Inside Khafre's Pyramid: Burial Chamber, Passages, and the Empty Sarcophagus

THE INTERIOR OF KHAFRE'S PYRAMID

The Pyramid of Khafre (base: 215.25m, height: 143.5m, slope: 53°10') contains a simpler but significant internal structure.

TWO ENTRANCES (North Face):

• Upper entrance: 15m above base level (currently used for tourist access)
• Lower entrance: at ground level, descends into bedrock

UPPER DESCENDING PASSAGE:

• Slopes at 25° angle
• Width: 1.05m, Height: 1.2m
• Leads to a horizontal passage lined with red granite
• Contains a portcullis (lowerable granite gate) for security

LOWER DESCENDING PASSAGE:

• Slopes at 21.4° into the bedrock beneath the pyramid
• Leads to a subsidiary subterranean chamber

SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBER (Lower):

• Carved into bedrock beneath the pyramid
• Unfinished — rough-hewn walls
• Possibly the originally planned burial chamber before plans changed

MAIN BURIAL CHAMBER:

• Dimensions: 14.2m × 5.0m × 6.9m high
• Walls lined with polished red Aswan granite
• Gabled limestone roof set at the pyramid's slope angle to distribute weight
• Floor shows deviations of 35-55cm where granite casing blocks were removed

THE SARCOPHAGUS:

• Red Aswan granite, partially sunk into the floor
• Dimensions: 2.63m × 1.07m × 0.95m
• Found by Giovanni Belzoni on March 2, 1818
• Lid was broken and displaced beside it
• Found empty — bones discovered inside later identified as bovine, not human
• Belzoni's autograph carved into the south wall remains today

RESONANCE PROPERTIES:

The burial chamber's dimensions (14.2m × 5.0m × 6.9m) create a resonant cavity with a fundamental acoustic frequency of approximately 12.1Hz (speed of sound in granite ~3500m/s, half-wavelength = 14.2m). This is close to the second harmonic of the Schumann resonance (14.3Hz). The granite walls would efficiently reflect and contain acoustic energy at this frequency, creating a standing wave chamber — similar in principle to Khufu's King's Chamber.