The Hidden Space Inside the Great Pyramid
Using particles from space that pass through stone, scientists found a large, hidden empty space inside the Great Pyramid. No one has been inside it.
What was reported
In 2017, an international team called ScanPyramids announced that they had found a large void inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, at least 30 metres long, above the pyramid's famous Grand Gallery. No one had known it was there.
They found it using muons, tiny particles created when cosmic rays hit the atmosphere. Muons pass through rock, but more get through empty space, so detectors placed inside and around the pyramid could map hidden hollows. In 2023, a camera pushed through a gap confirmed a separate hidden corridor near the entrance.
Explanations offered
The purpose of the big void is still unknown. It may be a space left to reduce weight or pressure during building, a construction ramp, or a hidden chamber. Egyptologists caution against wild theories, but its discovery shows there's still much to learn about how the pyramid was built.
- When
- Announced in 2017
- Where
- Giza, Egypt
- Witnesses
- The ScanPyramids team
- Status
- Purpose unknown
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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