Detection of Hidden Voids in the Giza Pyramids

Non-destructive testing (NDT) is widely used in several applications to assess the properties and structure of material without causing any damage to tested objects. Recent development in the field of NDT allowed successful applications for culture heritage preservation. Since 2014, ScanPyramids project has been a pioneer project in using NDT with various methods to investigate the internal structure of the Giza Pyramids for better understanding of how the pyramids was built. 3D Modeling and Simulation, Muography (cosmic ray muons), Ground Penetrating Radar, Ultrasound Tomography and Electrical Resistivity Tomography were used to investigate the Pyramids of Giza, in particular the Great Pyramid and Menkaure Pyramid. All measurements were supported by numerical simulation, and image fusion of data resulting from different methods were carried out. In this paper, two major discoveries using NDT in the Great pyramid will be mainly discussed: the ScanPyramids Big Void (SP-BV) discovered in 2017 and the ScanPyramids North Face Corridor (SP-NFC) discovery in 2023. A 6 mm diameter endoscope was inserted in the joints between the blocks to visualize the SP-NFC for the first time after being hidden for 4500 years. Moreover, some measurements in Menkaure Pyramid will be presented as well, heading to detection of two air anomalies behind the Eastern wall of Menkaure Pyramid.