Osiris Shaft: Giza’s Elusive Enigma

Deep Beneath the Pyramids: Lost Chamber Confirmed Real, But What’s Inside?

For centuries, the writings of Herodotus about a hidden royal hall beneath the Giza plateau were dismissed as a myth.

But a groundbreaking discovery seemingly ripped from those very pages unearthed a subterranean chamber exactly as described, complete with a moat and a central sarcophagus. However, the biggest mystery remains: what secrets lie within this perfectly preserved, yet empty tomb?

Intriguingly, this wasn’t a completely new discovery. A thorough excavation was conducted by a team led by Hawass in 1999. While Hawass, in his subsequent article “The Discovery of the Osiris Shaft at Giza,” didn’t claim to be the first to “discover” the complex, his team holds the distinction of being the first to fully excavate it. Their work reached the bottom of the structure, truly unveiling its secrets for the modern world.

What is the Osiris shaft?

The Osiris Shaft is a labyrinthine tomb located near the Giza pyramids. It descends deep underground through a series of chambers and tunnels. Here’s what we know about the shaft:

• Multiple Levels: There are at least three levels, with the deepest one being 30 meters underground.
• Empty Chambers: The first level is empty, while the second level contains six sub-chambers carved from stone. Two of these sub-chambers hold massive granite sarcophagi believed to be burial sites from around 500 BC.
• Subterranean Royal Hall: The deepest chamber contains a moat surrounding a stone platform with an empty, perfectly preserved sarcophagus in the center.
• Symbolic Significance: Dr. Zahi Hawass claims the shaft is linked to the god Osiris and serves as a symbolic representation of his burial place, with Osiris ruling over the underground tunnels.

Osiris Shaft: Artifacts and Sarcophagi of the 26th Dynasty

Various artifacts were excavated from the side chambers, including pottery shards, ceramic beads, and ushabtis (small servant figurines). Additionally, basalt sarcophagi were found in Chambers C, D, and G. The sarcophagi in Chambers C and G contained badly decomposed skeletal remains. Stylistic analysis of the artifacts, including the sarcophagi, revealed a 26th Dynasty origin.

Who Built the Osiris Shaft, and When?

Level 3 yielded an important find: red polished pottery with traces of white paint. This style dates the pottery to the 6th Dynasty, marking the end of the Old Kingdom. This pottery represents the oldest datable material found in the entire complex. However, the bigger question remains: how were the shafts constructed?

Cutting such an extensive network deep into the bedrock of Giza would have been an extraordinarily difficult task, unlikely to have been achieved by laborers with bronze tools during the 6th Dynasty (2345 to 2181 BC). Iron, in any significant quantity, did not appear until the 8th century BC.

While Dr. Hawass and his team deserve applause for finding 6th Dynasty pottery in the lowest levels. However, this discovery doesn’t definitively date the construction of the shafts or reveal their original purpose. Additionally, the locking of entrances to these sites hinders further research.

The Osireions or “Tombs of Osiris”

Ancient Egyptians held grand religious festivals known as the Mysteries of Osiris, or Osirism. These ceremonies commemorated a dramatic story: the murder and subsequent regeneration of the god Osiris. While written sources offer glimpses into the festivities, the most detailed account comes from a collection of Middle Kingdom texts inscribed during the Ptolemaic period. These texts, found in an upper chapel of the Temple of Dendera, detail the “Ritual of the Mysteries of Osiris in the Month of Khoiak.”

In Egyptian religion, secrecy and sacredness were intertwined. Ritual practices were strictly reserved for priests, the only ones permitted to enter the divine sanctuaries. These rituals were thus off-limits to the uninitiated public.

Perhaps the most enigmatic aspect of the Osiris myth was the fate of his body. According to the story, Osiris’s mummified form resided deep within the Duat, the underworld realm of the dead. Each night, during his journey across the sky, the sun god Ra would descend into the Duat. There, he would unite with Osiris, temporarily becoming one being, before Ra ascended once more to bring forth the dawn.

How much does the Osiris shaft cost?

The Osiris Shaft itself doesn’t have an associated cost since it’s an ancient structure. However, entering the Osiris Shaft requires a special permit from the Egyptian authorities. The cost of this permit isn’t publicly available, but it’s likely not something an individual tourist would be able to obtain.

The most common way to visit the Osiris Shaft is through a private tour. These tours typically rent access to the shaft for a group, which lowers the cost per person. Prices can range from around $220 per person to $2,000 depending on the tour company and the size of the group.

From Swimming Hole to Symbolic Tomb

The ancient Egyptian name of the Osiris Shaft is “pr-wsir” (meaning “Palace of Osiris”), which evolved into “Busiris” in Greek and “Abousir” in Arabic. While once used for recreational swimming, the shaft’s true purpose remained a mystery.

Legends and Layers: Delving Deeper

This enigmatic structure descends in stages, reaching nearly 100 feet below the plateau. The crystal-clear water that fills the bottom chamber earned it the name “Osiris Shaft.” The entrance leads to a higher chamber with empty niches that once held granite sarcophagi. One such niche holds a hidden shaft leading to a flooded corridor, echoing with dripping groundwater.

The Deepest Challenge: Unveiling a Symbolic Tomb

Water completely flooded the final level, which lay at a depth of approximately 82 feet.

Archaeologists persevered for two months, draining the water to explore the chamber. The dust, mud, and noise were a constant challenge.

A House for Osiris: Architectural Clues

Interestingly, the arrangement within the chamber resembled the hieroglyph “pr,” meaning “house.” This aligns with the ancient name of the Giza plateau, “nb wsir nb restaw” – “the house of Osiris, Lord of Rastaw” (referring to underground tunnels). This suggests the shaft’s name reflects its purpose as a symbolic tomb for Osiris, the god believed to rule the underworld and those buried beneath the ground.

Late Period Exploration: Tunnels and Artifacts

During the Late Period, Egyptians dug a tunnel into the shaft’s west wall, but it led nowhere. Similarly, a boy was lowered into the flooded chamber to retrieve artifacts used to date the shaft to the New Kingdom (around 1550 BCE).