The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities is pleased to announce the launch of an egyptian - international Project using non-invasive and non-destructive surveying techniques for the scanning of Egyptian Pyramids under the title "ScanPyramids" project.
Just because a mystery is 4500 years old doesn't mean it can't be solved..." This could be the motto of the exceptional scientific mission launched October 25, 2015, under the authority of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, initiated, designed and coordinated by the Faculty of Engineering of Cairo and the French HIP.Institute (Heritage, Innovation and Preservation). Radiographic muons, aka cosmic particles, infrared thermography, photogrammetry, scanner and 3D reconstruction: the most innovative technologies will be used by researchers of international renown and three major universities: the Faculty of Engineering of Cairo University, Université Laval of Quebec and Nagoya University of Japan. Their goal: to probe the heart of the largest pyramids of Egypt, without drilling the slightest opening.
The scientific mission "Scan Pyramids" is an unprecedented, large-scale project and will begin early November. It will focus on four masterpieces of the Fourth Dynasty (2575-2465): on the site of Dahshur, about fifteen kilometers south of Saqqara, the mission will study the South pyramid, called the Bent, and the North pyramid, called the Red, both built by Snefru (2575 - 2551). On the Giza plateau at about twenty kilometers from Cairo, it will study the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre, built by the son and grand-son of Snefru.
This campaign is entirely dedicated to the advancement of knowledge. Sharing and transfer are the key words. "Our desire is to form a team of international experts, says Mehdi Tayoubi, HIP.Institute president, then discuss and confront the theoretical and technological approaches to the archaeological ground reality."
"Many theories have been proposed, either explaining their construction or their structural anomalies, but we are physicists and engineers, not archaeologists", insists Hany Helal, Professor and former Minister of Research and the higher education, head of mission for the Faculty of Engineering of Cairo. "Our goal is to use techniques to get concrete results. Then the Egyptologists will interpret them."
The mission should last at least until the end of 2016.
