Egyptian antiquities authorities on Thursday unveiled a newly discovered sealed chamber. In one of the Great Pyramids of Giza, just outside Cairo, dating back some 4,500 years.
The corridor – on the north side of Khufu’s pyramid – was discovered using modern scanning technology. Nearly 30 feet long and over 6 feet wide, it is located above the main entrance to the pyramid.
Archaeologists do not know the function of the chamber, which cannot access from the outside. In 2017, researchers announced the discovery of another sealed passage, a 30-meter chamber about 98 feet high, also inside the Pyramid of Khufu.
Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and Ahmed Eissa, the country’s tourism minister. Announced the discovery at an unveiling ceremony outside the pyramid on Thursday. The Scan Pyramids project associates with the find. An international program that uses scanners to examine the unexplored parts of the ancient structure.
Scientists from the project, which started in 2015, were present at the unveiling.
Scientist Research
According to Christian Grosse, a professor of non-destructive testing at the Technical University of Munich and a leading member of the project. Various scanning methods used to locate the chamber, including ultrasonic measurements and ground-penetrating radar. He hopes these methods will lead to further results within the pyramid.
“There are two large limestones in the end chamber, and now the question is what is behind these stones and below the chamber,” Grosse said.
Pyramid of Khufu – named after the Fourth Dynasty pharaoh who ruled from 2509 to 2483 BC. One of the three pyramids that make up the Great Pyramid of Giza. The Egyptian pyramids are the only one of the seven ancient wonders of the world that have survived to this day.
Experts disagree about how the pyramids built, so even relatively minor discoveries are of great interest. Authorities often publicize the discovery to attract more tourists, a major source of foreign currency for the cash-strapped Middle Eastern country.
Egypt’s tourism industry suffered a long decline after the political turmoil and violence that followed the 2011. Uprising that ousted the country’s longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak, and further setbacks in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
