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In what has become an unfortunate trend when it cavities and tunnels might link up and even connect to comes to official announcements by some senior _ still unexplored "precious tombs": "The results of the Egyptologists, we thus find that the 1998 revelation is | survey support the possibility of the presence of bogus and that also, by that time, just two sarcophagi undisclosed relics, of high value." Abbas et al. survived, with no questions posed as to what had concluded: "...we can presume the existence of a appened to the five others. As early as 1934, the third | momentous diversity of archaeological structures at the chamber was already under water, but the clear water — Pyramids plateau which remain, as yet, unexposed.” still allowed Hassan to see additional sarcophagi. Hassan tried to clear the chamber, but, after four years | Giza Cave System Rediscovered of pumping, the water level had In August 2009, British author not descended. Andrew Collins and researcher This is but one of several . Nigel Skinner-Simpson nown underground cavities. After some searching, they announced that they had made Less well known is that one part found a small crack in the a fortui ous discovery on the of the Great Pyramid was built . Giza Plateau: a cave system on top of and incorporated a rock face that led Into a explored by Henry Salt and natural cavity, the so-called huge natural cave chamber Giovanni Caviglia in 1817, Grotto. This is located off the entered through a rock-cu Well Shaft that connects the which connected with tomb. Ascending Passage to the other cave compartments... Salt, the British Consul- Descending Passage. The Well General to Egypt, working Shaft's purpose remains alongside the Italian explorer unclear, and the Grotto’s even and sea captain Caviglia, had more so. Often described as "an unusual feature" entered unknown "catacombs" at Giza, somewhere wes because it is unique in pyramid design, the Grotto also of the pyramid field. However, the existence of these contains a large granite block: how it got there or why i caves was subsequently forgotten. was left remains unexplained. Colonel Howard Vyse, who conducted excavations on In 2006, a team led by Abbas Mohamed Abbas, of the _ the Giza Plateau in 1837, wrote about the tomb in his National Research Institute of Astronomy and 1840 book.’ The site turned out to contain severa Geophysics, performed extensive ground-penetrating | mummies of birds, which Vyse and engineer John Shae radar (GPR) scans on various sections of the Giza _ Perring apparently removed. Plateau. The team discovered cavities deep within the Collins relocated the lost tomb in January 2007 in the bedrock, some down as far as 25 metres, with severa company of his wife, Sue. They found little, other than tunnels at least three to five metres wide. In their further evidence of a local bird cult practised within this report,' Abbas et al. speculated that the individua structure. Wihaw Onlin waives} eeaen Haale 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.” After some searching, they found a small crack in the huge natural cave chamber which connected with structure. When Salt's memoirs’ were finally 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 a ~ Dee Andrew Collins on investigation in Giza. WIIEL OdlIlS MIEMOMNS WETE IIfldlly 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- 48 « NEXUS Giza Cave System Rediscovered rock face that led into a other cave compartments... DECEMBER 2009 - JANUARY 2010 www.nexusmagazine.com