DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4592#0074
74 INTERIOR OF CHEOPS.
from its broken state, stones appear to have' been
thrown off. The whole rises to the enormous height
of nearly five hundred feet, and appears to be entirely
solid stone and cement, with the exception of the
small cavity which I shall presently describe. I was
not in a situation to measure its exact height, but the
best of authors set it down as above stated. The
number of layers of stone from bottom to top, is two
hundred and six, making just so many steps. The
whole pile is supposed to contain about six million
feet of cubic stone.
Our guide first led us; to the entrance, which is on
the North side; and recommended us to explore the
interior first. A crowd, of ragged Arabs were gath-
ered at the place, each struggling to have something
to do with conducting us. We chai-ged our guide to
admit but four with us; but a fifth got in. We had
two lights with us. The entrance begins at the six-
teenth step. It is a passage of three, feet and a half
square, descending at an angle of twenty-seven de-
grees. Its sides and covering are of polished granite.
This descent extends straight forward ninety-two feet,
keeping a person in an extreme stooping posture all
the way. Here the passage turns to the right, wind-
ing upwards to a steep ascent of eight or nine feet.
At the termination of this, the passage becomes five
feet high for the distance of about one hundred feet,
ascending continually till you arrive at a kind of land-
ing place. Directly to the right of this, something
like a trench in the wall discovers itself, into which
you are permitted to look as into a dark chasm. It is
called the well. Beyond this, the explorer moves
from its broken state, stones appear to have' been
thrown off. The whole rises to the enormous height
of nearly five hundred feet, and appears to be entirely
solid stone and cement, with the exception of the
small cavity which I shall presently describe. I was
not in a situation to measure its exact height, but the
best of authors set it down as above stated. The
number of layers of stone from bottom to top, is two
hundred and six, making just so many steps. The
whole pile is supposed to contain about six million
feet of cubic stone.
Our guide first led us; to the entrance, which is on
the North side; and recommended us to explore the
interior first. A crowd, of ragged Arabs were gath-
ered at the place, each struggling to have something
to do with conducting us. We chai-ged our guide to
admit but four with us; but a fifth got in. We had
two lights with us. The entrance begins at the six-
teenth step. It is a passage of three, feet and a half
square, descending at an angle of twenty-seven de-
grees. Its sides and covering are of polished granite.
This descent extends straight forward ninety-two feet,
keeping a person in an extreme stooping posture all
the way. Here the passage turns to the right, wind-
ing upwards to a steep ascent of eight or nine feet.
At the termination of this, the passage becomes five
feet high for the distance of about one hundred feet,
ascending continually till you arrive at a kind of land-
ing place. Directly to the right of this, something
like a trench in the wall discovers itself, into which
you are permitted to look as into a dark chasm. It is
called the well. Beyond this, the explorer moves