Unexplained ‘heat spots’ found on Egyptian pyramids: Experts

Unexplained “thermal anomalies” have been found at the base of Great Pyramid at Giza by a team of architects and scientists.

The team of international experts has yet to determine the cause of the heat spots but it is believed they could be caused by hidden chambers inside the structure, or could be a sign of internal air currents.

A "particularly impressive" heat pattern was found in the Great Pyramid of Giza which is the oldest and largest pyramid and takes its official name from the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu. The two smaller pyramids were built later but the thermal anomalies were “observed on all monuments during the heating-up or the cooling-down phases" that occur at sunrise and sunset, the Egyptian antiquities ministry said in a statement released this week.

The pyramids were built between 2613-2494 BC.

"To explain such anomalies, a lot of hypotheses and possibilities could be drawn up: presence of voids behind the surface, internal air currents," the Egyptian antiquities ministry said.

Other thermal anomalies were detected in the upper half of the Great Pyramid.

The scientific team, which is using infrared thermal cameras to photograph the pyramids, has been operating for about two weeks and is due to continue its investigations until the end of 2016.