691–2625 BC⁠[[2]] Size about 230 m base, 146.6 m original height⁠[[1]] Workforce about 20,000 to 25,000 at a time, rotating⁠[[11]] Key document Papyrus Jarf A and B, the Diary of Merer, Year 26 of Khufu⁠[[5]] Status Partly explained Questions 3 of 5 answered People [**Khufu** King of the Fourth Dynasty · 26th century BC](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/people/FIG0CSMNPKW6FM3/khufu)[**Merer** Inspector leading a boat crew · fl. Year 26 of Khufu](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/people/FIG0CSMNPVP3A0P/merer)[**Ankhhaf** Vizier, director of Ro-She Khufu](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/people/FIG0CSMNQ3G15J0/ankhhaf)[**Mark Lehner** Director, Ancient Egypt Research Associates](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/people/FIG0CSMNQBA2BYM/mark-lehner)[**Pierre Tallet** Egyptologist, Sorbonne; director of the Wadi al-Jarf excavation](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/people/FIG0CSMNQTY37VP/pierre-tallet) All 6 people › [**Zahi Hawass** Egyptologist; excavator of the builders' cemetery](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/people/FIG0CSMNQK47943/zahi-hawass) Catalog key**MYS** 0CSMNN502D05 The Great Pyramid is the tomb of Khufu, second king of the Fourth Dynasty, on the Giza plateau west of Cairo. Its base is about 230 m on each side and it originally stood 146.6 m high, faced with fine white limestone from the Tura quarries across the river and built on a core of local limestone, with granite from Aswan in the burial chamber⁠[[1]]. Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates places the start of the Old Kingdom at 2691–2625 BC and Khufu's reign in the 26th century BC⁠[[2]]. The question of who built it was answered by excavation. South of the plateau, Mark Lehner's team has dug a walled settlement of galleries, bakeries, breweries and storerooms that housed and fed a rotating labour force⁠[[3]]; west of it Zahi Hawass found the builders' cemetery, with the titles of overseers and gangs⁠[[4]]. In 2013 Pierre Tallet's team found at Wadi al-Jarf on the Red Sea the oldest inscribed papyri known: the logbooks of Inspector Merer, whose crew of about forty men ferried Tura limestone to Akhet-Khufu, "Horizon of Khufu", the pyramid itself, in the year after the 13th census, Year 26 and the last known year of the reign, under the vizier Ankhhaf⁠[[5]]⁠[[6]]. What the evidence does not yet fix is the method on site. No ramp survives at the Great Pyramid, and the rival reconstructions, a straight ramp, a spiral ramp, an internal ramp, or lifting with levers, each fit some of the physical traces and none has been shown⁠[[1]]. Since 2017 muon imaging has found two previously unknown spaces inside the pyramid, a corridor behind the north face, since viewed by endoscope, and a void at least 30 m long above the Grand Gallery that has not been entered⁠[[7]]⁠[[8]]. Of the 5 questions on this site, 3 are answered. The most likely answer to “How were the blocks raised onto the pyramid?”, not yet confirmed: shorter, steeper ramps were used with post-and-rope haulage of the kind excavated at Hatnub, combined with…. ### Key questionsset by the editors [**How were the blocks raised onto the pyramid?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNV0G4ZBV/how-were-the-blocks-raised-onto-the-pyramid)Most likely: shorter, steeper ramps were used with post-and-rope haulage of the kind excavated at Hatnub, combined with… [**What is the Big Void above the Grand Gallery?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNVG411NF/what-is-the-big-void-above-the-grand-gallery)No answer ahead yet [**Who built the Great Pyramid, and how was the work organised?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNV8A4GQV/who-built-the-great-pyramid-and-how-was-the-work-organised)Answered: a rotating, provisioned Egyptian workforce of about 20,000 to 25,000 under royal officials built it during… [All 5 questions ](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=great-pyramid) ## The site The pyramid stands on a levelled outcrop of the Mokattam limestone, with the core blocks quarried from a pit 300 m to the south, whose cut faces and the dolerite pounders and copper tools in them show the method⁠[[1]]. Casing stone came by boat from Tura, granite from Aswan 800 km upstream, and gypsum mortar from the Fayum⁠[[6]]⁠[[1]]. Pollen cores at Giza reconstruct a Khufu branch of the Nile running close to the plateau with high water in the Fourth Dynasty, so cargo boats could reach a harbour basin at the foot of the causeway⁠[[9]]. Satellite radar and coring trace a former 64 km branch, named Ahramat by the authors, along which 31 pyramids of the Old and Middle Kingdoms were built with their causeways ending on its bank⁠[[10]]. [![Tombs of the pyramid builders, including the tomb of Petety](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/v/e9f268c2ad23674ab24c355f6465966c4eeb7f814f5bfc483dfc19ef688ea425/w800)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts/ART0CSMPA4W7BJR/tombs-of-the-pyramid-builders-including-the-tomb-of-petety) Tombs of the pyramid builders, including the tomb of PetetyAhmed Yousry Mahfouz. CC BY-SA 4.0[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts/ART0CSMPA4W7BJR/tombs-of-the-pyramid-builders-including-the-tomb-of-petety) The settlement called Heit el-Ghurab, "Wall of the Crow", lies 400 m south-east of the Sphinx: long galleries read as barracks for rotating gangs, bakeries with bread moulds in bulk, a copper workshop, and an administrative building with silos; its sealings date it mainly to Khafre and Menkaure, the kings after Khufu, with Khufu's own town presumed to lie beneath the modern village⁠[[3]]⁠[[11]]. The cemetery on the escarpment above holds mudbrick tombs with titles such as "overseer of the side of the pyramid" and "director of the workers", and skeletons with set fractures⁠[[4]]. **Map of the site** [Open the full map](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/map) [Site][Region] [+][−] 1 **Great Pyramid of Giza** Pyramid Mapped 2 **Pyramid of Khafre** Pyramid Mapped 3 **Pyramid of Menkaure** Pyramid Mapped 4 **Heit el-Ghurab workers' town** Settlement site Within 1 km MappedWithin 1 kmBase map © OpenStreetMap contributors ### Timeline **Timeline** Squeezed where little happened. Each mark is a published claim, by how it stands:AcceptedMost likelyStill possibleDisputedRuled out ## What was found The Merer papyri are day-by-day accounts. The crew loads stone at Tura, sails to the pyramid, unloads at a basin called She-Khufu under the control of Ro-She Khufu, which Ankhhaf directs, and returns, with a round trip of two to three days and the voyages running through roughly July to November⁠[[5]]⁠[[6]]. The same crew worked at the Red Sea harbour, whose galleries, jetty and anchors show a state able to run long-distance supply chains for copper and turquoise from Sinai⁠[[12]]⁠[[13]]. The faunal remains from the settlement show cattle, sheep and goat brought in on the hoof in quantities that imply provisioning from across the country, and the bakeries show bread production on an industrial scale⁠[[14]]⁠[[11]]. The workers were buried with grave goods and received medical care; the cemetery contradicts the Herodotean picture of slave labour⁠[[4]]. At Hatnub, the alabaster quarry 300 km south, the Anglo-French mission excavated a haulage ramp of Khufu's reign: a central ramp flanked by two staircases with post holes, read as anchors for posts around which ropes were run so that a sled could be hauled up a slope of 20 per cent or more⁠[[15]]⁠[[16]]. It is the only Old Kingdom ramp of this type yet excavated and shows one steep-slope method that was in use. [![North Face Corridor: muon images and endoscope views](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/v/cdd36f1daf2054f6399600637eee1eae29a6f58e247afb4879c12b92f8984d87/w800)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts/ART0CSMP9N83D2C/north-face-corridor-muon-images-and-endoscope-views) North Face Corridor: muon images and endoscope viewsProcureur et al., 2023. CC BY 4.0[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts/ART0CSMP9N83D2C/north-face-corridor-muon-images-and-endoscope-views) Inside the pyramid, the ScanPyramids mission's nuclear emulsion, scintillator and gas detectors found in 2017 a void at least 30 m long with a cross-section like the Grand Gallery's, above it⁠[[7]]. A second anomaly behind the chevrons over the north entrance was measured as a corridor about 9 m long and 2 m wide with a flat ceiling, confirmed by radar and ultrasound and then seen by an endoscope in March 2023⁠[[8]]⁠[[17]]⁠[[18]]. ## What is known The builders were Egyptians organised in gangs and phyles under named officials, paid in bread, beer and meat, working in rotation; the names, the titles, the rations and the logistics are documented⁠[[5]]⁠[[4]]⁠[[11]]. Lehner estimates a peak workforce of about 20,000 to 25,000, with a few thousand skilled masons employed year-round⁠[[11]]. [![First page of Quarry marks of work gangs naming Khufu in the relieving chambers](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/v/1d57ace47148e8fe21919037da183b4ea97b07de4f1d7b00ab1944401292718f/p1)400 pages](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts/ART0CSMP8E602WD/quarry-marks-of-work-gangs-naming-khufu-in-the-relieving) Quarry marks of work gangs naming Khufu in the relieving chambersRichard William Howard-Vyse and John Shae Perring, 1837. Public domain[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts/ART0CSMP8E602WD/quarry-marks-of-work-gangs-naming-khufu-in-the-relieving) The date is fixed to Khufu's reign by the papyri, by the quarry marks of work gangs naming Khufu inside the relieving chambers, and by radiocarbon. The 1984 and 1995 campaigns dated 454 samples of charcoal and plant matter from the mortar of the pyramids; the results for the Great Pyramid run 100 to 200 years older than the historical date, which the authors attribute to old wood and reused fuel rather than to an earlier construction⁠[[19]]. The Oxford model on short-lived samples agrees with the historical chronology to within a few decades⁠[[2]]. The tools and methods are those of the Old Kingdom: copper saws and chisels with sand abrasive, dolerite pounders, wooden sledges, levers, and water-borne transport, all attested by finds, quarry faces and depictions⁠[[1]]. Surviving ramp remains at other pyramids (Meidum, Lisht, Sinki) show both straight and wrap-around ramps were used in the period, but none survives at Giza⁠[[1]]. The two new spaces are real. The corridor is confirmed by three independent methods and by direct viewing⁠[[18]]. The Big Void is confirmed by three muon techniques but has not been imaged at resolution or entered; its purpose is unknown, and the authors proposed none⁠[[7]]⁠[[20]]. In 2025 the same team reported two air-filled anomalies behind the granite casing on the east face of Menkaure's pyramid⁠[[21]]. ## The explanations On the raising of the blocks, four readings compete. A single straight ramp from the quarry, extended as the pyramid rose, is the oldest reconstruction; it fits the quarry's position but would have needed a volume of fill comparable to the pyramid itself by the upper courses⁠[[1]]. A ramp spiralling up the faces uses less material but would hide the corners that the surveyors needed to keep the faces true, and leaves no trace on the casing⁠[[1]]. Jean-Pierre Houdin's internal ramp, a corridor rising within the outer part of the pyramid, was proposed to explain how the upper third was built; the 2017 Big Void was greeted by some as support, but the void does not match the ramp's predicted geometry and the authors did not endorse the link⁠[[7]]. Lifting with levers and cribbing, as Herodotus described, is feasible for small blocks and the top courses but not shown for the whole⁠[[1]]. The Hatnub ramp shows that steep ramps with post-and-rope haulage were in use for heavy loads in Khufu's reign and makes shorter, steeper ramps at Giza more credible, but it was built for a quarry, not a pyramid⁠[[15]]. On the voids, the readings are a construction feature such as a relieving space or an access gallery left from building, a sealed chamber, or an unfinished passage; nothing yet published chooses among them⁠[[8]]⁠[[20]]. Claims that the pyramid is far older than Khufu, or was built by a lost civilisation or by visitors from elsewhere, make predictions the evidence contradicts: the papyri, the gang marks, the settlement, the cemetery and the radiocarbon all point to the Fourth Dynasty, and the stone shows the marks of copper and stone tools⁠[[5]]⁠[[19]]⁠[[1]]. A 2025 claim of a city 2,000 feet below Khafre's pyramid, from a radar analysis presented at a press conference, was rejected by radar specialists and by the Egyptian antiquities authority because the method cannot penetrate to such depths and no study was published⁠[[22]]. ### Published claims **Published claims and their status** | Year | Who | Claimed | Status | Reason | |---|---|---|---|---| | -429 | Herodotus⁠[23] | Cheops forced all Egyptians to work for him, 100,000 men at a time relieved every three months, and the pyramid took twenty years. | Disputed | The workers did serve in rotation, but excavation shows a paid, provisioned force of perhaps 20,000 to 25,000, not 100,000 under oppression⁠[11]⁠[4]. | | 1840 | Richard Howard-Vyse⁠[24] | Painted quarry marks naming Khufu inside the relieving chambers above the King's Chamber show the pyramid was his. | Accepted | The Merer logbooks independently name the pyramid Akhet-Khufu and record stone delivered to it⁠[5]. | | 1864 | Charles Piazzi Smyth⁠[26] | The pyramid was built to a divinely given 'pyramid inch' and its dimensions encode the size of the earth. | Ruled out | Petrie's survey found that the measurements Smyth relied on were wrong and do not support the pyramid inch⁠[25]. | | 1883 | W. M. Flinders Petrie⁠[25] | A triangulation survey of the pyramid gives dimensions that do not fit Smyth's pyramid inch or its prophecies. | Accepted | Petrie's figures remain a standard reference for the building's dimensions and have not been overturned⁠[1]. | | 2001 | Georges Bonani, Herbert Haas, Zahi Hawass and colleagues⁠[19] | Radiocarbon dates on mortar run 100 to 200 years older than the historical date because the builders burned old wood, not because the pyramid is older. | Most likely | A model built on short-lived samples agrees with the historical chronology to within a few decades⁠[2]. | | 2002 | Mark Lehner⁠[3] | The walled settlement south of the plateau, with galleries, bakeries and storerooms, housed and fed a rotating workforce of pyramid builders. | Accepted | The builders' cemetery and the Merer papyri show the same organised, provisioned workforce⁠[4]⁠[5]. | | 2004 | Zahi Hawass⁠[4] | The builders were buried near the pyramids with their titles and treated for injuries, so they were not slaves. | Accepted | It agrees with the settlement's rations and the logbooks' named crews and officials⁠[11]⁠[5]. | | 2006 | Jean-Pierre Houdin⁠[27] | An external ramp built the lower third and an internal spiral ramp inside the outer pyramid carried the blocks above it. | Disputed | No internal ramp has been found, and the void found by muon imaging in 2017 does not match the ramp's predicted geometry⁠[7]. | | 2010 | Christopher Bronk Ramsey and colleagues⁠[2] | Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates on short-lived samples puts Khufu's reign in the 26th century BC, in line with the historical chronology. | Accepted | It agrees with the regnal date of the Merer logbooks and the gang marks naming Khufu⁠[5]⁠[24]. | | 2017 | Pierre Tallet⁠[5] | Inspector Merer's logbooks record a crew of about forty ferrying Tura limestone by boat to the Great Pyramid in Year 26 of Khufu. | Accepted | The harbour excavations at Wadi al-Jarf and pollen cores showing a navigable Nile branch at Giza agree with the logbooks⁠[13]⁠[9]. | | 2017 | Kunihiro Morishima and the ScanPyramids team⁠[7] | Three muon techniques detect a void at least 30 m long above the Grand Gallery. | Accepted | Its existence rests on three independent detectors, but it has not been imaged at resolution or entered, and its purpose is unknown⁠[20]. | | 2020 | Yannis Gourdon, Roland Enmarch and Olivier Lavigne⁠[15] | A steep ramp with staircases and post holes at the Hatnub quarry, dated to Khufu's reign, shows how heavy blocks could be hauled up short, steep slopes. | Most likely | It shows the technique existed in Khufu's reign, but at a quarry, and no ramp survives at Giza to show it was used there⁠[1]. | | 2022 | Hader Sheisha and colleagues⁠[9] | Pollen cores show a Khufu branch of the Nile with high water in the Fourth Dynasty, which brought boats to the foot of the plateau. | Most likely | It agrees with the logbooks' boats delivering stone to the pyramid and with the wider former branch traced in 2024⁠[5]⁠[10]. | | 2023 | Sébastien Procureur and the ScanPyramids team⁠[8] | A corridor about 9 m long lies behind the chevrons above the north entrance. | Accepted | Radar, ultrasound and an endoscope camera confirmed it independently⁠[17]⁠[18]. | | 2024 | Eman Ghoneim and colleagues⁠[10] | A 64 km former branch of the Nile ran along the pyramid fields, and 31 pyramids' causeways end at its bank. | Most likely | It agrees with the Giza pollen cores, but the branch's course is traced mainly from satellite radar with few cores⁠[9]. | ## What would settle it The ramp question would be settled by physical remains: ramp foundations, post holes or debris lines on the plateau around the pyramid, which excavation of the quarry edges and the areas under later tombs could find⁠[[1]]. The full publication of the Wadi al-Jarf papyri, of which three volumes have appeared, and any further logbooks naming the pyramid works, would add detail on the schedule and the labour⁠[[5]]. Khufu's own workers' town, if it lies under the modern village, would date the provisioning system to his reign rather than his successors'⁠[[11]]. The Big Void would be settled by high-resolution imaging from inside the Grand Gallery and then by a minimally invasive camera, the route the North Face Corridor has already taken⁠[[18]]. ## Questions 3 of 5 questions are answered. **Key questions** [All 5](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=great-pyramid) **0** [How were the blocks raised onto the pyramid?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNV0G4ZBV/how-were-the-blocks-raised-onto-the-pyramid) 0 of 0 sub-questions answered·0 Most likely: shorter, steeper ramps were used with post-and-rope haulage of the kind excavated at Hatnub, combined with… **0** [What is the Big Void above the Grand Gallery?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNVG411NF/what-is-the-big-void-above-the-grand-gallery) 0 of 0 sub-questions answered·0 Open: 4 answers, none ahead **0** [Who built the Great Pyramid, and how was the work organised?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNV8A4GQV/who-built-the-great-pyramid-and-how-was-the-work-organised) 2 of 2 sub-questions answered·0 Answered: A rotating, provisioned Egyptian workforce of about 20,000 to 25,000 under royal officials built it during… ## Evidence 26 findings [How were the blocks raised onto the pyramid?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNV0G4ZBV/how-were-the-blocks-raised-onto-the-pyramid)8 findings [A single straight ramp from the quarry side, lengthened and raised as the pyramid grew.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMNW7J2D3B/a-single-straight-ramp-from-the-quarry-side-lengthened-and)Still possible +[The core quarry lies 300 m south of the pyramid, on the line a straight ramp would take.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMNWFC353M/the-core-quarry-lies-300-m-south-of-the-pyramid-on-the-line)Established +[Straight ramp remains survive at Meidum and Sinki.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMNWQ60PW1/straight-ramp-remains-survive-at-meidum-and-sinki)Supported −[No ramp remains have been found at the Great Pyramid.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMNWZ075NQ/no-ramp-remains-have-been-found-at-the-great-pyramid)Established [A ramp wound round the faces on the unfinished steps or on brick supports.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMNX6T69NG/a-ramp-wound-round-the-faces-on-the-unfinished-steps-or-on)Still possible +[Wrap-around ramp traces exist at some Old and Middle Kingdom pyramids.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMNXEM3351/wrap-around-ramp-traces-exist-at-some-old-and-middle-kingdom)Supported −[A spiral ramp hides the corners that surveyors needed to keep the faces true.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMNXPE6SMV/a-spiral-ramp-hides-the-corners-that-surveyors-needed-to)Suggestive [An internal ramp inside the outer part of the pyramid carried blocks to the upper courses (Houdin).](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMNXY80SFV/an-internal-ramp-inside-the-outer-part-of-the-pyramid)Disputed −[Muon imaging found a void above the Grand Gallery, not a spiral corridor near the faces; the authors did not link it to a ramp.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMNY622Z94/muon-imaging-found-a-void-above-the-grand-gallery-not-a)Supported [Shorter, steeper ramps were used with post-and-rope haulage of the kind excavated at Hatnub, combined with…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMNYDW4D5X/shorter-steeper-ramps-were-used-with-post-and-rope-haulage)Most likely +[A ramp with flanking staircases and post holes, dated to Khufu's reign, hauled alabaster up slopes of 20 per cent or more at Hatnub.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMNYNP0VHA/a-ramp-with-flanking-staircases-and-post-holes-dated-to)Established −[The Hatnub ramp served a quarry, not a pyramid; no equivalent is known at Giza.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMNYXG6496/the-hatnub-ramp-served-a-quarry-not-a-pyramid-no-equivalent)Supported [Who built the Great Pyramid, and how was the work organised?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNV8A4GQV/who-built-the-great-pyramid-and-how-was-the-work-organised)7 findings [A rotating, provisioned Egyptian workforce of about 20,000 to 25,000 under royal officials built it during…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMNZD46CKJ/a-rotating-provisioned-egyptian-workforce-of-about-20-000-to)Most likely +[Merer's logbooks record a named crew ferrying Tura limestone to Akhet-Khufu under the vizier Ankhhaf in Year 26.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMNZMY1EP1/merers-logbooks-record-a-named-crew-ferrying-tura-limestone)Established +[The Heit el-Ghurab settlement has galleries, bakeries and an administrative building with silos.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMNZWR5NHZ/the-heit-el-ghurab-settlement-has-galleries-bakeries-and-an)Established +[The builders' cemetery holds tombs with overseers' titles and skeletons with treated injuries.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP04J0TDH/the-builders-cemetery-holds-tombs-with-overseers-titles-and)Established −[The settlement's sealings date it mainly to Khafre and Menkaure; Khufu's own town has not been excavated.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP0CC36JT/the-settlements-sealings-date-it-mainly-to-khafre-and)Supported [The pyramid was built by slave labour under compulsion, as Herodotus implied.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMP0M61JC6/the-pyramid-was-built-by-slave-labour-under-compulsion-as)Disputed −[The workers' cemetery shows formal tombs, titles and healed fractures.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP0W0057S/the-workers-cemetery-shows-formal-tombs-titles-and-healed)Established [The pyramid predates Khufu and was reused by him.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMP13T23E2/the-pyramid-predates-khufu-and-was-reused-by-him)Disputed −[Mortar radiocarbon dates run only 100 to 200 years older than the historical date, which the authors attribute to old wood.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP1BM193Y/mortar-radiocarbon-dates-run-only-100-to-200-years-older)Supported −[The Merer papyri describe stone deliveries to the pyramid in Khufu's Year 26.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP1KE36Q3/the-merer-papyri-describe-stone-deliveries-to-the-pyramid-in)Established [What is the Big Void above the Grand Gallery?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNVG411NF/what-is-the-big-void-above-the-grand-gallery)4 findings [A construction feature, such as a relieving space or a gallery left from building, with no contents.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMP2321JGC/a-construction-feature-such-as-a-relieving-space-or-a)Still possible +[The North Face Corridor, the other ScanPyramids find, proved on viewing to be a rough, empty space behind the chevrons.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP2AW2AJD/the-north-face-corridor-the-other-scanpyramids-find-proved)Suggestive [A deliberate sealed chamber or second gallery.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMP2JP1843/a-deliberate-sealed-chamber-or-second-gallery)Still possible +[The void's cross-section resembles the Grand Gallery's and it is at least 30 m long.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP2TG5KAR/the-voids-cross-section-resembles-the-grand-gallerys-and-it)Supported −[No published imaging resolves its walls or ends.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP32A7R0G/no-published-imaging-resolves-its-walls-or-ends)Established [Part of an internal construction ramp.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMP3A46FZZ/part-of-an-internal-construction-ramp)Disputed −[The void lies above the Grand Gallery, deep inside the pyramid, not near the faces.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP3HY1CZW/the-void-lies-above-the-grand-gallery-deep-inside-the)Supported [How did the stone reach the plateau?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNVQY7M8Q/how-did-the-stone-reach-the-plateau)4 findings [Boats brought Tura limestone and Aswan granite along a Nile branch and canals to a harbour at the foot of the…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMP41J16M1/boats-brought-tura-limestone-and-aswan-granite-along-a-nile)Most likely +[Merer's crew sailed from Tura to the pyramid and unloaded at the basin She-Khufu.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP49C0A62/merers-crew-sailed-from-tura-to-the-pyramid-and-unloaded-at)Established +[Pollen cores show a Khufu branch with high water in the Fourth Dynasty.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP4H67FBC/pollen-cores-show-a-khufu-branch-with-high-water-in-the)Supported +[A 64 km former branch runs along the whole pyramid chain with causeways ending on its bank.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP4S07XFE/a-64-km-former-branch-runs-along-the-whole-pyramid-chain)Supported [Stone was hauled overland on sledges for most of the route.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMP50T15FP/stone-was-hauled-overland-on-sledges-for-most-of-the-route)Disputed +[Sledges and haul roads are attested for the last stretch from quay to site, not for the long haul.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP58M5VJ2/sledges-and-haul-roads-are-attested-for-the-last-stretch)Supported [When exactly was it built, and how long did it take?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNVZR2ZYC/when-exactly-was-it-built-and-how-long-did-it-take)3 findings [Built within Khufu's reign of about 26 years or more, in the 26th century BC.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMP5R85KXV/built-within-khufus-reign-of-about-26-years-or-more-in-the)Most likely +[The Oxford model agrees with the historical chronology within decades.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP6024V71/the-oxford-model-agrees-with-the-historical-chronology)Established +[Year 26 is the last attested year of Khufu and the pyramid was receiving casing stone then.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP67W53R5/year-26-is-the-last-attested-year-of-khufu-and-the-pyramid)Established −[Mortar dates from the pyramid itself average 100 to 200 years older than the historical date.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/evidence/EVD0CSMP6FP2A5Q/mortar-dates-from-the-pyramid-itself-average-100-to-200)Supported ## Artifacts The films, photos, papers and objects this mystery rests on, each with its own key and its distance from the original. **Artifacts** [See all 14](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts) Photo1 step from object [Papyrus Jarf A, the Diary of Merer](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts/ART0CSMP7PR7GSB/papyrus-jarf-a-the-diary-of-merer) IFAO mission · publisher (IFAO); plates in the edition Photo1 step from object [Papyrus Jarf B, the second logbook of Merer's crew](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts/ART0CSMP86C4EHE/papyrus-jarf-b-the-second-logbook-of-merers-crew) IFAO mission · publisher (IFAO); plates in the edition Document1 step from object [Quarry marks of work gangs naming Khufu in the relieving chambers](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts/ART0CSMP8E602WD/quarry-marks-of-work-gangs-naming-khufu-in-the-relieving) Richard William Howard-Vyse and John Shae Perring · Public domain Photo1 step from object [The Hatnub haulage ramp with staircases and post holes](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts/ART0CSMP8P07B71/the-hatnub-haulage-ramp-with-staircases-and-post-holes) Mission archéologique de Hatnoub · CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0 Document1 step from object [The Big Void muon images](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts/ART0CSMP95M42HM/the-big-void-muon-images) Morishima et al. · arXiv non-exclusive licence Document1 step from object [North Face Corridor: muon images and endoscope views](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts/ART0CSMP9N83D2C/north-face-corridor-muon-images-and-endoscope-views) Procureur et al. · CC BY 4.0 Photo1 step from object [Tombs of the pyramid builders, including the tomb of Petety](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts/ART0CSMPA4W7BJR/tombs-of-the-pyramid-builders-including-the-tomb-of-petety) Ahmed Yousry Mahfouz · CC BY-SA 4.0 [See all 14 artifacts](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/artifacts) ## See also [ **Great Sphinx of Giza** A 73-metre lion with a human head cut from the Giza bedrock, dated to about 2500 BC. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx) [ **Puma Punku and Tiwanaku** A sixth-century platform of precisely cut andesite at Tiwanaku, Bolivia. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/puma-punku) [ **Stonehenge** A stone monument on Salisbury Plain built in stages from about 3000 to 2500 BC. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/stonehenge) [ **Carnac alignments** Rows of thousands of standing stones in Brittany, one section raised about 4500 BC. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments) ## References 1. 1.[Arnold, D. 1991. Building in Egypt: Pharaonic Stone Masonry. Oxford University Press.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNHFT29PG/building-in-egypt-pharaonic-stone-masonry)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195063509.001.0001)cited 12 times here**SRC** 0CSMNHFT29PG 1. 2.[Bronk Ramsey, C., Dee, M., Rowland, J. et al. 2010. Radiocarbon-Based Chronology for Dynastic Egypt. Science.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNKXY3QR1/radiocarbon-based-chronology-for-dynastic-egypt)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1189395)cited 6 times here**SRC** 0CSMNKXY3QR1 1. 3.[Lehner, M. 2002. The Pyramid Age Settlement of the Southern Mount at Giza. Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNGGJ03Y8/the-pyramid-age-settlement-of-the-southern-mount-at-giza)[doi](https://doi.org/10.2307/40001149)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0CSMNGGJ03Y8 1. 4.[Hawass, Z. 2004. The Tombs of the Pyramid Builders: The Tomb of the Artisan Petety and His Curse. Egypt, Israel, and the Ancient Mediterranean World (Brill).](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNH803WDZ/the-tombs-of-the-pyramid-builders-the-tomb-of-the-artisan)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1163/9789047413691_003)cited 7 times here**SRC** 0CSMNH803WDZ 1. 5.[Tallet, P. 2017. Les papyrus de la mer Rouge I. Le « Journal de Merer » (Papyrus Jarf A et B). Institut français d'archéologie orientale, MIFAO 136.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNFHA1XVA/les-papyrus-de-la-mer-rouge-i-le-journal-de-merer-papyrus)cited 18 times here**SRC** 0CSMNFHA1XVA 1. 6.[Tallet, P., Marouard, G. 2014. The Harbor of Khufu on the Red Sea Coast at Wadi al-Jarf, Egypt. Near Eastern Archaeology.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNG0Y0XPQ/the-harbor-of-khufu-on-the-red-sea-coast-at-wadi-al-jarf)[doi](https://doi.org/10.5615/neareastarch.77.1.0004)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0CSMNG0Y0XPQ 1. 7.[Morishima, K., Kuno, M., Nishio, A. et al. 2017. Discovery of a big void in Khufu's Pyramid by observation of cosmic-ray muons. Nature.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNJ781SGV/discovery-of-a-big-void-in-khufus-pyramid-by-observation-of)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1038/nature24647)cited 12 times here**SRC** 0CSMNJ781SGV 1. 8.[Procureur, S., Morishima, K., Kuno, M. et al. 2023. Precise characterization of a corridor-shaped structure in Khufu's Pyramid by observation of cosmic-ray muons. Nature Communications.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNJF23SCG/precise-characterization-of-a-corridor-shaped-structure-in)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36351-0)cited 7 times here**SRC** 0CSMNJF23SCG 1. 9.[Sheisha, H., Kaniewski, D., Marriner, N. et al. 2022. Nile waterscapes facilitated the construction of the Giza pyramids during the 3rd millennium BCE. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNM5R0YA4/nile-waterscapes-facilitated-the-construction-of-the-giza)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2202530119)cited 3 times here**SRC** 0CSMNM5R0YA4 1. 10.[Ghoneim, E., Ralph, T., Onstine, S. et al. 2024. The Egyptian pyramid chain was built along the now abandoned Ahramat Nile Branch. Communications Earth & Environment.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNMDJ0HM6/the-egyptian-pyramid-chain-was-built-along-the-now-abandoned)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01379-7)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0CSMNMDJ0HM6 1. 11.[Lehner, M. 2019. Neighborhood to National Network: Pyramid Settlements of Giza. Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNH067251/neighborhood-to-national-network-pyramid-settlements-of-giza)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1111/apaa.12111)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0CSMNH067251 1. 12.[Tallet, P. 2013. Research Report: The Wadi el-Jarf Site: A Harbor of Khufu on the Red Sea. Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNFS47CDF/research-report-the-wadi-el-jarf-site-a-harbor-of-khufu-on)[doi](https://doi.org/10.2458/azu_jaei_v05i1_tallet)cited 3 times here**SRC** 0CSMNFS47CDF 1. 13.[Tallet, P., Marouard, G. 2016. The Harbor Facilities of King Khufu on the Red Sea Shore: The Wadi al-Jarf/Tell Ras Budran System. Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNG8R3DC4/the-harbor-facilities-of-king-khufu-on-the-red-sea-shore-the)[doi](https://doi.org/10.5913/jarce.52.2016.a009)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0CSMNG8R3DC4 1. 14.[Lehner, M., Wetterstrom, W. 2006. Giza Reports 1: Project History, Survey, Ceramics, and Main Street and Gallery III.4 Operations. Ancient Egypt Research Associates.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNGRC3WJH/giza-reports-1-project-history-survey-ceramics-and-main)[doi](https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvkc67f5)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0CSMNGRC3WJH 1. 15.[Gourdon, Y., Enmarch, R., Lavigne, O. et al. 2020. Hatnoub (2019). Bulletin archéologique des Écoles françaises à l'étranger.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNHQM5ZRN/hatnoub-2019)[doi](https://doi.org/10.4000/baefe.1028)cited 6 times here**SRC** 0CSMNHQM5ZRN 1. 16.[University of Liverpool 2018. Ancient quarry ramp system may have helped workers build Egypt's Great Pyramids. University of Liverpool News.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNHZE0ZN5/ancient-quarry-ramp-system-may-have-helped-workers-build)cited 3 times here**SRC** 0CSMNHZE0ZN5 1. 17.[Elkarmoty, M., Rupfle, J., Helal, K. et al. 2023. Localization and shape determination of a hidden corridor in the Great Pyramid of Giza using non-destructive testing. NDT & E International.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNJPW767X/localization-and-shape-determination-of-a-hidden-corridor-in)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ndteint.2023.102809)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0CSMNJPW767X 1. 18.[Schumacher, T., Pugacheva, P., Allam, H. et al. 2025. Confirmation of the ScanPyramids North Face Corridor in the Great Pyramid of Giza using multi-modal image fusion from non-destructive testing techniques. Scientific Reports.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNJYP2NY0/confirmation-of-the-scanpyramids-north-face-corridor-in-the)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91115-8)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0CSMNJYP2NY0 1. 19.[Bonani, G., Haas, H., Hawass, Z. et al. 2001. Radiocarbon Dates of Old and Middle Kingdom Monuments in Egypt. Radiocarbon.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNKP45WQJ/radiocarbon-dates-of-old-and-middle-kingdom-monuments-in)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200038558)cited 7 times here**SRC** 0CSMNKP45WQJ 1. 20.[Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) 2026. ScanPyramids: Inside the Great Pyramid (guest lecture, 1 October 2026). BAM, Berlin.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNKEA4YTG/scanpyramids-inside-the-great-pyramid-guest-lecture-1)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0CSMNKEA4YTG 1. 21.[Helal, K., Pugacheva, P., Allam, H. et al. 2025. Detection of two anomalies behind the Eastern face of the Menkaure Pyramid using a combination of non-destructive testing techniques. NDT & E International.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNK6G5QH6/detection-of-two-anomalies-behind-the-eastern-face-of-the)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103331)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0CSMNK6G5QH6 1. 22.[Egyptian Streets 2025. Unraveling the Pyramid Mystery: Claims of an Underground City Debunked. Egyptian Streets.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNMNC1CVR/unraveling-the-pyramid-mystery-claims-of-an-underground-city)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0CSMNMNC1CVR 1. 23.[Herodotus, Macaulay, G. -429. Histories, Book 2 (Euterpe), chapter 124. Macaulay's translation (1890), at Lexundria.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNNMM00T1/histories-book-2-euterpe-chapter-124)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0CSMNNMM00T1 1. 24.[Howard-Vyse, R., Perring, J. 1840. Operations Carried on at the Pyramids of Gizeh in 1837, volume 1. James Fraser, London.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNNCT1QX8/operations-carried-on-at-the-pyramids-of-gizeh-in-1837)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0CSMNNCT1QX8 1. 25.[Petrie, W. 1883. The Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh. Field and Tuer, London.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNP486P96/the-pyramids-and-temples-of-gizeh)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0CSMNP486P96 1. 26.[Smyth, C. 1864. Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid. Alexander Strahan, London.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNNWE7X56/our-inheritance-in-the-great-pyramid)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0CSMNNWE7X56 1. 27.[Houdin, J. 2006. Khufu: The Secrets Behind the Building of the Great Pyramid. Farid Atiya Press, Cairo.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNPC20F6A/khufu-the-secrets-behind-the-building-of-the-great-pyramid)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0CSMNPC20F6A Last edited 27 Oct 2026