Scientists have discovered previously undiscovered chambers in the Sahure pyramid at Giza, Egypt.
Mohamed Khaled, an Egyptologist at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) in Germany, oversaw the excavation. His crew discovered several rooms (or "magazines") that were probably used to store "funeral furniture." They claim to shed new light on both the pyramid itself and the Fifth Dynasty pharaoh Sahure, who ruled approximately 2500 B.C.
Khaled's goal, according to his results report, was to maintain the integrity of the pyramid. He began stabilizing the building from the inside in 2019 by moving from room to room. They discovered the chambers that earlier explorers had been unable to access during this operation.
That was undoubtedly a wonderful moment, Khaled told Men's Journal. We were jumping with joy because we had accomplished something no one had ever done before. His group and the building crew had a hastily organized celebration.
Mohamed Khaled examines the passageways within the pyramid.
John Perring had observed clues of corridors that he believed went to storage rooms during a related mission in 1836, but they were inaccessible due to rubble and general disrepair. Khaled and his team gained a slight advantage by meticulously mapping the inside and outside of the pyramid using 3D laser scanning. Their work has finally shown John Perring's theory to be correct. Our technology and the skilled staff allowed us to accomplish this, Khaled remarked.
Describing their discovery, the Egyptologist told us: “The rooms are magazines for the funerary furniture of King Sahure. Unfortunately, we did not find anything inside, but one can imagine that King Sahura had more treasures than King Tutankhamun. The state under Sahura's reign had a very strong economic situation.”
So far, eight chambers have been discovered. Some of the original walls and some of the floor can still be seen, but the majority of them have undergone considerable deterioration over time. Khaled and his colleagues restored the broken walls with new retaining walls to make sure the pyramid wouldn't eventually collapse.
Khaled and his crew intend to open it to guests after the renovation is finished so that everyone can explore King Sahure's hidden chambers.
