Hidden Voids Discovered in Pyramid of Menkaure, Egypt

Archaeologists have uncovered two previously unknown voids inside the Pyramid of Menkaure in Giza, raising hopes of revealing a lost entrance to the ancient tomb. The discovery sheds new light on the smallest of the three main pyramids in the Giza necropolis, standing at nearly 200 feet and believed to date back to 2510 BC during Egypt’s Fourth Dynasty.

The research team, a collaboration between Cairo University and Germany’s Technical University of Munich (TUM), used cutting-edge, non-invasive scanning technologies to peer inside the structure without disturbing its historic fabric. Techniques such as georadar, ultrasound, and electrical resistance tomography allowed the team to detect air-filled voids behind the pyramid’s outer facade.

The newly identified cavities measure 4.6 feet and 3.7 feet deep. One of these spaces stretches roughly 3.2 feet high and 4.9 feet wide, while the smaller one measures around 3 feet high and 2.3 feet wide. The voids are located near a peculiar section of polished granite blocks on the pyramid’s eastern side—an unusual feature since polished stones are traditionally seen only at the northern entrance. This has fueled speculation that this eastern section might mark a hidden secondary entrance, as suggested in earlier research by Stijn van den Hoven in 2019.

This discovery follows a major breakthrough in 2023 when ScanPyramids researchers detected an unknown chamber in the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The Menkaure findings confirm that advanced, non-destructive methods can uncover hidden structures in ancient monuments, offering fresh insights without causing any damage.

The Pyramid of Menkaure, though smaller than its neighbors, continues to reveal secrets that deepen our understanding of Egypt’s ancient architectural mastery and the practices surrounding royal burials during the Fourth Dynasty.