Cairo, March 3 (BNA): A nine-meter (30-foot) hidden passage has been discovered near the main entrance to the 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza, and it may lead to more findings, Reuters reports.
The discovery inside the pyramid, the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing, was made as part of the Scan Pyramids project which since 2015 has been using non-invasive technology including infrared thermography, 3D simulation and cosmic ray imaging to peer inside the structure.
An article published in the journal Nature on Thursday said the discovery could contribute to knowledge about the construction of the pyramid and the purpose of the gabled limestone structure that sits in front of the passage.
The Great Pyramid was built as a massive tomb around 2560 BC during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu or Khufu. Built at a height of 146 meters (479 ft), it now stands at 139 meters high and was the tallest building made by humans until the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 1889.
Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the unfinished corridor was likely created to redistribute the pyramid’s weight around the main entrance now used by tourists, about seven meters away, or around a room or other space that has yet to be discovered.
insignificant