Hidden corridor in Great Pyramid of Giza seen for first time
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In their latest discovery, scientists reveal finding a 9m corridor inside the Great Pyramid.
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A hidden corridor inside the Great Pyramid of Giza that was discovered by researchers from the ScanPyramids project is seen in Giza, Egypt March 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A hidden internal corridor was found above the main entrance of the Great Pyramid of Giza, according to Egyptian antiquities.
An endoscope revealed the inside of the 9m (30ft) long and 2.1m (ft wide corridor.) According to officials, it could have been created to redistribute the pyramid's weight around the entrance or another undiscovered chamber.
It was first detected in 2016 using an imaging technique called muography.
Scientists from the ScanPyramids Project revealed that they were able to detect density changes inside the pyramid by analyzing how it was penetrated by muons, which are by-products of cosmic rays that are only partially absorbed by stone.
An empty space was detected behind the northern face of the Great Pyramid about 7m above the main entrance in an area with a sone chevron structure. Further tests were carried out with radar and ultrasound before a 6mm-wide (0.24in) endoscope was pushed through a tiny joint in-between the stones that make up the chevrons.
During a news conference on Thursday, the footage from the camera was unveiled. It revealed an empty corridor with walls made of stone blocks and a vaulted stone ceiling. "We're going to continue our scanning so we will see what we can do... to figure out what we can find out beneath it, or just by the end of this corridor," said Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The Great Pyramid, which is 146m high, was built on the Giza plateau by the pharaoh Khufu who reigned from around 209BC to 284BC.
