Mysterious 'complex' near Egypt's Giza pyramids spotted on Google Maps sparks international conspiracy

A mysterious 'complex' about 25 miles south of Egypt's Giza pyramids has sparked theories of a hidden 'Stargate' in the desert.

Google Map users spotted a horseshoe-shaped structure with another within its two-pointed ends, surrounded by oddly shaped buildings at the top and on each side.

The site is located at 29°54'23"N 31°08'02"E, but it does not have an official identifier on Google Maps.

'What in the Stargate is this?' a Google Maps user shared online, referring to the fictional device that allows travel to distant points in space.

The images have been shared worldwide, sparking speculation that the structure could be a spaceship or a 'desert kit' —an ancient prehistoric trap believed to have been used for mass hunting.

Many people suggested the complex is likely 'a modern military facility,' such as a military bunker or Surface to Air Missile Defense site.

'Looks like what our fighter jet bunkers, or missile launchers, look like when they are in storage (you can find similar shapes in Iran, for example),' one user shared on Reddit.

'Based on the shape, it very well could have been a launch point with those dunes around it to act as blast walls.'

The Giza pyramids, believed to have been built around 4,500 years ago, remain a marvel of engineering due to their immense scale and precision—an achievement that continues to puzzle scientists today.

The plateau consists of three pyramids, Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, located on a rocky plateau on the west bank of the Nile River in northern Egypt.

Each was constructed in the name of a pharaoh. The northernmost and oldest of the group was built for Khufu. Also known as the Great Pyramid, this structure is the largest, at 480ft tall and 750ft wide at its base.

The middle pyramid was built for Khafre and Menkaure is the southernmost and last built of the group.

Google Maps shows that the mysterious complex is just a 24-minute drive from the Great Pyramid that sits to the north, sparking calls online for someone to make the journey.

However, Egypt is littered with similar sites built between the 1950s and 1970s. 

The air defense sites were originally developed to protect strategic locations, such as military bases, airfields, and infrastructure, from aerial threats.

The complexes also housed Soviet-made, high-altitude surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) designed to target enemy bombers and reconnaissance planes.

Another strange image from Google Maps of a similar complex took the internet by storm in 2016.

It features two long, pointed buildings surrounded by mysterious circles.

And the futuristic design prompted a range of suggestions over what it is used for, with some even believing it has links to UFO research.

The existence of the building was highlighted by Secureteam10, which describes itself as a source for 'UFO sighting videos' as well as 'government cover-up and the alien activity happening on and off our planet.'

Commenting on a YouTube video posted by the group, one user said: 'This reminds me of Star Wars.'

Another asked whether it was the Egyptian government's 'secret UFO base.'

Egypt has long been the center for theories about aliens, specifically that extraterrestrials built the pyramids.

In 2020, billionaire Tesla boss Elon Musk drew the scorn of experts when he took to Twitter - the social network he bought in 2022 for $44 billion - to write: 'Aliens built the pyramids obv'.

Musk's comment prompted Egypt's international co-operation minister to say that seeing the tombs of the pyramid builders would be the proof that aliens did not construct them. 

Rania al-Mashat said: 'I follow your work with a lot of admiration.

'I invite you & SpaceX to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders. Mr Musk, we are waiting for you.'

Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass also waded into the bizarre row, saying in a video that Mr Musk's argument was a 'complete hallucination.'

Musk took the claim back in a follow-up social media post linking to an article describing how the pyramids were more likely built by humans living in an Egyptian settlement.