Scientists made a fascinating discovery at the Great Pyramid of Giza

A historic discovery was announced by the Egyptian authorities in 2023. For the first time in a thousand years, a new corridor was discovered in the Pyramid of Giza, the oldest of the seven wonders of the world. A mysterious hidden tunnel that could lead to the discovery of more secrets...

At a press conference in front of the Pyramid of Giza in early March of 2023, Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa, said that the tunnel was discovered on the north side of the pyramid.

Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in the statement that the mysterious tunnel was nine meters long or 30 feet long and more than two meters or six feet wide.

Thanks to an endoscopic camera with a diameter of 5 mm, which penetrated between the stones without causing any damage, scientists were able to take pictures. These show a stone cavity with a gabled roof.

This secret room was discovered as part of an international research project called ScanPyramids. Since 2015, German, French, Japanese and Canadian universities have been collaborating with Egyptian archaeologists to study the pyramids and learn more about the construction methods used to build the pyramids more than 4,500 years ago.

ScanPyramids' mission is to use non-invasive technologies to look through the stones to discover previously unknown internal structures within the pyramids.

Ground-penetrating radar and ultrasonic testing are the techniques used to discover this space through the stones. "We already knew in 2017 that there was a cavity behind it, we just didn't want to dig indiscriminately (...), so additional measurements were needed," explains research engineer Sébastien Procureur, who worked on the project.

"Discovering an empty space in a pyramid is something special," explains German professor Christian Große, leader of the research team. "But the fact that this space is large enough to accommodate several people makes it even more important."

According to Zahi Hawass, a famous Egyptian archaeologist, it is "very possible" that this room is "protecting something". It could even house a huge treasure: "In my opinion, it protects the true burial chamber of the Egyptian monarch Khufu," adds the Egyptologist.

Sébastien Procureur remains more skeptical: "That's a bit of the bad news: there isn't the hoped-for direct connection to the 'Big Void' (the so-called 'great void' at the heart of the pyramid where the pharaoh's body is said to be)". However, research is ongoing to clarify this question.

The Pyramid of Khufu is the largest of the Pyramids of Giza. For thousands of years it was the tallest, most voluminous and most massive man-made structure in the world. It was built about 45 centuries ago (ca. 2551-2528 BC) to house the body of the pharaoh Khufu, the second ruler of the dynasty.

An achievement that has always impressed and fascinated scientists. Its many architectural features are further mysteries that have not been solved until now. The researchers' only certainty today is the relatively short construction period: just 25 years.

The "Big Void" is one of the questions that are still unanswered about the Khufu pyramid. Its existence was discovered by the Scan Pyramids teams in 2017. It is a "cavity at least 35 meters long and about 3 meters high," as Sébastien Procureur explains in an interview for Sciences et Avenir magazine.

Archaeologists don't yet know what's in the 'Big Void'. Hypotheses vary, it could simply be a cavity formed during the construction of the pyramid or, what scientists hope, the real burial chamber of the pharaoh Khufu.

The tomb of Khufu could contain all the treasures of this ancient king, but also the corpse of the pharaoh, which has not yet been discovered.

Only one thing is certain: the pyramid has not yet revealed all its secrets to us. The Scan Pyramids teams intend to deepen their research to gather new data and make more discoveries.