Mysterious tunnel has been found inside Great Pyramid of Giza

Scientists have discovered a nine-metre hidden passageway inside the Great Pyramid of Giza that could help explain some of the ancient structure’s mysteries.

The pyramids in Egypt are among the most fascinating structures ever built.

Conspiracy theories about aliens and unknown civilisations continue to swirl around them until this very day.

However, there’s still some very real science and exploration being done on them, and – incredibly – we still keep learning more about them, even thousands of years after they were built.

Inside the Pyramid of Khufu, which is the largest of the pyramids in Giza, a team of researchers have discovered a mysterious passageway, the Egyptian tourism and antiquities minister has announced today.

Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

As tends to be the way with the pyramids, we don’t actually know what the passageway was for just yet, but it could definitely bring about more interesting discoveries now that the right people know it's there.

To be fair, some people will also claim that it could unleash a darkness and curse that has been imprisoned in the ancient tomb for millennia, but you’d better believe the scientists will take that chance.

This latest discovery was made by a research team from a project called Scan Pyramid.

See if you can guess what they do.

Since 2015, the group has been using modern technology to see what the inside of the pyramid looks like from the outside, with scanners and infrared thermography among other tools.

Apparently, the ceiling of the tunnel shows it was built to relieve the weight of the pyramid, according to Mostafa Waziri, the head of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.

“But a big question mark hangs over whether this corridor was created to relieve the weight on the [main] entrance or lighten the load on a space yet to be discovered,” he said.

"Scanning work will continue to uncover more secrets.”

Let’s hope so.

Jonathan Larsen/Diadem Images/Alamy Stock Photo

The pyramid was built some 4,500 years ago during the time of Pharoah Khufu, and continues to draw people from around the world to it.

That means big money from tourism for the government of Egypt if they can cash in on the interest that people have.

After Covid-19 and political unrest have taken their toll on the industry, they’ll be hoping that scientific discoveries like these will increase the enduring fascination in the world of ancient Egypt.

Maybe one day we’ll uncover all of their secrets.