New Discovery in the Menkaure Pyramid Could Lead to Lost Chambers

Slamani Aghilas
December 9, 2025
Recent findings at the Menkaure Pyramid on Egypt’s Giza Plateau suggest the existence of a hidden passage beneath its eastern face, supporting long-held theories about a second entrance. Advanced scanning techniques have uncovered air-filled voids behind polished granite blocks, fueling speculation about the pyramid’s construction and hidden chambers.

This discovery marks a significant advancement in archaeological exploration at one of the most iconic historical sites. The Menkaure Pyramid, smaller than its famous counterparts at Giza, has always intrigued researchers, partly due to its smooth granite casing on the eastern side. Now, a combination of cutting-edge non-invasive technologies is providing concrete evidence of what could be a lost entryway, opening a new chapter in Egyptology.

The Hypothesis of a Second Entrance

For years, archaeologists have speculated about the possibility of a second entrance to the Menkaure Pyramid. One of the key pieces of evidence supporting this theory is the eastern facade’s unusually smooth granite blocks, a feature thatmirrors the polished stones found around the pyramid’s main entrance on its northern side. In 2019, researcher Stijn van den Hoven proposed that these polished blocks might conceal a second entrance. This hypothesis gained traction after a series of scans revealed the presence of voids behind these blocks, potentially marking a hidden passage into the pyramid.

How the Void Spaces Were Detected

To confirm the existence of these voids, a team from Cairo University and the Technical University of Munich employed a combination of non-destructive testing methods: electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and ultrasonic testing (UST).

A: Northern face of the Menkaure Pyramid. B: close-up view of the main entrance. C: the polished part of the Eastern face. ©: Cairo University and Technical University of Munich.

According to their findings, the scans revealed two air-filled voids located 1.4 meters and 1.13 meters behind the granite facade. These voids are approximately 1 meter high by 1.5 meters wide and 0.9 meters by0.7 meters in size. These anomalies are the clearest evidence yet for the possibility of a second entrance, and the results were validated by rigorous numerical simulations.

The Implications of This Discovery

The discovery of these voids holds significant implications for understanding the Menkaure Pyramid’s design and possibly unearthing new chambers or passages. Researchers are cautious about jumping to conclusions, noting that further investigations are needed to fully explore the extent and purpose of these voids.

As Christian Grosse, a specialist in non-destructive testing, remarked, the testing methodologies have provided “very precise conclusions about the pyramid’s interior” without causing any damage to the structure. The team has called for additional studies to determine whether these anomalies truly represent a second entrance or if they serve a different architectural function.

Next Steps for Archaeologists

While the initial findings are promising, the exact nature of these voids remains speculative. The Scan Pyramids team has emphasized the need for continued research using other non-destructive techniques to better understand the structure of the pyramid.

In the coming years, further scans and possibly even targeted excavations could shed light on whether the Menkaure Pyramid indeed contains an undiscovered passageway that could offer new insights into its construction and function. As one of the last unexplored pyramids on the Giza Plateau, any discovery within it is bound to alter the course of ancient Egyptian studies.