In size, the mausoleum is larger than the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Seen from afar, it is a hill overgrown with vegetation. It is believed that the tomb consists of an interior city and an exterior city.

    The grandeur and mystery surrounding the emperor's Terracotta Warriors and Horses are overwhelming and thus people have generally neglected the yet unexcavated mausoleum of itself. Actually, the Museum of Terracotta Warriors is only a part of the entire tomb.

    Thanks to certain advances in excavation technology, archaeologists have recently detected some mysterious subterranean structures in the mausoleum. After five years of research with remote sensing mechanisms and geophysical detection technology, a 30-meter-high platform has been discovered under the pyramid-like earthen mound above the underground palace. Experts say that in the history of Chinese tombs and cenotaphs this particular grave is unique.

    According to Duan Qingbo, the leading member of an archaeological team studying the mausoleum and a researcher with the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology (SPIA), the high platform is a stair-like structure made of compressed earth. It stands 30 meters tall, which is as high as a modern building with 10 floors. Experts believe the structure was originally built with the vision that the emperor's soul could travel outside the mausoleum.

    Duan says the structure has a rectangular base and a 6- to 8-centimeter thick wall-like construction encircling the whole tomb. It has a tapering figure, with a wide base and a narrow top.

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