Egyptian archaeologists have just announced the discovery of two mysterious trongs behind one of the great pyramids of Egypt.
The research team working at the Menkaure pyramid has been able to confirm the existence of a second entrance to the pyramid, which has been predicted for decades.
This breakthrough comes from the efforts of experts from the University of Cairo and Munich Technical University. The team used advanced scanning technology to survey the 4,500-year-old structure without disrupting ancient stone blocks.
Researchers combined radar, ultrasound and electronic measurement methods to look through the stone layer covering the outside of the pyramid, thereby discovering the hidden gaps behind the Diemite stone wall that were differently polished.
The discovery is considered a major step forward in the study of the structure of the third largest pyramid in Giza.
The Menkaure pyramid was built around 2,500 BC as the tomb of the fourth Dynasty's pharaoh, nearly 61 meters above the Giza plateau.
The eastern side of the pyramid has a rectangular area about 4m high and 5.8m wide, where the blocks of diamonds are unusually smooth, similar to the stone at the main entrance to the north of the pyramid. This has led many to question a secret door.
Independent researcher Stijn van den Hoven was the first to propose this second access in 2019. However, that assumption was not confirmed until a recent survey discovered abnormalities in the structure beneath the polished stone layer.
The scanning results showed that the two air cavities were located at different depths in the pyramid's body. The larger compartment is about 1mx1.5m in size, located at a depth of 1.4m below the surface. The smaller compartment, about 0.9mx 0.7m in size, is located at a depth of 1.1m.
Professor Christian Grosse, a non-destructive testing expert at Munich Technical University, said that this is an important discovery in Giza.
The experimental method we have developed allows us to draw very accurate conclusions about the internal structure of the pyramid. The hypothesis of another access is very well-founded and this result helps us get closer to confirming that," he said.
The researchers emphasized the need for further assessments from Egyptians before drawing a final conclusion.
To date, historians have not been able to determine the cause of the death of pharaoh Menkaure, who died at a very young age around 2503 BC.
His coffin was placed in a pyramid, but went missing at sea nearly 200 years ago when the British moved the coffin to the British Museum in London.
The coffin-carrying merchant ship Beatrice mysteriously disappeared after leaving port of Malta on 13 October 1838.
The Giza complex, located west of Cairo, includes three pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, along with the Great Sphinx. The most famous Egyptian Pharaoh here is Tutankhamun, whose tomb was discovered in 1922.
