EARLY RAYS
Entrance to Tomb of the Birds
HISTORY CHANNEL INVADES LOST GIZA “CATACOMBS”
n September History Channel viewers had a chance to see the cave beneath Egypt’s Giza plateau, rediscovered in 2008 by re- searcher Andrew Collins, reported by Philip Coppens in Atlantis Rising #80 (“The Un- known Catacombs of Giza”), and discussed again by Greg Little in #84 (“Hall of Records COVERUP?”). In an episode of the archaeo- logical series “Chasing Mummies” titled “Bats,” viewers saw Egyptian Antiquities Di- rector Zahi Hawass and a team of came- ramen and explorers penetrate an estimated 350 feet into the cavern behind what Collins has dubbed the “Tomb of the Birds,” osten- sibly in an attempt to disprove what Hawass called “pyramidiots.” It did anything but. As Collins has explained in his book Be- neath the Pyramids and on his web site (An-
drewCollins.com), the cave complex was originally entered in 1817 by Italian explorer Giovanni Caviglia—penetrating several hun- dred yards—and again in 1837 by British Col. Richard Howard. The entrance, in what Collins now calls “The Tomb of the Birds,” only a few hundred yards from the pyramids, was located by him, his wife Sue, and ex- plorer Nigel Skinner Simpson.
I Later, when informed of the find by Col-
lins, Hawass showed little interest; but when accompanied by the History Channel film crew, while declaring his intention to de- bunk the “pyramidiots,” he asked to take a look, while expressing the view that the cave would not reach very far. Viewers were able then to follow the team into the cavern where, fighting off swarms of bats, they ad- vanced for over a hundred yards, much fur- ther than Hawass had expected, but not, alas, as far as the pyramids.
The cave exploration possibilities, how- ever, Collins believes, have not been fully ex- hausted, and he cites an image of the plateau created by the German TerraSAR-X satellite which could mark the extent, position, and orientation of the caves explored in Giza’s north cliff. “The caves’ presence,” says Col- lins, “seems to be echoed by a shadow line that has no corresponding feature on the ground. More intriguing is the fact that this shadow line connects with another that ex- tends eastwards toward the Second Pyr- amid.”
To date, though, Hawass has not, at least publicly, expressed interest in re-confronting any bats, either beneath Giza or in anyone’s belfry.
(Top right) Plan of tomb and caves drawn by Andrew Collins following his own exploration of the complex in 2008 (© Andrew Collins).
(Top photo) Section of the the TerraSAR-X radar satellite image of July 2, 2007, showing the curved shadow lines starting at the edge of the plateau's north cliff and heading across to the Second Pyramid. (Middle and lower photos) We see the transition from the TerraSAR-X image into the Google Earth satellite image made the same day. The position of the tomb is marked with a downward triangle. Note the north-south shadow line in the proximity of the tomb and caves in the lower photo (© Rodney Hale).
(Bottom) Diagram of the faulting at the northwest corner of the Second Pyramid as detected by ground penetrating radar equipment in 1977 (picture: Dolphin/SRI/Ain Shams)
10 ATLANTIS RISING • Number 85 Subscribe or Order Books, DVDs and Much More!
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