Two Voids Detected in Menkaure Pyramid — Could a Hidden Entrance Lie Behind the Polished Stones?

New Remote‑Sensing Study Suggests a Possible Second Entrance to Menkaure's Pyramid

Researchers have detected two closely spaced voids behind an unusually polished patch on the eastern face of the Pyramid of Menkaure on Egypt's Giza plateau, findings that could indicate a previously unknown entrance, the team reports.

Background

Menkaure's pyramid, built during the reign of the pharaoh Menkaure (c. 2490–2472 B.C.), is the smallest of the three principal Giza pyramids and originally rose to about 213 ft (65 m). Its documented main entrance is on the northern face, making the discovery of polished stonework on the eastern face particularly intriguing.

"The stones are remarkably polished over an area around four meters [13 feet] high and six meters [20 feet] wide," the research team wrote, noting that such finish is otherwise found only at the pyramid's known northern entrance.

What the team did

Prompted in part by a 2019 hypothesis from independent researcher Stijn van den Hoven, the team—part of the Scan Pyramids project and including scientists from Cairo University and the Technical University of Munich—conducted three years of non‑invasive surveys on the eastern facade. They combined:

• Electrical resistivity testing (to map variations in material conductivity),
• Ground‑penetrating radar (to probe subsurface structure using radio waves), and
• Ultrasonic testing (which uses sound waves to detect internal anomalies).

Findings

By integrating results from all three methods, the researchers identified two voids just behind the polished area. One anomaly was detected about 4.6 ft (1.4 m) behind the eastern face and the other about 3.7 ft (1.13 m) in. The sizes and positions are consistent with an opening or chamber behind the masonry, but the data do not yet confirm the voids' exact nature.

Interpretation and next steps

The authors caution that while the anomalies are compatible with a hidden entrance, further non‑invasive testing—and potentially carefully planned excavation or micro‑drilling if authorized—will be needed to determine whether the voids are a construction feature, an access passage, or another phenomenon. Their paper appears in the October issue of the journal NDT & E International.

Harvard Egyptologist Peter Der Manuelian, who was not involved in the study, commented that the discovery is "very interesting" and underscores how much remains to be learned about the Giza monuments. He noted that, with few exceptions, Old Kingdom pyramid entrances are on the northern faces, making an eastern entrance atypical and worthy of close study.

Project context

The work was conducted under the Scan Pyramids project, which applies remote‑sensing techniques to study Egypt's ancient monuments. Other Scan Pyramids teams have previously reported voids inside the Great Pyramid, demonstrating the value of these non‑invasive methods for revealing previously hidden internal features.

Bottom line: Two small voids behind a polished section on the Pyramid of Menkaure raise the possibility of a concealed entrance, but additional investigation is required to confirm their purpose or origin.