A Review
of Findings From Under the Giza Plateau
(2012)
The Giza plateau is composed of limestone, a
geological feature which creates natural crevices and pockets in the
stone somewhat like Swiss cheese. Perhaps not so strange then that Giza was known anciently as 'Rostau', meaning the
"mouth of the passages". Reports of cavities and
underground tunnels at Giza have circulated for thousands of
years, and the discovery of several are recorded, but if an
underground complex or hall of records exists, as is suspected
by many, it has thus far remained elusive. The following is a
review of the known underground chambers and tunnels at Giza.
The Limestone
pavement surrounding the pyramid complex was built over existing
crevices and holes in the limestone as seen in the picture above
taken next to the great pyramid.
(Photo Credits: Edgar
Brothers, Watchtower, 1910)
In 2006, a team
led by Abbas Mohamed Abbas, of the National Research Institute of
Astronomy and Geophysics, performed extensive ground penetrating
radar (GPR) scans on various sections of the Giza Plateau. The team
discovered cavities deep within the bedrock, some down as far as 25
metres, with several tunnels at least three to five metres wide. In
their report, Abbas et al. speculated that the individual
cavities and tunnels might link up and even connect to still
unexplored �precious tombs�: �The results of the survey support the
possibility of the presence of undisclosed relics, of high value.�
Abbas et al. concluded: �...we can presume the existence of a
momentous diversity of archaeological structures at the Pyramids
plateau which remain, as yet, unexposed.� (2)
The 'Well Shaft' and 'Grotto':
The 'Well shaft' is a tunnel that
runs down into the bedrock for over 200 feet beneath the great
pyramid, connecting the upper parts with the lower
subterranean chamber. It has been proposed to
have been originally cut for several purposes: To provide air for the
builders, to provide access for repairs to the kings chambers, or as
an escape route for the workmen who lowered the granite plugs into
place or finally, for tomb robbers. All of these theories however, have objections.
The Well-shaft
was cut through the natural bedrock beneath the Grotto. As the
pyramid was built over it, the Grotto was blocked covered over. A
small section of lined tunnel was left concealed into the masonry at
the top end, then covered over with a blocking stone. The two
sections of the tunnel were connected at a later date by someone who
cut roughly through the masonry of the pyramid, gaining access to
the hidden tunnel and upper parts.
The Great pyramid
was built with several tunnels and chambers in it, most of which were designed
to remain hidden. Whilst we assume that the major tunnels have been found,
rumours still abound that other cavities and tunnels exist to be
discovered within the structure. Of the numerous reports and
explorations of the pyramid, one fact remains true: The well-shaft
was accurately cut (28" x 28") through hundreds of metres of
bedrock and sealed off at the top as the pyramid was built over it,
however, the top tunnel section which was hidden into the masonry
was left there for a reason, and whoever it was
that breached the upper section of the the well-shaft were well
aware of its location, and were undoubtedly the first people to gain
access to the upper parts of the pyramid since its construction.
Although generally
considered a minor feature of the Great pyramid, the well-shaft
potentially holds one of the key secrets of the Giza complex, albeit
one for which we may no longer be able to find an answer today. The
true significance of
the incorporation of this natural feature into the design of the
Great pyramid is realised by several geometric facts which show that
the builders not only built the tunnel in accordance to a known
plan, but that the
'Grotto' within it, may have been the inspiration for the great
pyramid itself. It is noted for example, that the upper
entrance of the tunnel is at the exact junction of the change in
architecture and style of masonry in the Ascending corridor and Grand Gallery (from tunnel to vaulted chamber),
simultaneously marking the level and start of the tunnel leading to the
'Queens chamber'. In addition, the 'grotto' within the well-shaft is
located at the same level as the granite plugs in
the ascending passage, and perhaps most importantly - lies on the central north/south axis of the pyramid itself.
The seemingly
insignificant, natural chamber in the Well-shaft known as the
'Grotto' lies beneath the bedrock of Giza, but is several metres
above the natural level of the plateau as it sits within a raised
part of the limestone (25ft higher), and one over which the whole pyramid was later
constructed. The masonry around
the mouth of the chamber clearly suggest that the Great pyramid was
built directly over what would have then been a natural high point on the
central complex, with the opening to a natural underground cavern at its top.
It is noticeable that a natural fissure runs from the Grotto deep
into the bedrock (see image above). The same fissure was closed off
below as the descending passage was cut though it. Perhaps relevant
is the statement by Lepre (10),
who
noted that inside the grotto:
'The ceiling is unusually
damp to the point where there is actually a perceptible
coating - like a light frost - over the pebbles themselves.
This unusual composition naturally tempts one to speculate
about the existence of a nearby water source'.
In August 2009,
British author Andrew Collins and researcher Nigel Skinner-Simpson
announced that they had made a fortuitous discovery on the Giza
Plateau: The Rediscovery of the Tomb of Eagles.
The cave system was first explored by Henry Salt
(the British Consul General) and Giovanni Caviglia
in 1817, who entered through a rock-cut tomb. However,
the existence of these caves was subsequently forgotten.
Colonel Howard Vyse, who conducted excavations on the Giza Plateau
in 1837, wrote about the tomb in his 1840 book. The site turned
out to contain several mummies of birds, which Vyse and engineer
John Shae Perring apparently removed.
Collins relocated the lost
tomb in January 2007 in the company of his wife, Sue. They found
little, other than further evidence of a local bird cult practised
within this structure. When Salt�s memoirs were published in 2007, Collins and
Skinner-Simpson realised that they contained a detailed account of
the exploration of the catacombs. The explorers had apparently
penetrated �several hundred yards� into this structure before coming
upon a spacious chamber that connected with three others of equal
size, from which went labyrinthine passages. Caviglia later pursued
one of these passages for a distance of �300 feet further� before
giving up, the two men being put off by the fact that they had not
found anything of value�no gold, no treasure, the primary obsession
of these early pyramid explorers.
On 3 March 2008, Sue and Andy Collins, together with Nigel
Skinner-Simpson, went back to the newly baptised Tomb of the Birds,
having gained sponsorship from the Association for Research and
Enlightenment (ARE) in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. After some
searching, they found a small crack in the rock face that led into a
huge natural cave chamber which connected with other cave
compartments and a long cave passage. In short, the trio realised
that their structure coincided with the caves discovered in 1817. At
present, no-one knows the total extent of the caves. Were the caves to continue beyond the
farthest point reached, they would most likely head off in the
direction of the Second Pyramid (The Pyramid of Khafre), whose
south-western corner is only 480 metres southwest from the entrance
to the Tomb of the Birds.
The
tomb NC2 is generally accepted as being an Old Kingdom construction.
If this is correct, then the tomb and caves would have been known during the Pyramid age.
however, if the Tomb of the Birds
began as a natural cavity, then it is likely that the tomb built
into it that the caves might have been
accessible long before this time.
The Geometry of the Tomb
of Eagles:
(Above left), the equilateral triangle formed by linking the peak of Gebel Gibli (bottom right) with the apexes of the Great Pyramid and Third
Pyramid. (Above right), the 3:4:5 Pythagorean triangle embracing the summit
of Gebel Gibli and the apexes of the Great Pyramid and Second
Pyramid. The head of the Sphinx sits along the side of the
triangle's north-south line, the centre of Khufu's pyramid lies on
the Northern line, and the centre of Khafre's pyramid lies
on the Hypotenuse.
The Two forms of
Geometry superimposed. Gebel Gibli Hill is the vantage point from
which it is suggested the geometry of Giza was originally
calculated. Mark Lehner used the same location when he surveyed
Giza.
In a curious twist
to this discovery, the now infamous Zahi Hawass, made several
controversial public claims concerning the rediscovery of the cave
system at the back of the Tomb of the Birds, all of which are on the
public record. He first
denied the existence of any natural cave system, following which he
stated categorically
that it had been previously 'explored and reported by many scholars', for which
there is no record. He then proceeded to excavate the site himself
for several months, and fitted a metal gate across the entrance. The
results of his excavations have yet to be released to the public.
'When they
[Salt and Cavaglia] explored it, they called it a catacomb
because it contains some tunnels and corridors cut deep into the
rock. Anyone who enters this tomb may feel they are in a maze
corridor because of the multiple tunnels, and it seems more than
its 35 meters long'...'There are other passageways cut into the
rock from the main corridors, but these are short tunnels'...
...'I can say
that there is no underground cave complex at this site'...
The 'Tomb of Osiris': The tomb is
located approx 30m beneath the large square opening at the rear of
the Sphinx.
Campbell's Tomb was named after Colonel Patrick Campbell, the
British Consul who supported the work of Howard Vyse and Giovanni
Caviglia at Giza). It is a matter of record that in 1830 Colonel
Vyse found this very wide shaft (it is thought that at least 10,000
tonnes of limestone had been dug out of it!), almost square (9m x
8m), surrounded on all sides by a deep trench. On 11 February 1837,
when the sand had been cleared out of it to a depth of more than
30m, he reached what he thought was the bottom, where he recorded
finding a number of sarcophagi,
one of which is made of basalt, now resides in the British Museum.
His excavation revealed only the upper parts of the tomb, which
consisted of a secondary burial, generally agreed to be from the
26th dynasty.
Images from Vyse
1830: The Archway and associated structures were removed
by Egyptian authorities long ago 'In order to build a mill'...
The 'Tomb of Osiris' was
excavated again in 1933�34 by Dr Selim Hassan who noted that the first chamber led to a second, in which
there were seven niches, each containing a basalt sarcophagus, two
of which were substantially larger than the others (Today only two
sarcophagi remain). Hassan describes the finding
of the opening to the shaft complex in the sixth season of his work,
and went on to report:
'Upon the surface of the causeway they
first built a platform in the shape of a mastaba, using stones
taken from the ruins of the covered corridor of the causeway. In
the centre of this superstructure they sank a shaft, which
passed through the roof and floor of the subway running under
the causeway to a depth of about 9.00 m. At the bottom of this
shaft is a rectangular chamber, in the floor of the eastern side
of which is another shaft. This descends about 14.00 m. and
terminates in a spacious hall surrounded by seven
burial-chambers, in each of which is a sarcophagus. Two of these
sarcophagi, which are of basalt and are monolithic, are so
enormous that at first we wondered if they contained the bodies
of sacred bulls.
In the eastern side of this hall is yet another shaft, about
10.00 m. deep, but unfortunately it is flooded. Through the
clear water we can see that it ends in a colonnaded hall, also
having side-chambers containing sarcophagi. We tried in vain to
pump out the water, but it seems that a spring must have broken
through the rock, for continual daily pumping over a period of
four years was unable to reduce the water-level. I may add that
I had this water analysed and finding it pure utilized it for
drinking purposes' (Hassan 1944: 193).
Hassan makes
mention of a "subway running under the causeway." All this
term refers to is a small tunnel burrowed under the causeway of
Khafre's pyramid complex. This tunnel probably served as a shortcut
for priests and other temple personnel to bypass the causeway; a
similar bypass was excavated under the remains of Khufu's ruined
causeway, to the north (Hawass 2007: 395). Hassan's journal
illustrates what has become an
unfortunate trend when it comes to important discoveries, namely the
discrepancy in the number of
sarcophagi he saw and the number present today. The Giza site has been under close scrutiny by the
Egyptian authorities since Hassan's time, yet there are now five
sarcophagi missing, yet no questions have been posed as to what had happened
to the other five.
Zahi Hawass and his team performed their excavation
of the Osiris Tomb in 1999. At that time, the water table on the
Plateau had lowered to the point that a thorough excavation was
possible, although groundwater still flooded the lowest areas.
Constant pumping operations were required to reach the very bottom
chamber of the complex. Hawass' team revealed the layout of the
shaft and chambers, comprising three different levels, as seen in
the following images (from Hawass
2007):
Schematic diagram of tunnel system
showing the 'Tomb of Osiris' approx 30m beneath the rear of the
Sphinx.
The granite lid being lifted
(left), and side-view (right) showing the remains of the columns.
The Following Extracts are From Zahi Hawass (1).
'The channel surrounding the emplacement in the lowest level
seems to have been deliberately designed so that groundwater would
fill it, making the emplacement in the centre into a sort of island.
This configuration could represent the primeval waters of Nun, which
covered the world at the time of creation, with the island in the
center representing the first mound of earth to emerge. The water
further symbolizes the connection of Osiris to fertility and
rebirth. The emplacement with a large sarcophagus in the centre and
a pillar at each corner (perhaps representing the four sacred legs
of the god as described in later texts) is very similar to the
configuration of the Osireion of Seti I
at Abydos'
'We were surprised to find that there was also some
red polished pottery with traces of white paint, which probably
dates to the 6th Dynasty. the earliest artefacts found inside date
to Dynasty 6'
'I believe that the Osiris Shaft is what the Greek author
Herodotus, the �father of history,� was talking about when he said
that Khufu was buried on an island in an underground chamber,
located in the shadow of the Great Pyramid and fed by a canal from
the Nile'.
'I made my second discovery from this excavation after
moving the lid of the sarcophagus. I found inscribed in the ground
the hieroglyphic word "pr", meaning "house." It is known that the
Giza plateau was called "pr wsir nb rstaw", or "the house of Osiris,
Lord of Rastaw." "Rastaw"(rostau) means the 'Mouth of the passages".
What remains one of
the most interesting unexplored features of the Osiris shaft is the narrow tunnel
that extends from the northwest corner of the lowest level. This
tunnel appears carved but is only large enough to admit a young child at its entrance,
and further along, it becomes filled with mud. At about 6.5 meters,
the a branch splits off the tunnel. A camera has been sent 10.5 meters into this branch before it
became too narrow and muddy for the rovers to go any further. The main tunnel
has been determined to extend for a total length of
about 21 meters, where it seems to end, although it has been impossible
to determine this with certainty.
The Sphinx Tunnels:
There have been
rumours of passageways and secret chambers surrounding the Sphinx
and during recent restoration work several small tunnels have been
re-discovered. One, near the rear of the statue extends down into it
for about nine yards. Another, behind the head, is a short dead-end
shaft. The third, located mid-way between the tail and the paws, was
opened during restoration work in the 1920's, then resealed. It is
unknown whether these tunnels were constructed by the original
Egyptian designers, or were cut into the statue at a later date.
(Image, Right: Zahi
Hawass entering a tunnel beneath the Sphinx)
Zahi Hwass on the
Sphinx Tunnels: 'In 1980 I opened, in collaboration with Mark Lehner,
a passage that opens at floor level on the northwest hind part of
the Sphinx. This was reported to us by Mohammed Abd al-Mawgud Fayed,
who had worked as a boy with the 1926 clearing of the Sphinx by
Emile Baraize, engineer for the Antiquities Service. Mohammed went
on to work for 40 years as an Overseer of workmen and guards for the
Antiquities Service. Baraize found patches here and there where the
ancient layers of repair masonry had fallen away from the lower part
of the body, exposing the natural rock from which the statue was
carved. One such patch was at the northwest corner, along the great
curve of the base of the Sphinx rump. He remembered that the passage
descended to the water table'.
(3)
In 1987 a
Japanese team from Waseda University (Tokyo), under the
direction of Sakuji Yoshimura carried out an electromagnetic
sounding survey of the Khufu Pyramid and Sphinx. They
reported evidence of a tunnel oriented north-south under the
Sphinx, a water pocket 2.5 to 3 m below surface near the
south hind paw, and another cavity near the north hind paw.
In 1991 a
team consisting of geologist Robert Schoch (Boston
University), Thomas Dobecki, and John Anthony West carried
out a survey of the Sphinx using seismic refraction,
refraction tomography, and seismic reflection. The
investigators interpreted their data to indicate shallower
subsurface weathering patterns toward the back and deeper
weathering toward the front, which they take to indicate
that the back of the Sphinx and its ditch were carved by
Khafre later than the front. They interpret their data to
likewise indicate subsurface cavities in front of the front
left paw, and from the left paw back along the south flank.
Mark Lehner on the Sphinx Tunnels: 'We have noticed
that those conducting the remote sensing surveys
have so far reported very little comparison of their
results with the obvious natural, physical features
of the Sphinx. Take Waseda University's
interpretation of their 1987 electromagnetic
sounding data as evidence of a tunnel oriented
north-south under the Sphinx, a water pocket 2.5 to
3 m below surface near the south hind paw, and
another cavity near the north hind paw. This is just
about where a very large fissure cuts through the
entire Sphinx body, running down through the floor
around the Sphinx, and up through the southern wall
of the Sphinx ditch (which is the foundation of the
Khafre causeway). The Sphinx restoration team saw
parts of this deep fissure when they replaced some
of Baraize's masonry on the south hind paw, and when
the stones fell away from the north hind paw in
1981. Baraize filled these gaps in the hind paws
with a great quantity of gray cement. The fissure
opens so wide at the top of the Sphinx waist, that a
person can be lowered down into it all the way down
to floor level. Baraize put an iron trap door over
it'. (3)
The Palace of Khufu:
Apart from the
north-south tunnel found by the Japanese team, it appears (at
present) that there is no 'Hall of Records', or other substantial
man-made tunnels or cavities to be found beneath the Sphinx.
However, a recent story emerged of tunnelling occurring in the
village in front of the sphinx which has startling implications on
the whole future concept of the Giza plateau.
In 2009, a story
emerged of a collapsed illegal tunnel in the Giza village of Nazlet
El Smaan, causing the
deaths of 6 men.
Although very little was made of the story, a selection of
photographs and recorded conversations proved that tunnelling
beneath the houses was being financed and operated surreptitiously
and rumours were surfacing that that major finds were being
discovered.
Following the collapse, the site was abandoned and now
lies derelict in the middle of the village. Perhaps less well known
is that the very same spot had been identified in publications years
before by Zahi Hawass and Mark Lehner as the most likely position
for the undiscovered Palace/Tomb of Khufu.
Map
of the Giza complex showing the undiscovered
Palace/Tomb of Khufu (Bottom right).
And Finally:
In 2010, Digging
was commenced in front of the Sphinx. As
yet, no explanation has been given for the 4-story deep excavation.
Is this a step towards rediscovering the lost Palace of
Khufu...?
Quote by Zahi Hawass.
'There are secret tunnels under the
Sphinx and around the Pyramids which will prove to carry
many secrets of the building of the Pyramids."
(Statement to the
Egyptian Press, 14th April, 1996)
References:1).
http://www.drhawass.com/blog/mysterious-osiris-shaft-giza2). Abbas,
Abbas Mohamed, EI-said A. El-Sayed, Fathy A. Shaaban and Tarek
Abdel-Hafez, �Uncovering the Pyramids Plateau�Giza Plateau�in a Search
for Archaeological Relics by Utilizing Ground Penetrating Radar�, NRIAG
Journal of Geophysics, 2006 Special Issue, pp. 2, 123).
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/mail/responses970210.html10).J. P. Lepre. 1990. The Egyptian Pyramids- A Comprehensive, Illustrated
Reference.
McFarland And Co Publ.
Although generally
considered a minor feature of the Great pyramid, the well-shaft
potentially holds one of the key secrets of the Giza complex, albeit
one for which we may no longer be able to find an answer today. The
true significance of
the incorporation of this natural feature into the design of the
Great pyramid is realised by several geometric facts which show that
the builders not only built the tunnel in accordance to a known
plan, but that the
'Grotto' within it, may have been the inspiration for the great
pyramid itself. It is noted for example, that the upper
entrance of the tunnel is at the exact junction of the change in
architecture and style of masonry in the Ascending corridor and Grand Gallery (from tunnel to vaulted chamber),
simultaneously marking the level and start of the tunnel leading to the
'Queens chamber'. In addition, the 'grotto' within the well-shaft is
located at the same level as the granite plugs in
the ascending passage, and perhaps most importantly - lies on the central north/south axis of the pyramid itself. 
In August 2009,
British author Andrew Collins and researcher Nigel Skinner-Simpson
announced that they had made a fortuitous discovery on the Giza
Plateau: The Rediscovery of the Tomb of Eagles.
The
tomb NC2 is generally accepted as being an Old Kingdom construction.
If this is correct, then the tomb and caves would have been known during the Pyramid age.
however, if the Tomb of the Birds
began as a natural cavity, then it is likely that the tomb built
into it that the caves might have been
accessible long before this time. 
There have been
rumours of passageways and secret chambers surrounding the Sphinx
and during recent restoration work several small tunnels have been
re-discovered. One, near the rear of the statue extends down into it
for about nine yards. Another, behind the head, is a short dead-end
shaft. The third, located mid-way between the tail and the paws, was
opened during restoration work in the 1920's, then resealed. It is
unknown whether these tunnels were constructed by the original
Egyptian designers, or were cut into the statue at a later date. 
