CHEOPS PYRAMID

Beware, masterpiece of mankind! The largest of the pyramids is said to be an assembly of 3 million blocks, adjusted to a current height of 137 m, as opposed to the original 146 m. Each block weighs an average of 2.5 tonnes, with the largest measuring 0.90 m on each side. They taper to 0.65 m at the top. At its base, the pyramid measures 230 m on each side, with a total surface area of over 5 ha. The 9-metre tip is missing, having been used in the construction of more recent buildings in Cairo, as was the pyramid's limestone facing. Work on the pyramid lasted an estimated thirty years, with a hundred thousand workers taking turns. They worked during the Nile floods, which allowed transport via circular mud-brick ramps. Nothing has been found in the pyramid in modern times, neither mummy nor treasure, apart from a small 7 cm statuette.

The present entrance, built at a later date, lies some fifteen metres below the original access. A long, narrow gully dug by grave robbers leads to a corridor of similar dimensions, which leads to the first burial chamber, 30 m below ground. Another corridor leads to a second burial chamber, known as the Queen's Chamber. Also unfinished, it lies in line with the pyramid.

Although there's not much to see here, it's time to realize that you're in the heart of a mythical monument. A large gallery with a polished, worn floor - over 8 m high and 47 m long, in fact, the most remarkable part of the edifice - leads to the royal chamber, where the open sarcophagus still lies. An efficient ventilation system renews the air inside the room, which is appreciated during busy periods. Above the ceiling, composed of nine granite blocks weighing a total of 400 tonnes, are five relief chambers designed to relieve the phenomenal weight that the burial chamber would have to bear. The total mass of the pyramid represents an approximate weight of 7 million tons!

To the east of the pyramid are the three Princess Pyramids, as well as numerous tombs, most of them belonging to the royal family. To the south, a building housed the solar boat, discovered in the early 1950s, rebuilt (it was in pieces) and in a perfect state of preservation. This beautiful craft was intended to enable the king to navigate celestially to the afterlife. It will be on display at the GEM.