Findings at 2 pyramids revealed
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Experts revealed yesterday new findings at two of Egypt鈥檚 famed pyramids, boosting efforts to unravel whether the ancient world鈥檚 iconic monuments contain secret chambers.
For the past three months a team of researchers from Egypt, France, Canada and Japan have been scanning four pyramids with thermal cameras to see if they contain unknown structures or cavities.
Operation ScanPyramids began on October 25 to search for hidden rooms inside Khufu 鈥 also known as the Great Pyramid 鈥 and Khafre in Giza and the Bent and Red pyramids in Dahshur, all south of Cairo.
The project is expected to continue until the end of 2016, and applies a mix of infrared thermography, muon radiography imaging and 3D reconstruction 鈥 all of which the researchers say are non-invasive and non-destructive techniques.
Yesterday, experts revealed new findings on the limestone blocks that make up the western flank of the Red pyramid and northern flank of Khufu.
鈥淭here is a clear separation of temperature on the west face of Red pyramid. The bottom is colder than the top,鈥 Matthieu Klein of Canada鈥檚 Laval University told a news conference.
鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting. We have no answers yet... Could it be because of the wind? Maybe, but it鈥檚 interesting,鈥 he said, adding that the difference in temperature was between three and six degrees Celsius.
A video projection of the data recorded by the thermal cameras showed hues of red on the blocks where heat was detected and blue and magenta for the cooler ones.
Klein said two anomalies were also located on the northern flank of Khufu, where experts have previously found similar 鈥減oints of interest鈥 on the monument鈥檚 eastern face.
Experts say they will carry out more investigations to include further data analysis of the anomalies detected so far.
鈥淭he primary result tells us that we have some news, some good news,鈥 Antiquities Minister Mamduh al-Damati said.
鈥淲e will have some secrets to solve in the pyramids, but it鈥檚 very early to say what they are.鈥
At 146 meters tall, Khufu pyramid, named after the son of pharaoh Snefru, is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, built 4,500 years ago.
It has three known chambers, and like other pyramids in Egypt was intended as a pharaoh鈥檚 tomb.
The Red pyramid, built by Snefru, is 105 meters tall and is to the north of the Bent pyramid.
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