On March 21, 2025, reports emerged claiming that Italian and Scottish researchers, using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology, had discovered a vast underground complex beneath the Giza Pyramids in Egypt. According to these claims, the findings include massive vertical cylinders extending approximately 2,100 feet (around 640 meters) deep, converging into large cube-shaped structures measuring 80 by 80 meters. The researchers, reportedly led by Corrado Malanga from the University of Pisa and Filippo Biondi from the University of Strathclyde, have described this as evidence of “a vast underground city” stretching about two kilometers beneath the pyramid complex, challenging the traditional view that the pyramids were solely tombs for pharaohs.
The alleged discovery, publicized through a press release dated March 15, 2025, suggests an intricate subterranean network, including five identical multi-level structures near the base of the Khafre Pyramid, connected by geometric pathways, and eight deep cylindrical wells surrounded by spiral pathways leading to the cube-shaped chambers. These findings have sparked excitement online, with some speculating that the structures could support alternative theories—such as those proposed by Nikola Tesla and Christopher Dunn—suggesting the pyramids functioned as ancient energy systems rather than burial sites.
However, skepticism has quickly arisen within the scientific community. Some experts argue that SAR technology, while powerful for mapping subsurface features, is unlikely to penetrate and resolve structures at such extreme depths—nearly half a mile underground—through the dense rock and sand of the Giza Plateau. Critics point out that SAR typically excels at detecting shallower features, and its effectiveness diminishes significantly beyond a few meters in solid geological formations, let alone 2,100 feet. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), often used alongside SAR in archaeological surveys, have successfully identified smaller anomalies at Giza, like a 33-foot-long L-shaped structure found in 2024 at a depth of 6.5 feet, but nothing on the scale now being claimed.
Adding to the doubt, the 2022 paper by Malanga and Biondi, published in Remote Sensing, focused on SAR imaging of the Great Pyramid’s internal structure above ground, not vast underground complexes. No peer-reviewed study or official documentation from this team has yet surfaced to substantiate the new claims, and efforts to locate the cited press release or detailed radar data have been inconclusive. Posts on X and various news outlets have highlighted this discrepancy, with some labeling the story as exaggerated or a potential hoax, possibly misattributing real researchers’ names to sensationalized findings.
While the idea of a hidden underground city is tantalizing, the current evidence remains unverified. The Egyptian government, historically cautious about excavations that challenge established narratives, has not commented, and the researchers’ reported interest in digging faces significant hurdles. Until more concrete data—such as peer-reviewed papers or excavation results—emerges, the scientific community urges caution, suggesting this may be an overblown interpretation of legitimate but less dramatic discoveries. For now, the mystery of what lies beneath the Giza Pyramids endures, but the “vast underground city” remains more speculative than substantiated.