Archaeologists Discover Secret Chambers In One Of Egypt's Pyramids Of Giza

Two air-filled spaces have been identified inside the Menkaure pyramid at Giza, adding new weight to the idea that the smallest of the three great pyramids may contain a second entrance. The discovery, made by researchers from Cairo University and the Technical University of Munich, was published in NDT & E International and relies entirely on non-invasive scanning.

The voids were found behind an unusually smooth patch on the pyramid's eastern facade, an area that has puzzled researchers for years because it resembles the polished stone surrounding the monument's north-facing main entrance. The team used ground-penetrating radar, ultrasound, and electrical resistivity tomography to examine the structure without disturbing its fabric.

That combination of methods matters. Menkaure's pyramid, completed in the 26th century BC for the Fourth Dynasty ruler Menkaure, was excavated between 1906 and 1910, but it has never been fully explored in the modern era. The new findings do not prove the existence of an entrance, yet they make the theory considerably more plausible.

The hypothesis was first advanced in 2019 by researcher Stijn van den Hoven, who suggested that the smooth eastern section could conceal an access point. The latest results now give that idea a firmer scientific basis.

The work also fits into the broader ambitions of ScanPyramids, the project that has used advanced technologies to study Egypt's pyramids since 2015. In 2023, it identified a previously undiscovered corridor in the Great Pyramid of Giza, underscoring how much remains to be learned from monuments that have stood for millennia. As Christian Grosse of TUM put it, the testing method allows“very precise conclusions” about the pyramid's interior without damaging the structure, bringing researchers a step closer to confirming what may lie behind Menkaure's eastern face.

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