At the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—lies a vast area known as the Western Cemetery or the Western Field of Giza, which serves as the burial site for many nobles.
This ancient cemetery is characterized by a series of mastabas, flat-roofed, rectangular tombs made of limestone or mudbrick, arranged in orderly rows.
However, the latest excavation by the International University of Higashi Nippon, Tohoku University (Japan), and the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG – Egypt) has revealed entirely different features.
Anomalous structure marked with distinctive colors and a red grid in the Western Cemetery – (Photo: ARCHAEOLOGY PROSPECTION).
According to Heritage Daily, the research team employed a combination of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) to conduct a thorough survey of the Western Cemetery.
It was during this survey that a large and mysterious L-shaped structure emerged like a shadow at the southern edge of the cemetery. It appeared faintly in the images as it is a structure buried deep underground, with the highest point lying 2 meters below the surface.
The entire structure is now filled with sand, but scientists believe it may be a tunnel leading to deeper structures below.
Alongside this L-shaped structure, a series of other anomalous traces further support this argument.
These unusual features are located at depths of 3.5 to 5 meters beneath the L-shaped structure, with two structures even reaching depths of 11 meters.
“These anomalous structures could be vertical limestone walls or conduits leading to sections of a tomb“ – the authors stated in the scientific journal Archaeology Prospection.
The data suggests that these structures are interconnected, forming a unique ‘underground world’ hidden beneath the ancient cemetery.
It is still uncertain whether this structure is a tomb or built for some other purpose, and whether there are any remains inside, as images from ground-penetrating methods are often quite vague.
Nonetheless, this discovery will pave the way for a new excavation, promising many fascinating developments.
Archaeologists are also unclear about the dating of these structures, but it is possible to speculate that they are related to the Great Pyramid.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the common designation for the Pyramid of Khufu, the largest pyramid in the Giza complex, which includes the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure. This wonder stands 146 meters tall and was constructed around 2,500 BC, making it 4,500 years old today. |
