The Giza Sphinx: Real Tunnels, Denied Chambers and the Battle for Access
In 1922, Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun’s tomb and made the world believe that Egypt still held rooms no one had seen. On the Giza Plateau, however, the Sphinx had stood beside the pyramids for thousands of years, and the ground around it contains passages, stone shafts, natural cavities and tunnels cut by modern explorers. The question is not whether empty spaces exist at Giza. The question is which spaces belong to ancient construction, which were made by later excavators, and who decides what may be opened to the public.
In 1922, Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun’s tomb and made the world believe that Egypt still held rooms no one had seen. On the Giza Plateau, however, the Sphinx had stood beside the pyramids for thousands of years, and the ground around it contains passages, stone shafts, natural cavities and tunnels cut by modern explorers. The question is not whether empty spaces exist at Giza. The question is which spaces belong to ancient construction, which were made by later excavators, and who decides what may be opened to the public.
In 1922, Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun’s tomb and made the world believe that Egypt still held rooms no one had seen. On the Giza Plateau, however, the Sphinx had stood beside the pyramids for thousands of years, and the ground around it contains passages, stone shafts, natural cavities and tunnels cut by modern explorers. The question is not whether empty spaces exist at Giza. The question is which spaces belong to ancient construction, which were made by later excavators, and who decides what may be opened to the public.
In 1922, Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun’s tomb and made the world believe that Egypt still held rooms no one had seen. On the Giza Plateau, however, the Sphinx had stood beside the pyramids for thousands of years, and the ground around it contains passages, stone shafts, natural cavities and tunnels cut by modern explorers. The question is not whether empty spaces exist at Giza. The question is which spaces belong to ancient construction, which were made by later excavators, and who decides what may be opened to the public.
In 1922, Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun’s tomb and made the world believe that Egypt still held rooms no one had seen. On the Giza Plateau, however, the Sphinx had stood beside the pyramids for thousands of years, and the ground around it contains passages, stone shafts, natural cavities and tunnels cut by modern explorers. The question is not whether empty spaces exist at Giza. The question is which spaces belong to ancient construction, which were made by later excavators, and who decides what may be opened to the public.
In 1922, Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun’s tomb and made the world believe that Egypt still held rooms no one had seen. On the Giza Plateau, however, the Sphinx had stood beside the pyramids for thousands of years, and the ground around it contains passages, stone shafts, natural cavities and tunnels cut by modern explorers. The question is not whether empty spaces exist at Giza. The question is which spaces belong to ancient construction, which were made by later excavators, and who decides what may be opened to the public.