Egypt Reveals Discovery of Hidden Chamber in Great Pyramid
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Egyptian antiquities officials announced the discovery of a previously hidden chamber inside the 4,500-year-old Pyramid of Khufu on Thursday, which is also known as the Pyramid of Cheops or the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The discovery was made by scientists from the international ScanPyramids project, according to archaeologist Zahi Hawass and Minister of Tourism Ahmed Eissa.
The ScanPyramids project, which began in 2015, uses non-invasive technologies such as infrared thermography, ultrasound, 3D simulations, and cosmic-ray radiography to study ancient structures. Scientists utilized this technology to discover a nine-meter-long and two-meter-wide sealed-off corridor above the main entrance to the pyramid that is not accessible from outside the structure. After the discovery, scientists used a small diameter (6 millimeter) Japanese endoscope to obtain images of the space inside the corridor, MSN reported.
Archaeologists have not yet determined the purpose of the corridor. Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, speculated that the corridor may have been designed to redistribute weight above the main entrance or around another as-yet-undiscovered chamber. Christoph Grosse of the Technical University of Munich, a leading member of the ScanPyramids project, hopes to uncover additional secrets hidden within the pyramid.
The Pyramid of Khufu, located outside Cairo, is one of the three structures that make up the Giza pyramid complex. Built during the Fourth Dynasty, the pyramid is named after a pharaoh who reigned from 2509 to 2483 B.C. The Great Pyramid is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. Originally built to a height of 146 meters, the pyramid currently stands at 139 meters.
The construction of the pyramids has long puzzled experts, and their mystery has made them a popular tourist attraction in Egypt. However, political unrest since the 2011 ousting of President Hosni Mubarak and the coronavirus pandemic have hurt the country's tourism sector, which is a major source of income.
