Secret chambers discovered in 4,400-year-old Egyptian pyramid

New secret chambers have been uncovered inside a 4,400-year-old ancient Egyptian pyramid.

When many of us think of Egypt, the iconic landscape of the ancient pyramids is one of the first things that comes to mind. The complex structures have baffled and fascinated archaeologists for years and even today, new discoveries are being made about them.

At the Pyramid of Sahura, archaeologists recently uncovered new rooms inside the structure built for the Egyptian pharaoh Sahure of the Fifth Dynasty.

Since 2019, the 47-metre-tall pyramid has been undergoing a restoration project to prevent any further collapse and to clean the interior rooms.

As part of this, the team cleared a corridor that was once blocked, making way for the discovery of new chambers that likely haven’t been seen by human eyes for thousands of years.

The pyramid was first excavated by John Shae Perring, a British engineer, in 1836. Perring was known for using destructive methods such as explosives to make progress inside, causing some significant damage to the internal structures and making some areas impassable.

University of Würzburg researchers used technology to survey the pyramids and to create a highly accurate floor plan to help them preserve the architectural integrity.

The Pyramid of Sahura stands in the necropolis of Abusir which was the primary burial site for the pharaohs of the Fifth Dynasty of ancient Egypt.

Unlike the world-famous Giza pyramids that many associate with Egypt, the Pyramid of Sahura is made up of a mishmash of various-sized rocks and is less structural-looking. However, experts believe that when it was first constructed, it would have looked very different, and its exterior would have been made of smooth-sided limestone casting stones.

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