Egyptologists clash over ‘underground city' beneath pyramids
Claims that an 'underground city' exists beneath ancient Egyptian pyramids have caused a row among experts.
Researchers from Italy say they have uncovered giant vertical shafts wrapped in 'spiral staircases' under the Khafre pyramid.
They said on Sunday that they found a limestone platform with two chambers and channels that resemble pipelines for a water system more than 2,100 feet below the pyramid, with underground pathways leading even deeper into the earth.
But the claims – which have not been published or independently peer-reviewed – were labelled 'false' and 'exaggerated' by fellow Egyptologists.
Prof Corrado Malanga and his team from the University of Pisa used radar pulses to create high-resolution images deep into the ground, similar to how sonar radar maps the ocean.
In a statement, he said: 'When we magnify the images [in the future], we will reveal that beneath it lies what can only be described as a true underground city.'
The scientists have also said there is 'an entire hidden world of many structures'' and that 'the Pyramid of Khafre might conceal undiscovered secrets, notably the fabled Hall of Records'.
The Hall of Records, a concept popularised in ancient Egyptian lore, is believed to be an ancient library beneath the Great Pyramid or the Sphinx, with vast amounts of information about the ancient civilisation.
Prof Lawrence Conyers, a radar expert at the University of Denver who focuses on archaeology, told the Daily Mail it was not possible for the technology to penetrate that deeply into the ground.
He said the idea that it proves an underground city existed is 'a huge exaggeration'.
But he said it was conceivable small structures, such as shafts and chambers, may be present from before the pyramids were built.
He highlighted how 'the Mayans and other peoples in ancient Mesoamerica often built pyramids on top of the entrances to caves or caverns that had ceremonial significance to them'.
The work by Prof Malanga and fellow researchers Filippo Biondi and Armando Mei was previously discussed during a briefing in Italy last week.
The project's spokesman, Nicole Ciccolo, shared a video on Saturday of the trio discussing the findings that are yet to be published in a scientific journal.
The team focused on the Khafre pyramid, which, along with Khufu and Menkaure pyramids, make up the three in the Giza complex.
The pyramids are thought to have been built some 4,500 years ago and sit on the west bank of the Nile river in northern Egypt.
The vertical shafts identified below the ground were about 33 to 39 feet in diameter, located at a depth of at least 2,130 feet, the researchers said, adding that they may support the pyramid, which needs 'a strong foundation, otherwise it may sink'.
The team showed an image created by using the pulses which they claim includes 'a complex, luminous structure with distinct vibrations' they believe is 'an actual underground city'.
'The existence of vast chambers beneath the earth's surface, comparable in size to the pyramids themselves, have a remarkably strong correlation between the legendary Halls of Amenti,' Ms Ciccolo said.
Prof Malanga and Mr Biondi published a separate peer-reviewed paper in October 2022 in the scientific journal Remote Sensing, which found hidden rooms and ramps inside Khafre, along with evidence of a thermal anomaly near the pyramid's base.
The new study used similar technology but with extra help from satellites orbiting Earth.
Radar signals from two satellites about 420 miles above Earth were directed into the Khafre pyramid.
The experts then monitor how they bounce back and convert the signals into sound waves, which allows them to 'see' through the solid stone and map out underground structures in 3D.
Prof Malanga claimed the results had been 'completely consistent' and using two satellites ruled out the chance of 'misinterpretation'.
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