The idea of a secret city beneath the Egyptian pyramids resurfaces time and again, like an echo from the past. Every so often, a new study, a podcast interview, or a viral video rekindles the dream of endless passageways, hidden chambers, and lost libraries beneath the Giza plateau. In recent years, a group of Italian researchers has placed this hypothesis at the center of the debate, claiming that radar technology has revealed a gigantic underground complex deep beneath the pyramids.
However, when one steps away from the media hype and focuses on the technical data, expert reviews, and established archaeological evidence , the picture changes considerably. What some have touted as almost definitive proof of a city beneath the sand, most experts consider nothing more than a highly questionable interpretation of radar images, amplified by sensationalist illustrations and social media eager for eye-catching headlines.
The origin of the controversy: Italians, speed cameras and a city beneath Giza
The core of this story stems from the work of Italian chemist Corrado Malanga , a retired professor from the University of Pisa, and engineer and remote sensing specialist Filippo Biondi . According to their statements, a new method for processing synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data allowed them to "see" far below the Giza plateau, especially under the pyramid of Khafre (also called Khafre or Khafre).
These researchers claim that the images obtained show deep vertical shafts, spiral passages, and large cylindrical and cubic structures buried hundreds of meters underground, forming what they describe as a colossal subterranean complex. In their own words, with further data analysis, something would appear beneath the pyramids that “could only be described as a veritable underground city.”
One of the accounts that has circulated describes eight hollow cylinders surrounded by helical formations , interpreted as spiral staircases, leading to a huge chamber of about 500 cubic meters located almost 700 meters deep beneath the Pyramid of Khafre. They also claim to have detected similar structures under the Pyramid of Menkaure and a large cylinder under the Sphinx, all connected by this network of spiral elements.
In interviews and public appearances, particularly on the American podcast American Alchemy , Biondi has maintained that four other companies have validated his findings by obtaining matching topographic patterns. According to his account, the pyramids are merely “the tip of the iceberg,” a kind of monumental crowning achievement of a gigantic network that remains completely buried beneath the rock and sand.
Extrapolation to the entire Giza complex and an alternative chronology
The team's work isn't limited to Khafre. In statements to international media, Filippo Biondi asserted that the patterns identified beneath Khafre are also repeated beneath the pyramid of Menkaure, suggesting that the three main pyramids of Giza are aligned above the same underground system . According to his calculations, this complex would be located approximately 600-700 meters deep, with some texts even mentioning a depth of around 2.000 feet below the desert.
Furthermore, another member of the group, Armando Mei , has sought to fit these supposed structures into a much broader narrative. Based on elements such as salt deposits and water erosion marks on blocks near the Great Pyramid , he proposes that Giza suffered a catastrophic flood in antiquity, linked to a comet impact around 12.800 BC.
According to this line of reasoning, the Giza complex, far from dating back some 4.500 years as Egyptology accepts, would actually be tens of thousands of years old , with some even suggesting a civilization as old as 38.000 years for the civilization responsible for the supposed underground galleries. This culture would have been destroyed by that cataclysm, leaving the pyramids as the legacy or "cap" of a much older system hidden underground.
In this view, the pyramids would be little more than the visible part of a vast underground network , perhaps conceived as a ceremonial center, a technological city, or an archive of archaic knowledge. There are those who link this hypothesis to ideas of lost advanced civilizations , sometimes connected to legends like Atlantis or to esoteric notions that have been popular for decades.
All of this fits within a broader context of alternative theories that have for years associated Giza with cosmic events, global floods, and ancient civilizations . Authors like geologist James Kennett have promoted the so-called "comet hypothesis," pointing to impact remnants at sites like Abu Hureyra, in present-day Syria, about 1,000 kilometers from Giza, as possible evidence of extreme weather events. And popularizers like Andrew Collins have recovered inscriptions from the Temple of Edfu that mention a primordial flood that destroyed an enigmatic population of the "Oldest," using them as indirect support for these narratives, although Egyptologists consider these texts primarily symbolic.
Old legends about hidden passageways and record rooms
The fact that people are talking about a secret city beneath the pyramids today is no coincidence: the idea fits perfectly into a long-standing imaginary. Even in classical antiquity, texts attributed to Herodotus mentioned passageways and underground structures associated with Egyptian monuments, although their historical reliability is highly debated. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, references to hidden galleries and mysterious chambers continued to fuel books, chronicles, and philosophical speculations.
In the 20th century, this tradition took a leap forward when the American medium Edgar Cayce popularized the existence of a supposed "Hall of Records" hidden in Giza , where knowledge from a pre-Pharaonic Egyptian civilization, often identified with Atlantis, was said to be preserved. Since then, every time a new technology emerges—radar, 3D scanners, satellite imagery—the expectation that this mythical chamber will finally appear skyrockets.
The recent uproar surrounding SAR data cannot be understood without this context of accumulated myths, esoteric literature, and popular culture . When computer-generated (and sometimes AI-generated) illustrations depict enormous columns, spiral tunnels, and colossal chambers beneath the pyramids, the visual impact reinforces a narrative that many have been waiting decades to see confirmed.
The problem is that these images are not photographs of the subsoil , but rather more or less speculative reconstructions, based on data that, according to numerous specialists, do not allow reaching that level of detail, much less the depths that are being proclaimed on social networks and general media.
What is SAR radar really and what can (and cannot) do
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology has been used for years in Earth observation, both from satellites and aircraft. It emits radar waves and, from the received echoes, generates high-resolution images of the surface, allowing the detection of millimeter-scale changes in the terrain, the analysis of ground deformations, the measurement of glacier movements, and the monitoring of infrastructure, among many other applications.
In the specific case at hand, the Italian researchers maintain that they have applied a novel method for processing SAR data from the Italian COSMO-SkyMed satellite system, thus managing to "delve deeper" from the interpretation of the Earth's natural microscopic vibrations to supposedly reconstructing parts of the Giza subsoil in 3D. From this analysis, they claim to have inferred the existence of the aforementioned shafts, pillars, and chambers at unprecedented heights (or rather, depths).
However, technical sources at the European Space Agency (ESA), consulted by verification bodies, have been emphatic in explaining that the penetration capability of this type of radar is very limited , on the order of millimeters or, at most, a few centimeters. In other words, it is suitable for analyzing the surface and, under specific conditions, thin upper layers, but not for "seeing" hundreds of meters below the ground.
These same ESA sources have emphasized that, given the lack of a robust peer-reviewed scientific study to validate the proposed technique and its results, they cannot endorse the approach. In fact, they recommend exercising extreme caution when using or disseminating such dramatic conclusions based on a method that, to date, has not been endorsed by the scientific community.
Radar experts like Lawrence Conyers of the University of Denver, who has worked with ground-penetrating radar and related techniques for years, have openly criticized these claims. As he has explained in interviews and educational videos, the idea that radar waves—regardless of their origin—can reach the depths of hundreds of meters being mentioned is not supported by current knowledge. He has gone so far as to call the whole thing a “huge exaggeration” whose grandiosity only increases the more it spreads in the media and on social networks.
Archaeologists and institutions put the brakes on: permits, review and rigor
Beyond the technical aspects of the radar, many archaeologists have expressed skepticism regarding the lack of formal procedures in this investigation. One of the most vocal critics has been Egyptologist Zahi Hawass , former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities and a highly influential figure in the management and study of Giza.
Hawass has publicly stated that the Italian researchers did not have authorization from Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities to carry out this type of work, either inside the Pyramid of Khafre or on the plateau. According to him, radar devices were not used inside the pyramid, and there are currently no archaeological missions working there related to these alleged findings.
In his messages, Hawass has gone so far as to describe references to columns or pillars beneath the pyramid as fabrications spread by people without a solid background in Egyptian history or pyramid archaeology . He also emphasizes that any serious project at a monument of this magnitude requires a rigorous process of institutional validation, clear permits, and scientific oversight, none of which has been documented in this case.
Other archaeologists and science communicators have also weighed in. Flint Dibble , a specialist from Cardiff University, pointed out that synthetic aperture radar is not designed to penetrate kilometers of rock , and that in the best-case scenario, it could only reach a few meters deep. Science communicator Milo Rossi emphasized that the three-dimensional reconstructions circulating on social media greatly exaggerate and embellish the original data , creating the illusion of a level of detail that does not actually exist.
Furthermore, the Italian team's main study was published in 2022 in a journal by MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute) , a publisher that has received considerable academic criticism for the speed of its editorial processes and concerns about the rigor of its peer review. With an average of 39 days between article submission and publication—far shorter than the typical timeframe for more established journals—many researchers consider some MDPI titles to operate as "predatory" journals , prioritizing volume over quality.
Geological limitations: water table level and hydrological context of Giza
Another aspect that rarely appears in headlines about megastructures beneath the pyramids is the behavior of groundwater on the Giza plateau . Recent hydrogeological studies, such as the one by Sharafeldin and colleagues in 2019 , show that the water table in the area is located very close to the surface, just a few tens of meters, and that this water is causing erosion problems in monuments such as the Sphinx itself.
If the water table is so shallow, the idea of colossal chambers and tunnels hundreds of meters below the rock becomes even more problematic. Under such conditions, any supposed structures at depths of 600, 700, or 2.000 feet would be subjected to immense hydrostatic pressure and would most likely be permanently flooded. No reliable archaeological evidence suggests that anything like this exists or ever existed.
Meanwhile, other research, such as that conducted by Sheisha et al. in 2022 , has shed light on how the pyramids were actually built from a logistical perspective. Their work demonstrates that, between approximately 2600 and 2500 BC , during the height of pyramid construction, a navigable branch of the Nile reached closer to the Giza plateau , facilitating the transport of enormous stone blocks by barge.
This data supports a view that natural processes, human engineering, and complex social organization allow us to understand the construction of the pyramids without resorting to impossible technologies, hidden underground cities, or extraterrestrial intervention. For more than two centuries, archaeologists, geologists, and hydrologists have been piecing together a fairly solid picture of how they were built and how they have interacted with their environment.
From this perspective, the current consensus is clear: there is no consistent evidence of a secret urban complex beneath the Egyptian pyramids . What does exist is a vast archaeological landscape, with tombs, galleries, and underground structures at reasonable depths, well-documented, such as the rebirth of the colossal pyramids in Luxor , but very different from the mega-labyrinth depicted in some viral stories.
The role of the media, networks, and spectacular images
A key element in the spread of this story has been the way in which media outlets and social networks amplify sensational content . Posts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other channels have disseminated powerful messages: “Scientists discover an underground city beneath the Giza pyramids using SAR technology,” accompanied by videos showing archaeologists descending into chambers filled with sculptures or illustrations of enormous tubes sinking into the sand.
In many cases, these images bear no direct relation to the cited study, but rather come from computer-generated recreations, content from other archaeological contexts , or even materials created by artificial intelligence to accompany viral news stories. Even so, when mixed with references to “Italian researchers,” “new SAR methods,” and “confirmation from independent companies,” they give the impression that everything is proven and perfectly documented.
Fact-checking organizations and agencies like EFE Verifica have tracked these messages, finding that many of them refer to a single article discussed in promotional interviews , without any additional robust documentation or subsequent publications to confirm the initial results. Even the ESA, as mentioned earlier, has urged caution and avoided endorsing the use of the technique as described in those studies.
The combination of sensationalist language, lack of technical nuances, and reuse of spectacular images creates the perfect breeding ground for many people to believe they are facing a revolutionary discovery, when in reality it is, for now, an isolated hypothesis, strongly questioned and supported by a very small group of authors.
In this context, it's worth recalling a far from trivial question: to what extent is it legitimate to construct sensational narratives when they directly contradict decades of established research? The attraction to mysteries is human and understandable, but when they are disseminated as if they were proven facts, there is a risk of spreading misinformation, undermining trust in science, and overshadowing real findings—perhaps less flashy, but far more solid.
Taken together, the claims about a secret city hundreds of meters beneath the pyramids rest on a highly questionable interpretation of radar data, a controversial editorial context, and the absence of on-site archaeological verification . These claims are countered by the known physical limitations of SAR, hydrological studies of the Giza plateau, and a broad scientific consensus that, for now, sees nothing but smoke where some wish to see a lost metropolis. The allure of the myth remains, but the available data suggests that what lies beneath the pyramids are the remains of a fascinating and well-documented civilization, not a secret city that will completely rewrite our understanding of Egyptian history.
