Controversy over Pyramid claims - Heritage - Al-Ahram Weekly
The Giza Plateau, home to the iconic Pyramids and the Great Sphinx, has long symbolised ancient ingenuity and human achievement. However, beyond its warm sands and weathered stone structures, a new controversy is beginning to unfold.
Late last month, two scientists, Filippo Biondi of the University of Strathclyde in Scotland and Corrado Malanga of the University of Pisa in Italy, claimed that using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology they had identified what they described as a vast underground city stretching 2 km beneath the Giza Pyramids.
According to their findings, the subterranean complex includes eight distinct vertical, cylinder-shaped structures spanning over 610 m beneath the Pyramid of Khafre.
They also reported the presence of various unidentified structures detected at a depth of approximately 1,220 m, among them a structure containing a sarcophagus initially believed to be the tomb of a Pharaoh. These newly identified formations are said to be connected by underground pathways that lead beneath the surface and are believed to reveal hidden chambers and wells beneath the 4,500-year-old Pyramid complex.
The scientists claimed that electromagnetic signals were converted into phononic data, which revealed what they interpreted as extensive infrastructure reaching thousands of metres below ground. The eight large vertical features, speculated to be wells or shafts, are believed to stretch over 1,980 m across and extend to depths of 610 m.
The team also referenced the so-called 'Halls of Amenti', a mythical feature in Egyptian lore, suggesting it could include the legendary Hall of Records, a secret chamber believed by some to lie beneath the Great Sphinx or elsewhere within the Giza Pyramid complex and containing ancient knowledge about Egypt's earliest civilisation.
The findings, made public through a reinterpretation of a scientific paper published in 2022 in the journal Remote Sensing and a video published on YouTube presenting the claim, had garnered thousands of viewers at the time of reporting, reflecting widespread public interest and speculation.
Social media platforms lit up with reactions to the alleged discovery, as users on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok shared archived posts expressing fascination and excitement. Many referred to the purported find as 'a vast underground city'.
Egyptologist and former minister of antiquities Zahi Hawass firmly rejected the claims, however, stating that the use of radar technology inside the Pyramid of Khafre was 'completely false' and amounted to 'fake news'.
He emphasised that both researchers have never come to Egypt to do research, and the techniques cited in their report are neither scientifically approved nor validated by the archaeological community and radar experts. The findings were not peer-reviewed nor made publicly available in scientific journals, he said.
'No radar devices have been used inside the Pyramid,' Hawass confirmed, adding that there is 'no scientific evidence' to support the existence of the underground structures described. He explained that the ancient Egyptians had carved the base of the Pyramid directly from the natural bedrock to a height of approximately eight metres and that no columns or vertical shafts lie beneath it.
He wondered about the purposes behind the claims, suggesting that the researchers wanted to argue that the Pyramids were not constructed as royal tombs, but rather as components of a sophisticated ancient power-generating system and that they were built by aliens not the ancient Egyptians.
Hawass said that all the 120 pyramids stretching from Giza to Dahshour were built by the ancient Egyptians as royal tombs and national projects.
He said that the Wadi Al-Jarf papyri, considered the oldest papyri in the world, is strong evidence that the ancient Egyptians were the Pyramid builders. The papyri contain the diary of Merer, the overseer of workers at Wadi Al-Jarf, 24 km south of Zaafarana and 119 km south of Suez, during the reign of King Khufu, showing how they constructed the Great Pyramid on the Giza Plateau.
It tells how the workers transported stones from the Tora Quarry to the Plateau to build the Pyramids. 'These claims are nothing more than an attempt to diminish the achievements of ancient Egyptian civilisation,' Hawass stated.
CLAIMS: Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), pointed out that the research was authored by two researchers, one of them with a background in electrical engineering and the second a specialist in industrial chemistry.
Their study was published in Remote Sensing, a journal issued by a Swiss-based publishing house headquartered in Basel. Neither author holds formal qualifications in Egyptology, archaeology, or even remote sensing, the core discipline of the journal in which their work appeared.
Khaled said that Remote Sensing is published by MDPI, a well-known open-access publisher. Under this model, researchers pay publication fees in exchange for making their work freely available to the public.
'While the journal claims to uphold a peer-review process, a closer look at the submission timeline raises questions,' Khaled said, adding that the paper was submitted on 30 August 2022, underwent review by 28 September, and was accepted for publication on 12 October. This turnaround time of approximately six weeks is unusually short for comprehensive peer review, particularly for a paper exceeding 30 pages in length.
'Scholars across disciplines generally recognise that rigorous peer review often requires several months to ensure methodological and scientific soundness,' Khaled said.
An identical version of the paper can be found on the academic platform ResearchGate listed with a submission date of 7 October 2020. This earlier version lacks any indication that it underwent peer review, yet it mirrors the final published manuscript in both structure and content.
This raises the possibility that the research was published largely unchanged, without substantial input from reviewers or the revisions typically required in academic publishing.
'The use of satellite technology to detect deep subterranean structures, particularly beneath solid stone formations such as the Pyramid of Khafre, presents significant scientific and technical challenges,' Khaled said.
He added that the claim that SAR was used to identify corridors and columns at extreme depths under the Pyramid is not only highly speculative but may be technically implausible.
'SAR technology, while effective in certain geospatial applications, does not possess the capability to penetrate dense stone to the degree required for such claims. Although it is theoretically possible to interpret minute ground movements caused by natural seismic activity using the Doppler effect, the practical application of such a technique in this context remains highly questionable,' he said.
The study also opens with a number of controversial assertions, including the claim that the Great Pyramid was constructed entirely from granite blocks weighing approximately 2.5 tons each fitted with millimetric precision over a span of just 15 to 30 years. This assumption is fundamentally flawed, as the bulk of the Great Pyramid was constructed from limestone, with granite reserved primarily for interior chambers.
Even assuming the scientific methodology is theoretically sound, it must undergo thorough calibration and peer review to be considered valid. The input data used in the modelling software must also be rigorously verified, and both the data and processing methods must be made publicly available to allow independent validation.
Publishing only the visualised computer outputs, without disclosing the raw data or computational methodology, undermines the credibility of the findings. In other words, even scientifically robust techniques can produce misleading results if the data input is inaccurate or manipulated to fit a desired narrative, Khaled said.
CREDIBILITY: Egyptologists have raised concerns over the credibility of the findings for three reasons.
First, the original study was published in 2022 and received little attention at the time, an expected outcome given its lack of scientific rigour and limited relevance. The recent surge in interest appears to stem from viral social media posts in March this year, accompanied by mention of a press conference. However, no reputable academic or scientific institution has claimed involvement or responsibility for such a presentation.
Second, there is a significant inconsistency in citing a research paper focused on the Great Pyramid of Khufu within a video that claims discoveries related to the Pyramid of Khafre. If the same technique was used for both sites, despite the method not having been peer-reviewed or scientifically validated, questions arise regarding how the data was collected and why no separate peer-reviewed study was published specifically addressing Khafre's Pyramid.
Resorting to social media videos, rather than scholarly publication, further undermines the credibility of the claim.
Third, the claim involves the existence of eight cylindrical columns beneath the Pyramid of Khafre, each allegedly 648 m in height. This raises serious questions: how could such a high degree of precision be obtained using satellite imagery to examine what lies beneath the Earth's surface? Surrounding these columns are said to be spiral corridors, suggesting that the Pyramid resembles an oil-production platform resting on eight pillars, each extending 648 m deep, while the actual height of the Pyramid of Khafre above ground is only 136 m.
Furthermore, it is claimed that at the base of these columns are two massive chambers, each measuring 80 x 80 m, and that a network of corridors stretching two km connects the Giza Pyramids underground. How were such highly specific underground features measured with satellite technology? If the claims are accurate, which recognised scientific institution conducted this study? And why were these findings not published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, but instead disseminated through videos on social media platforms?
According to Yasser Al-Shayeb, professor of Rock Engineering and its Applications in Archaeology and Heritage at Cairo University and deputy director of the Centre for Archaeological Engineering, dismissed the study as 'neither accurate nor scientific'.
'The geology of the Giza Plateau is well known, thoroughly documented, and understood,' he said, adding that it consists of stratified limestone, which may include small voids or natural fissures, but the idea of massive columns or chambers hundreds of metres underground is scientifically implausible.
Furthermore, it is inconceivable that the ancient Egyptians could have excavated and engineered structures of such scale at such profound depths using the tools and techniques available at the time.
'There is no doubt the ancient Egyptians were master builders,' Al-Shayeb acknowledged. 'We have examples of underground chambers in Saqqara and the Valley of the Kings, particularly during the third and fourth dynasties. However, those structures were typically carved at much shallower depths and even those required incredible effort and planning.'
He pointed out that beneath the Great Pyramid of Khufu the only known subterranean chamber lies just 30 m below ground, a far cry from the 600 claimed in the controversial paper.
'It's a small space, and there are no inscriptions or records to suggest the existence of vast rooms or pillars. The engineering tools and manpower of the time would not have allowed for the excavation of such extensive and deep systems beneath solid rock,' he said.
While new technologies have significantly expanded our ability to explore ancient sites, Al-Shayeb cautioned that they have their limitations.
'We use techniques like thermal imaging, tomography, and geophysical surveys to study these monuments,' he explained. 'But they don't allow for high-resolution imaging at such depths. Even seismic or electrical surveys, as used in the oil industry, cannot detect specific underground objects with the accuracy being claimed.'
He also stressed the importance of transparency and scientific rigour in publishing such findings.
'If these claims were legitimate, they should have been published in a credible, peer-reviewed archaeological journal, not disseminated via social media or speculative videos. Moreover, raw data, methodologies, and imaging should be shared with the wider scientific community for validation.'
He expressed concerns that such speculative claims dilute the real achievements of Egyptian civilisation and distract from ongoing scholarly efforts.
'The Pyramids are not just monuments; they are a symbol of national pride and global heritage. It's our duty to protect the truth about them, Al-Shayeb concluded.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 10 April, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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The first was that Fletcher's theory, which is no more than that, was presented in the media as a fact. The second was that my criticism of Fletcher, who ignored SCA regulations and thus betrayed responsible Egyptology, was interpreted as nationalism or fundamentalism. I should like to take this opportunity to share the opinions of two Egyptologists, both of whom supported my position, as did the majority of other Egyptologists around the world. The first is Rosalie David, professor and director of the Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at the School of Sciences at Manchester in the UK, who was Fletcher's thesis adviser. David is one of the foremost experts on mummies and mummification in the world (in contrast to Fletcher, who wrote her thesis on wigs and hairstyles in Ancient Egypt). In a letter to the SCA, David wrote that 'apart from electron microscopy of a head-louse found within one of the hairpieces that Joan Fletcher was studying, there was no specific scientific content to the research or the thesis. The electron microscopy was carried out by the university's electron microscopy unit (not by Joan Fletcher herself) and she was allowed to use the results in her thesis.' 'Joan Fletcher received no training in anthropology or biomedical Egyptology or any other scientific techniques related to human remains; she was never involved in any of the work or research undertaken by the Manchester Egyptian Mummy Project; and indeed she showed no interest in the anthropological and biomedical research on the mummies that were undertaken at that time.' David added that 'in summary, she received no training in anthropology or studies related to mummy research during her university course at Manchester.' David had no contact with Fletcher after she finished her thesis, even though, as she was her adviser, she should have had a close relationship with her. David concluded by saying that 'I am surprised to see that in recent years she has chosen to describe herself in the media as an expert in mummy studies.' The second letter was from George Tassie, an archaeologist who works in the Delta and is concerned for the preservation of our common heritage. Here is the text of a letter that came to me at the time. 'I don't know whether anyone else was outraged by the article in last Friday's edition of [the UK] Times (22 August 2003) 'How Nefertiti put a curse on British Archaeologist' reporting how Joan Fletcher and her team from York University have been barred from conducting research in Egypt.' 'I thought it was one of the most biased, offensive, bigoted, racist and inflammatory pieces of journalism I have ever read. This article is available online in The Times archives, but the minimum fee is £10 to become a member to access them. However, I do have a copy if anyone would like to see this terrible article. I have already written a letter of complaint to the editor of The Times, but as of yet have had no reply.' The most disturbing part of The Times article, Tassie wrote, was the interview with an unnamed British Egyptologist who declared that Hawass and the SCA were practicing a form of cultural nationalism and that, desirous to keep Egyptology for Muslims, they had issued new regulations that make life 'very hard for foreign Egyptologists'. This was a dangerous and inflammatory remark, presumably based on the fact that there was a moratorium on excavation in the Nile Valley. 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These regulations were welcomed by the larger community of archaeologists who were concerned with protecting Egypt's cultural heritage against such modern threats as the salinisation of the soil from the high water table and the flooding of vast areas of land, mechanised farming techniques and agricultural expansion, the activities of the sebakhin (people who dig in ancient mud-brick settlement sites for fertiliser or for brick manufacture), not to mention building and development projects, pollution, and expanding urban development, all of which were acutely felt in the Delta. Although sites in Upper Egypt are similarly threatened, they do not face problems so severe as those in Lower Egypt. In cases where an archaeological site in the Nile Valley does face a direct threat from any of the above causes, and just reason can be given for its excavation with a view to protection, the SCA will grant permission for such archaeological work to take place. The anonymous Egyptologist's claim that Egyptians do not like the British and resent them for their colonial past, made in the original Times article, is too outrageous to dignify with further comment. I shall simply refer readers a paper by D M Reid (1984) entitled 'Indigenous Egyptology: Decolonisation of a Profession?' (Journal of the American Oriental Society 105: 233-246). The SCA recognises the need for more collaborative projects between international and Egyptian archaeologists, and the dissemination of both academic and technical information. We welcome help both in terms of teaching young Egyptians the advanced techniques of field archaeology and in building an archaeological infrastructure. We are the custodians of a rich world heritage and welcome all those who wish to protect it. TAMPERING WITH NEFERTITI: Meanwhile, I also received many e-mails from art historians in the United States expressing outrage at the Berlin Museum's astonishing insolence in briefly fusing the beautiful painted bust of Nefertiti to a modern bronze nude body, also in 2003. One scholar, highly respected in his field, wrote passionately about this 'disgusting, ugly and unscientific' synthesis, an affront to one of our most treasured masterpieces. Writing to the director of the UN cultural organisation UNESCO, the German ambassador to Egypt, and Mohamed Al-Orabi, the Egyptian ambassador in Berlin at the time, I listed our objections to the treatment of Nefertiti, pointing out not only the aesthetic offence but the very real peril it entailed. Attaching a limestone bust to a bronze body may have caused it irreparable damage and risked its destruction, had it somehow fallen from it. To subject a rare masterpiece to such degradation combined with the possibility of harm is inexcusable. 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