Scientists Detect Hidden Voids In Giza’s Menkaure Pyramid, Hint At Secret Entrance

Researchers from Cairo University and the Technical University of Munich have uncovered two air-filled spaces inside the ancient Menkaure Pyramid, raising fresh speculation about the existence of a hidden entrance.

The findings, published in the academic journal ‘NDT & E International’, suggest the mysterious voids may be linked to a long-suspected second entry point within the pyramid.

The Menkaure Pyramid, the smallest of the three major pyramids on Cairo’s Giza plateau, was built for Fourth Dynasty ruler Menkaure and completed in the 26th century BC. Unlike its larger neighbouring pyramids, the structure was partly clad in striking red granite blocks rather than white limestone.

Experts have long been fascinated by an unusually smooth section on the pyramid’s eastern façade, which closely resembles the polished surface found at its main northern entrance.

As part of the ScanPyramids project, the team deployed non-invasive technologies, including ground-penetrating radar, ultrasound, and electrical resistivity tomography, to investigate the area. Their scans confirmed the presence of hidden voids behind the smooth section, strengthening a 2019 theory by researcher Stijn van den Hoven that another entrance may exist there.

Since launching in 2015, the ScanPyramids project has relied on cutting-edge technology to explore Egypt’s pyramids. In 2023, the initiative also uncovered a previously unknown corridor inside the Great Pyramid of Giza.

A non-destructive testing specialist at TUM, Christian Grosse, said, “The testing methodology we developed allows very precise conclusions to be drawn about the nature of the pyramid’s interior without damaging the valuable structure.

“The hypothesis of another entrance is very plausible, and our results take us a big step closer to confirming it.”