Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Dr. Zahi Hawass, a prominent Egyptologist and former government official has dismissed a study from a group of researchers from the Kahfre Project which claimed there was an underground city beneath the Pyramids of Giza as “fake news.”Newsweek has reached out to Hawass via an online contact form, and to the spokesperson for the academic Kahfre Project, via email for comment.Why It MattersA group of Italian researchers who were looking into the Giza necropolis claimed that they had discovered what they called “vertical cylinders,” 2,000 feet below ground.The findings were made public through a scientific paper and have been widely shared online. There have been years of ongoing conspiracy theories about the pyramids.
The pyramids of Khafre, center, and Khufu (Cheops) on the Giza plateau, on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo, on February 25, 2025.
The pyramids of Khafre, center, and Khufu (Cheops) on the Giza plateau, on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo, on February 25, 2025.
HASAN MROUE/AFP via Getty Images
What To KnowHawass has dismissed the claims in a statement shared on his official Facebook page.The statement said that “false claims regarding the Egyptian pyramids have circulated widely across the world.”He described the rumors as “nothing but fabrications propagated by individuals with no expertise in ancient Egyptian civilization or the history of the pyramids.” He also said that there is “no scientific evidence.”Hawass’ remarks come in response to researchers from the Kahfre Project who claim that they have discovered the Halls of Amenti in a “vast city” beneath the ancient structures.The project used Synthetic Aperture Radar tomography and involved scientists Corrado Malanga of the University of Pisa and Filippo Biondi of the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, who scanned the Khafre Pyramid and uncovered what they said was an underground system, stretching miles beneath all three of the major pyramids.Specifically, under the Khafre pyramid, a team of researchers claim that there are spiral staircases beneath the surface.Scientists also said that they had located five small, room-like structures in the pyramid.Hawass said in his statement, “The base of the Pyramid of Khafre was carved directly from the bedrock to a height of approximately 8 meters. According to extensive scientific studies and research conducted in recent years, there are no columns beneath this base.”The study has also drawn skepticism because it was not peer-reviewed.What People Are SayingA spokesperson for the Kahfre Project group, Nicole Ciccolo, said that the “Groundbreaking study has redefined the boundaries of satellite data analysis and archaeological exploration.”Dr. Zahi Hawass in his statement stressed that such claims are “merely attempts to undermine the grandeur of ancient Egyptian civilization. However, these attempts are futile, and such baseless rumors will ultimately be consigned to the dustbin of history.”What’s NextAcademics from the Kahfre Project are yet to respond to Hawass’ statement.Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
