The pyramids of Giza are the only remaining link to ancient civilizations and their architecture. A small discovery among these pyramids gives rise to huge debates. However, There was nothing small about the recent discovery in Khufu’s pyramid. A hidden chamber, a 30 meters deep void within the pyramid is situated above the structure’s Grand Gallery and has a similar cross-section.
The function of this hidden chamber is still unclear and it is unknown if it was actually built for a specific function. The discovery was made using cosmic ray imaging. This records the behavior of subatomic particles called muons and penetrates the rock, not unlike an X-ray but goes much deeper.
Vistors to the pyramids of Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt can reach the Grand Gallery by walking hunched over up a long tunnel. The newly discovered chamber does not have any internal passages leading into it.
“This is a premier,” said Mehdi Tayoubi, a co-founder of the ScanPyramids project and president of the Heritage Innovation Preservation Institute. “It could be composed of one or several structures … maybe it could be another Grand Gallery. It could be a chamber, it could be a lot of things. It was hidden, I think, since the construction of the pyramid,”
The muon scan was accomplished by setting up special plates inside the pyramid as well as around it. They collect data on the particles that rain down from the atmosphere. These particles pass through empty spaces but can be deflected by harder surfaces or are absorbed. This allows the scientists to find out which part is stone and which is not.
Mr. Tayoubi, even though still not clear regarding the function of the void plans to work with the team and others to figure out what it was originally meant for. All he said about it, for now, was “The good news is that the void is there, and it’s very big,”
The video shows what the void looks like:
