Pyramid Cavities

[Richard]

Philip Coppens 

A new sandstorm is brewing on the outskirts of the Egyptian desert: newly released ground scans reveal that a team of Egyptian scientists has identified potential locations of tunnels and caves – on par with the controversial Hall of Records – in the immediate vicinity of the pyramids and the Sphinx.

The pyramids of Gizeh are built on a limestone plateau, which means that it has got the consistency of a cheese with lots of holes. Indeed, one cave on the plateau was actually incorporated into the internal layout of the pyramid – and may have contributed to why the Great Pyramid, the only pyramid that has an elaborate structure in the pyramid itself, has this unique internal structure.
It is therefore to be expected that elsewhere on the plateau, similar cavities, if not long tunnels, exist. This makes for intriguing possibilities, as some of these tunnels may have been used by the ancient Egyptians – or that other tunnels or caves may have been expanded, or new “halls” – such as the fabled Hall of Records – constructed.
In the 1990s, the so-called Osiris Shaft, located under the causeway of Khafre, became the subject of immense speculation. Today, it is believed that in ancient times, people used the water-filled shaft as a swimming-hole. The shaft descends in several places to a depth of nearly 100 feet (35m) below the plateau. When Zahi Hawass investigated the structure, the last level his team excavated was about 25m underground, and was completely filled with water.

On almost regular intervals, the temperature as to what might lie below the Gizeh plateau rises. Some years ago, Andrew Collins in “The Gods of Eden” argued that an entire layout of the Duat was potentially lying in wait of discovery underneath the plateau. It came at a time when others were speaking about the fabled Hall of Records, which according to some traditions would hold important relics of a bygone age, often said to predate Egypt itself (read: Atlantis).
More recently, not so much pyramid fever, but cavity fever, has risen again. Cavity fever has risen, if only because the groundwater in the area is rising too, and this might endanger the monuments. In some areas, flooding has already begun, caused by farming, urbanization and residential housing near temples. Reda Mohamed el-Damak, director of the Center of Studies and Designs for Water Projects at Cairo University's Faculty of Engineering, states that groundwater is posing the most serious threat to the Sphinx, carved from the bedrock of the Giza Plateau, and situated at lower altitude than the pyramids, who sit on the plateau, themselves. The latest measurement readings from the site show that groundwater is only 4 meters deep under the Sphinx.
This means, of course, that any tunnel that goes deeper than 4 meters around the area of the Sphinx, is now already under water. Anything inside, unless watertight, will therefore already be destroyed, if only because the water that is causing the problem is waste water. This does not bode well for people searching for the Hall of Records underneath this enigmatic monument.

In bygone days, dynamite was the preferred archaeological tool; today, only non-destructive methods are allowed and preservation is valued so much more than exploration. Of course, trying to find out what lies beneath without using a spade, is not an easy task.
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) made its introduction in the 1970s, and has been used on the Gizeh plateau since the 1980s. In 1987, Yoshimura and Tonauchi used GPR to scan the inner structure of the Great Pyramid, the constitution of the Sphinx and to determine the age/era during which the Sphinx was used.
More recently, in 1998, Abbas Mohamed Abbas was asked to study how best to restore the Sphinx and its protection against groundwater penetration. But now, Abbas has been involved in a series of exploration work, rather than preservation.

In February 2006, Abbas returned to the Gizeh plateau with GPR technology, this time to “investigate deep-wide parts of the plateau to reveal any hidden shafts or tunnels throughout the studied sectors.” Nine areas of potential interest had been identified, which Abbas and his team subjected to a series of detailed scans.
Abbas’ survey came about after Andrzej Wojcikiewicz contacted Belgian author Patrick Geryl in 2003, after reading the Polish edition of “The Orion Prophecy”. In 2005, a team convened by Wojcikiewicz and including Geryl went to Egypt. The Polish team identified a series of locations, for which Abbas asked permission with the Department of Antiquities to scan parts of the Gizeh plateau – a project paid for by the Polish foundation.
In his report of his finding, appearing in NRIAG Journal of Geophysics, Abbas states that “the results of the survey support the possibility of the presence of undisclosed relics, of high value”. These are powerful claims to make and they do go beyond the available evidence, which “merely” points out the presence of subterranean cavities.
The report states that they have identified two likely caves and one possible shaft, filled in with clays or sandy clays, one located close to the southern side of Khufu’s pyramid, the second around the causeway of Khafre’s pyramid. Other features “of less mass” have been delineated close to the eastern side of Khafre’s pyramid and – no doubt of interest to some alternative historians – close to the entrance door to the northern side of the Sphinx.

Abbas and colleagues state that the cavities are at a fairly deep level, ranging from 12 to 25 metres below the surface, which is, of course, conform to e.g. the Osiris Shaft. Abbas also states that “The cave-like features could be ascribed to a tunnel section of at least 3 to 5 m width […] it is like a void in the limestone rock.” They conclude: “we can presume the existence of a momentous diversity of archaeological structures at the Pyramids plateau which remain, as yet, unexposed. These structures could be a linked net of tunnels and shafts that may well lead to precious tombs.”
It is an enigmatic statement to make, and is either Abbas’ wording to guarantee that future funding is received, or that he has additional data, not included in the report, that warrants his optimism. Since the completion of the survey, and the report, the Polish team has asked for permission to excavate at the Gizeh plateau in those areas where the ground scans have revealed cavities. So far, these proposals have been rejected.

Photos and story here
http://www.philipcoppens.com/nap_art11.html