Egypt discovers hidden corridor in Great Pyramid of Giza

Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza, even after over 4,500 years of its existence, is continuing to drop unique nuggets of history embedded within its millennia-old mystique. Now, a hidden corridor nine metres (30 feet) long has been discovered close to the main entrance of the pyramid. The latest discoverycould lead to further findings, Egyptian antiquities officials said on Thursday.

The discovery within the pyramid was made under the Scan Pyramids project. The project, kickstarted in2015, has been using non-invasive technology including infrared thermography, 3D simulations and cosmic-ray imaging to peer inside the structure.

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The discovery could contribute to knowledge about the construction of the pyramid as well as the purpose of a gabled limestone structure that sits in front of the corridor, an article published in the journal Nature said on Thursday.

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The unfinished corridor wascreated to redistribute the pyramid's weight around either the main entranceor around another as yet undiscovered chamber or space, according toMostafa Waziri, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

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"We aregoing to continue our scanning so we will see what we can do... to figure out what we can find out beneath it, or just by the end of this corridor," he told reporters after a press conference in front of the pyramid.

The Great Pyramid was constructed as a monumental tomb around 2560 BC during the reign of the Pharaoh Khufu. Up until 1889 when Eiffel Tower in Paris was not built, it was the tallest structure made by humans.

Scientists detected the corridor through cosmic-ray muon radiography. They thenretrieved its image by feeding a 6mm-thick endoscope from Japan through a tiny joint in the pyramid's stones.

Earlier in 2017, Scan Pyramids researchers announced the discovery of a void at least 30 metres long inside the Great Pyramid, the first major inner structure found since the 19th century.

(With inputs from agencies)

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