by April Holloway

17 July, 2013
from Ancient-Origins Website

 

 



Substantial evidence has emerged confirming that

mysterious structures found by an amateur satellite archaeologist

are a series of long-lost pyramids in the Egyptian desert.
 

 


The pyramid-like structures were first spotted last year by Angela Micol, who noticed the huge mounds against a flat desert plain on Google Earth.

 

However, despite gaining widespread media attention at the time, her claims were highly criticized and she was met with huge resistance from so-called experts who refused to accept that such an incredible discovery could be made by a layperson sitting at a computer in Northern California.

"They would be the greatest pyramids known to mankind," said Medhat Kamal El-Kady, former ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, and his wife Haidy Farouk Abdel-Hamid, a lawyer, former counselor at the Egyptian presidency.

 

"We would not exaggerate if we said the finding can overshadow the Pyramids of Giza."

'Authoritative' geologists and geo-archaeologists initially dismissed the structures as windswept natural rock formations, a justification we see time and again when incredible discoveries are made which could rewrite the history books, such as the Bosnian pyramids.
 

 

 

 

 

 


However, preliminary investigations as well as evidence emerging from unlikely sources have provided substantial evidence to support the claim that the ‘Google anomalies’ are actual a series of ancient pyramid complexes.

The two possible pyramid complexes appear as groupings of mounds with interesting alignment.

 

One site in Upper Egypt, just 12 miles from the city of Abu Sidhum along the Nile, features four mounds while the site 90 miles north near the Faiyum oasis, displays a four-sided, truncated mound approximately 150 feet wide and three smaller mounds in a diagonal alignment.

A ground proofing expedition at the site near Abu Sidhum has now revealed cavities and shafts under the buried mound and what appears to be a temple or habitation site near the pyramid and a row of what may be mastaba tombs adjacent to the mounds.

 

A metal detector also revealed an underground tunnel heading north and the presence of metal - could it be a buried tomb with gold and other treasures?

 

Most Egyptian pyramids also have north facing entrance tunnels.

"Those mounds are definitely hiding an ancient site below them," Mohamed Aly Soliman, who led the preliminary expedition near Abu Sidhum.

 

"The mounds are different: You will find pottery everywhere, seashells and transported layers. These are different layers, not belonging to the place, and were used by the Egyptians to hide and protect their buried sites," he said.

The discovery of seashells is particularly interesting considering that the pharaohs used seashells to build their tombs and in the pyramids for ventilation purposes.

However, supporting the findings from the ground investigation is evidence that has emerged from an unlikely source - a series of ancient maps and documents which show pyramids in those exact sites.

Medhat Kamal El-Kady and Haidy Farouk Abdel-Hamid are top collectors of maps, old documents, books and rare political and historical manuscripts.

 

After the initial media hype last year following the discovery on Google Earth, the Egyptian couple contact Angela Micol to say that had important historical references for both sites.

 

In fact, the two exact sites in Fayum and near Abu Sidhum were both labeled as pyramid complex sites in several old maps and documents. In total, there are 34 maps and 12 old documents that refer to the pyramids.

Several of the documents point to the existence of two buried pyramids which add to the known Fayum pyramids of Lahoun and Hawara. Their sources indicate the pyramids at the Fayum site were intentionally buried in a "damnatio memoriae" - an attempt to intentionally strike them from memory.

The emergence of the old maps and documents together with the initial ground investigations provide strong evidence that the mysterious mounds are in fact long lost pyramids in Egypt. If this is the case, it could be the archaeological find of the century.

Further investigations are taking place to explore the sites and we will be reporting back with news as it emerges.


 

Are these formations in the Egyptian desert long lost pyramids? Or are they just naturally occurring pyramidal rock outcrops?
The structures were spotted last year by amateur satellite archaeologist Angela Micol. She used Google Earth 5,000 miles away in North Carolina.

 

 

 

 

Located about 90 miles apart, the two possible pyramid complexes appeared on aerial imagery as an unusual groupings of mounds with intriguing orientations.
One site near the Fayum oasis revealed a four-sided, truncated mound approximately 150 feet wide and three smaller mounds in a diagonal alignment (left).
The other site, just 12 miles from the city of Abu Sidhum along the Nile, featured two large and two small mounds (right).

First reported by Discovery News, Micol’s claim gained widespread media attention and much criticism.
Authoritative geologists and geo-archaeologists dismissed what Micol called “Google Earth anomalies” as windswept natural rock formations - buttes quite common in the Egyptian desert.

 

 

 

 

Micol was then contacted by an Egyptian couple -- collectors who claimed to have important historical references for both sites.
According to Medhat Kamal El-Kady, former ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, and his wife Haidy Farouk Abdel-Hamid, a lawyer, former counselor at the Egyptian presidency and adviser of border issues and international issues of sovereignty, more than 34 maps and 12 old documents in their collection would support the existence of the lost pyramids.

For the site near the Fayum, they cited three maps in particular, dating from 1753 to the late 1880s.
The documents would point to the existence of two buried pyramids (within the red square) which add to the known Fayum pyramids of Lahoun and Hawara.

 

 

 

 

 

While the site in the Fayum has not been investigated yet, a preliminary on-the-ground expedition has already occurred at the site near Abu Sidhum.
According to Micol, it provided intriguing data to compare with El-Kady and Farouk’s maps and documents.

 

 

 

 

 

Suspecting the mounds were ancient in origin, locals tried to dig into one of the two smaller mounds.

 

 

The excavation failed due to striking very hard stone that Aly and Micol believe may be granite.

 

 

Aly Soliman believes the big mounds are hiding pyramids as the metal detector used over them signaled metal and showed an underground tunnel heading north.

Apart from the two larger and smaller mounds, the expedition team believes the site features a temple or habitation and a row of what may be mastaba tombs adjacent to the mounds. They are shown in the red rectangle thanks to a false color imaging technique developed by Micol.

“My goal is to go to Egypt with a team of U.S. scientists and videographers to prove if these sites are lost pyramid complexes,” Micol said.