Egypt reveals a 9 meter long chamber inside the Great Pyramid

Egypt on Thursday unveiled the discovery of a long corridor inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, the first to be found on the north side of the structure.

The corridor, which measures 9 meters (about 30 feet) by 2 meters (more than 6 feet), is located above the famous structure’s main entrance and was detected using a scan, authorities said. The function of the chamber is currently unknown, although such corridors often lead to further archaeological discoveries.

Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and the country’s tourism minister Ahmed Issa announced the discovery at the base of the pyramid.

The chamber was discovered by the Scan Pyramid Project, an international program that uses scans to look at undiscovered parts of ancient structures.

About 11 miles from the center of Cairo, the pyramid is also known as the Pyramid of Khufu, its builder, a Fourth Dynasty pharaoh who reigned from 2509 to 2483 BC.

The ancient structure is the last surviving wonder of the ancient world. It has fascinated visitors since it was built as a royal burial chamber some 4,500 years ago. Experts are divided on how this and other pyramids were built, so even relatively small finds are of great interest.

Egypt often publicly claims ancient finds to attract more tourists, a major source of foreign exchange for the cash-strapped North African nation. The sector faced a long slump following political unrest and violence following the 2011 uprising.