|
Gantenbrink's Door
As we all know, not one but two new "doors" have been found inside
the Great Pyramid. I recommend you visit the sites listed below to
keep up with the latest developments. I apologize for the lack of
pictures on this site, this being due to copyright considerations.
What's Behind The Door...?
There is much speculation about what will be found behind the
"doors" and I'd like to take a moment to put the Towers Online
viewpoint. I'd appreciate any feedback or opinions you may have on
it. Personally, I do not think that chambers of any description will
be found when the outer blocking stones (however many there may be)
are finally penetrated. For the sake of argument, let us assume that
the Great Pyramid was replanned during its construction and that
there was a time when the Queen's Chamber (so-called) was intended
to be the main burial chamber. We know that the blocking stones in
the northern and southern shafts are equidistant from the Queen's
Chamber. Could they have been placed close to where the shafts would
have exited on a smaller-scale pyramid? We have a tentative parallel
for this if we examine the shafts leading from the King's Chamber.
On the 12th February 1837, John Perring came across the mouth
of the King's Chamber northern shaft on the north face of the Great
Pyramid. Perring and his men set to work clearing the shaft. It
actually turned out to be a forced passage with dimensions 3 feet by
2 feet nine inches which followed the actual channel for 37feet,
after which the channel continued on with the original dimensions of
9 by 9 and a half inches. We have no idea who originally forced the
passage from the north face or what obstacles were found. On the
21st May 1837, Perring found the mouth of the King's Chamber
southern shaft in the same relative position on the south face of
the pyramid and once again work began to clear the shaft. Not far
into the core masonry, a Mr. Hill found a piece of iron blocking the
way. From its position, it was not thought possible for it to have
been placed there following the original construction of the
pyramid. Having cleared this obstacle, and at a distance of seven
feet from the surface, Hill found the way blocked by a large stone.
Once removed, we are told that air rushed into the King's Chamber.
Could this have been a slab like those found in the Queen's Chamber
shafts? Is it the case that we will eventually find iron plates and
then nothing? We know that the Queen's Chamber shafts do not appear
to have exits on the exterior of the pyramid. Do we know for sure
that the King's Chamber shafts penetrated all the way through to the
original polished exterior casing blocks, or through them?
This hypothesis does have two flaws. Firstly, the height at which
the Queen's Chamber shafts would have reached the exterior of the
smaller pyramid would have been at roughly the same elevation as
Campbell's Chamber (the highest of the relieving chambers). Is it
likely that the builders would have continued to construct the
Queen's chamber shafts to their intended height if they knew that
the pyramid was to be enlarged anyway? There again, is it possible
to hypothesize that the pyramid was not actually constructed level
by level and that the shafts were essentially complete when the
decision was taken to extend the pyramid? Secondly, Rudolf
Gantenbrink discounts the idea that niches discovered in the
upper reaches of the southern King's Chamber shaft could have held a
blocking stone similar to that found in the Queen's Chamber southern
shaft. See the item ' Cheops Niches' on the Cyber Drawings
page of Rudolf's excellent site The Upuaut Project for his
reasons why. We shall never know if there was a similar niche in the
upper reaches of the northern King's Chamber shaft because it would
have been destroyed by the forced tunnel found by Perring.
Despite these potential flaws, I do believe there are parallels to
be drawn.
Introduction To Gantenbrink Articles...
The "Queen's Chamber Air Shaft Investigation" and "Great
Pyramid Ventilation Scheme" items below first appeared here in
1998. They were written using information supplied by Rudolf
Gantenbrink and published with his kind permission. They reflect
his views on the situation subsequent to his exploration of the
shafts in the Great Pyramid and are retained here as historical
background information.
Please note that the "Air Shaft" and "Ventilation Scheme" items must
be read in the context of the situation back in 1998. The first
section highlights disagreements with statements made by Dr
Hawass at the time regarding further investigation of the "air
shaft" door. The second section provides an insight into the state
of the ventilation system installed in 1992.
A final section has been added by
Towers Online to bring matters
up-to-date. It lists the various failed initiatives and gives what
we understand to be the latest news on the further exploration of
the shafts. It also revisits the problems experienced with the
ventilation system.
Rudolf's own website
The Upuaut Project went live in
early May 1999. It gives a full account of Rudolf's work up
to the end of the 1993 season and is essential reading. The account
is accompanied by over sixty photographs of exceptional clarity and
interactive CAD plans of the Great Pyramid.
This page was originally added to this site in June 1998.
Queen's Chamber Air Shaft
Investigation...
Rudolf issued the following
statement in April 1998 The word "recent" in the first sentence must
be taken in that context. The statement was as follows:
"In a recent meeting between Dr.
Zahi Hawass and myself in Cairo, I explained to Dr. Hawass
several details related to the so called "air shafts" inside the
Cheops Pyramid. One of the issues discussed with Dr. Hawass was
reported on a interview from
http://www.guardians.net/spotlite/spotlgt2.htm"
Dr. Hawass: We are not
discovering anything in the Great Pyramid, there is nothing
really remaining to be discovered inside. Even though we
were prepared to investigate the so-called "door" inside the
pyramid that was found by Gantenbrink. We found that in
Gantenbrink's report when he recently visited me,
looking more closely at the video tape, we see that there
really is no crack or an open area that we can send a robot.
We found that there is no shaft or small area, underneath
this stone to send a small robot or anything, this means
that we are not going to be able to investigate and see
what's behind it.
Guardian: There's no
crack on the bottom of the slab found by the robot at the
end of the shaft that would allow even a small camera?
Dr. Hawass: There's no crack on the bottom, exactly.
This is what the media created and I never received a proper
report from Gantenbrink, because of the problems that
we had with him. But when I met him last week and when he
showed me in the videos here what it looks like in there, we
did not really see any crack in the fitting. And therefore,
it's very difficult to decide to do anything further with
this.
"This interview has, and might
further lead to misunderstandings. For this reason I would like
to clarify the following. I had a meeting with Dr. Hawass in
March of this year in Cairo. The reason for this meeting was to
inform Dr. Hawass personally about additional - still
unpublished - facts and observations made during my work in 1992
/ 1993 on the so called air shafts inside the Cheops
Pyramid. In this meeting I have pointed out that a further
investigation of the closure stone at the end of the southern
lower shaft by means of a fibre optic has little chance to
achieve the expected results. This is due to the tremendous
costs, and the poor results (due to light source limitations)
that can be expected in the worst case. The "fibre optic"
procedure had never been suggested by myself, and is therefore
indeed a true media creation."
"Nevertheless, in that meeting I have informed Dr. Hawass
equally about far better high tech methods for a possible
continuation of the exploration. I do not at all agree with Dr.
Hawass statement (that was probably intended differently) "that
there is nothing really remaining to be discovered inside". It
is, and remains a fact, that only further research will allow
this conclusion to be drawn. I am convinced that Dr. Hawass -
especially after our meeting - also sees the immediate need to
solve the questions that my work from 1992 / 1993 has raised."
Rudolf Gantenbrink
Munich April 1998
When this item first appeared on usenet, clarification was
requested on what the '"far better high tech methods" were.
Rudolf replied as follows:
"It is a bit complicated. One of the
procedures works by injecting a specified quantity of gas (FCKW)
through the gap (5-8mm) below the "door" by means of capillary
stainless steel tubes (one for injection and one for the
analysis). If there is a purpose built volume (which is to be
expected relatively tight) we will get a certain gas
concentration after some time (in relation to the volume) that
we can measure. So we can determine the size of the volume as
well. If there is just the nucleus behind (open joints), the gas
will just decrease in its concentration progressively. The
equipment for the procedure is worth about 2 000 000 $ and can
be purchased from one of my sponsors (for me free of costs).
Another procedure: I am very much convinced, that we see only
the backside of the "door". If an engineer is supposed to fix
something on a stone slab (without glue and anchors), he would
do the following: 1. The "thing" that has to be fixed has
two bolts fixed to it. 2. The bolts are inserted in two holes
which are drilled though the slab, so that they penetrate the
slab through the backside for some centimeters. 3. Now the bolts
can be bent 90° to fix the whole arrangement safely. So what we
see from the backside are only the bent bolts, and that is
exactly what we see on the "door". To find out if this is really
the case the robot can put a current to one of the copper bolts.
If this current can be measured at the other bolt (we have a
closed circuit), we know that the main part (and so the
functional one) of the "door" is located on the other side.
There are many more procedures, so take the two above (not a
secret matter*) just as examples. Greetings Rudolf"
*already published in the book IM SCHATTEN DER PYRAMIDEN
by THORSTEN SASSE / ECON VERLAG 1997
Why The Delay In Probing Beyond the Door?
Rudolf was often asked
"Why doesn't the work continue?" The following section contains his
response. Once again, it is important to read it bearing in mind
that it reflects the situation in 1998. Several years had passed
since the "door" had been discovered, yet to the outside world it
seemed there was little interest from the egyptian authorities in
finding out what lay beyond. Towers Online has made some minor
corrections to improve readability and has been very careful not to
change the intended meaning.
The Nature Of The Find:
1. Can the nature of the find
be determined safely?
The result of the find is purely based on visual data . This
data has only two dimensions in space. There are no parallels to
the find. No ancient texts are known describing this
arrangement. There are no known ancient objects that can be
compared in detail with the details of the find. The answer
therefore is NO.
2. Do all directly involved parties have all available
information?
The digitally prepared visual data collected during the
investigation - showing details and evidence of Egyptologycal
value - was never evaluated by any Egyptologist. No request was
ever put forward to obtain such data, nor was any interest shown
to take part in the process of digital evaluation. The answer
therefore is NO.
3. Are there any theories that can be backed by evidence
about the nature of the find?
Due to the points 1 and 2, there is no solid academic base for
any credible theory. The answer therefore is NO.
Conclusion No. 1: The
Nature of the find can not be determined.
The Need For Further Investigation:
4. Can further research not
be useful?
There is still very little known about Old Kingdom Pharaonic
burials. The so called air shafts of the Great Pyramid
appear to be closely related to such a Pharaonic burial and
ancient beliefs. The shafts had been misinterpreted as being
only a few metres long and abandoned for nearly one century, so
proving that interpretation cannot replace complete
investigation. The northern shaft is not yet completely explored
and remains largely as a still totally unknown area. This shaft
could possibly hide evidence which would allow the whole nature
of the find to be understood. The answer therefore is NO.
5. Is a further investigation only of minor importance?
We are dealing with one of the most important and highly exposed
monuments in history. There is huge public interest in further
investigation. Due to this and to point 4, the investigation has
major importance. The answer therefore is NO.
Conclusion No. 2: Further investigation is
scientifically needed.
Feasibility:
6. Are there technical
problems in resuming further investigations?
The robot UPUAUT-2 is modified and tested for the
exploration of the northern shaft of the Queens Chamber and has
been for more than four years. Additional plug-ins for remote
sensing, probe collecting, and surveying have also been present
for more than four years. Remote analyzing equipment was
engineered three years ago and has been available for more than
two years. The answer therefore is NO.
7. Are there financial problems in resuming further
investigations?
The UPUAUT-2 project had been totally financed though
private sources. The preparation of the equipment for the next
operations has been financed since four years ago, and there is
also a budget for the operational costs. No additional funding
is needed The answer therefore is NO.
8. Are there manpower problems in resuming further
investigation?
From the technical side no additional manpower is needed. As the
whole of the UPUAUT project worked and works only with
non-destructive recorded imaging and remote sensing processes,
it can be seen as a "total archive system". Throughout the whole
UPUAUT-2 campaign, no Egyptologist or other academic person was
present, proving that there is no excessive need of manpower
from this side. The answer therefore is NO.
9. Are there political problems in resuming further
investigation?
The Robot UPUAUT-2, now housed at the British Museum in
London, has been offered for further exploration to the Egyptian
S.C.A. The robot is already modified to be able to explore the
northern shaft. The training of a person to manoeuvre the robot
was equally offered to the S.C.A. Due to this the S.C.A. can
resume the work without the involvement of any other nation. The
answer therefore is NO.
Conclusion No. 3: The resuming of the expedition has
been easily feasible for 4 years
Summary Of Conclusions:
-
The Nature of the find can not be
determined.
-
Further investigation is
scientifically needed.
-
The resuming of the expedition has
been easily feasible for 4 years This pragmatic analysis has
been forgotten about in the world of Egyptology. Downplaying,
ignorance, academic shyness, and common belief has replaced
the process of science. Don't you call this a
scandal ?
Go Back
The Great Pyramid Ventilation
Scheme...
On visits to the Great
Pyramid in 1998, Towers Online often wondered why conditions inside
were so uncomfortable considering that the pyramid was closed for
some considerable time in 1992 for the installation of a new
ventilation system. The following item was written using information
provided by Rudolf Gantenbrink. It describes the original
scheme and gives the reasons for the situation in 1998.
The Great Pyramid Ventilation Scheme was designed and
installed by Rudolf Gantenbrink with the help of the German
Archaeological Institute in 1992. The task was divided into five
main activities
-
To clear the upper air shafts which
at the time were completely filled with rubble, sand and jammed
stones.
-
Lining out the damaged exit of the
northern shaft (11m long) by means of tubes at a height of 80m.
-
Design and construction of
protections for the outlets of the shafts against falling
stones, debris and sand.
-
Erecting a wall inside the tunnel
excavated by Caviglia at the point where it meets the
upper northern "air shaft" to create a defined sealed section
for a fan.
-
Installing a complete new electric
power source and cables for the ventilation units.
The ventilation scheme utilized two
double stage ventilators. One was installed at the inlet of the
upper southern "air shaft" of the GP, and the other was installed
inside a tunnel excavated by Caviglia (not visible for
tourists) where it meets the upper northern "air shaft". The system
improved conditions inside the Great Pyramid to the maximum extent
possible (i.e. the humidity level inside the Great Pyramid was made
equal to the level outside) while utilizing only one third of the
total system performance to do so.
In 1997, the fan fitted to the upper southern "air shaft" inlet was
removed. After strong protests from Gantenbrink, it was
replaced, however no attempt was made to reestablish a proper
connection to the "air shaft", for example it was not even bolted
back into position. The replaced fan performed no function other
than to create a great deal of noise. Gantenbrink approached the
Supreme Council for Antiquities on several occasions and offered
to repair the system at no cost. The offer was always declined.
Gantenbrink estimates that the original system could have been
brought back into full working order in about two days. It would
seem that rather than accept his offer, the SCA decided to
install another system.
Gantenbrink makes the following statement about the situation
at the time (quoted verbatim):
"So all was done in 1992 with great
success! It worked perfectly for about two years, and than by
lack of maintenance, mistreatment and ignorance from the
responsible person DR: ZAHI HAWASS (they switch it
off for the spiritual people, and forget to start it again)
worked with less and less performance until the last year where
the ventilators were removed for no reason at all (they still
worked when they were switched on, which was seldom the case)!
Now Hawass hails to the world that the French will
install a "new" air-condition. Bullshit, there is no need for
a new air-condition!
There is simply a minor repair work
of two days to do! But obviously somebody else would like to get
a bit of glory here. That is the single reason for the French
business (wouldn't it be a bit more logic to let me do the
little repair). Didn't Hawass already claim in the New Yorker
that he himself installed the air-condition? It is a true
scandal, that what counts in preservation is only the glory
which comes out of it. Prof. Stadelmann from the G.A.I.
and Zahi Hawass both claimed to be the holy preservators.
None of them was ever interested to keep this preservation
intact, which was purely based on my work and my initiative."
From a layman's point of view, it does
seem most odd that Dr Hawass and the SCA have now
installed a replacement system when Rudolf Gantenbrink
offered to repair the original six year old system for no charge and
little effort.
Go Back
Bringing Matters Up-To-Date...
The following briefly documents the various announcements that have
been made regarding further exploration of the southern "air shaft"
leading from the Queen's Chamber. For the most part, the information
has been taken from pp398 - 403 of the hardback edition of "Giza:
The Truth" by Chris Ogilvie-Herald and Ian Lawton.
Other sources are identified where applicable.
-
At a presentation to the California
Chapter of the American Research Centre in Egypt (ARCE) in
November 1995, Doctor Hawass stated that an attempt to see what
lay beyond the "door" would take place around May 1996.
-
An article in the Egyptian Gazette
of the 31st March 1996 stated that in September 1996 a team led
by egyptian scientist Dr. Farouk El-Baz would explore the
shaft using another robotic camera. The team was to include a
Canadian company called Amtex and the German Institute
for Archaeology. Amtex, headed by Peter Zuuring
subsequently went bankrupt and Zuuring disappeared. (see also "Secret
Chamber" by Robert Bauval, p290)
-
In an interview broadcast by the Art
Bell Radio Show in January 1998, Doctor Hawass stated that he
hoped to get beyond the door by May 1998.
-
In July 1998, Lawton and
Ogilvie-Herald received information that Joe Schor of
the Schor Foundation was funding the construction of a
sophisticated robot. (In March 1999, Lawton and Ogilvie-Herald
were told by Joe Jahoda that Schor had looked into helping to
fund a robot to get the project started, but that Dr. Hawass had
apparently found another approach that would be put into
operation at the end of 1999)
-
In September 1998, Lawton and
Ogilvie-Herald received information that a new robot
designed and operated by NASA personnel was to go ahead
in Winter 98/Spring 99.
-
An article in the Al Ahram
newspaper of the 5th November 1998 reported Dr. Hawass
as saying that the door would be opened during the Millennium
celebrations.
-
In April 1999, Lawton and Ogilvie-Herald
received information that the opening would be delayed until at
least the 12th January 2000.
-
In a presentation to National
Geographic in early December 1999, Dr. Hawass "promised" that
the door would be investigated in May 2000.
-
At a conference in London held on
the 20-21st October 2001, Dr. Hawass announced that a new
robot had been designed by NASA and that tests to explore the
southern shaft will start in March 2002. Chris Ogilvie-Herald
attended the conference and in the Q & A session following
Hawass's lecture asked if there were any plans to explore the
northern shaft further to see if it was also blocked by a slab
similar to the "door" in the southern shaft. The answer was "no"
which seems surprising because it would add to our knowledge of
the interior construction of the pyramid and might also shed
some light on the purpose of the shafts.
-
March 2002 came and went. The Towers
is unaware of any activity connected with the exploration of the
southern shaft. On the 21st April 2002, Chris Ogilvie-Herald
posted a message to the YahooGroups Amun forum in which he said,
"Last I heard, from a producer working for the National
Geographic, something should happen this September.
On Thursday 8th August 2002, I attended a lecture at the
Egyptian Educational and Cultural Bureau in London given by Mr.
Mansour Radwan, Chief Inspector, Giza Pyramid Area on "Most
Recent Discoveries in and around the Pyramids of Giza". The
illustrated talk concentrated on excavations carried out south
of the "Wall of Crows", this being the location of the tombs of
the workmen, builders of the pyramids.
Towards the end of his presentation,
Mr. Radwan mentioned that a robot will go behind the 'door'
blocking the Queen's Chamber southern airshaft on the 16th
September 2002. I had a brief conversation with Mr. Radwan after
the lecture. Being puzzled as to how a robot could get past the
'door', I asked how the exploration would be conducted. He
kindly explained that a robot designed by NASA will be
sent along the shaft to the 'door'. An attempt will be made to
feed a fibre-optic camera through what looks to be a small gap
at the bottom right hand corner of the 'door'. If this is
unsuccessful, a very small hole will be drilled through the
'door' and the fibre-optic camera passed through it. At the
time, I wrote, "Notwithstanding any mishaps, it sounds like we
do not have long to wait to find out what lies beyond the
'door'.
-
Writing on 1st October 2002, we now
know that two new "doors" have been found. My thoughts
can be found at the top of this page. I see that I was wrong in
my report of the 8th August in stating that the robot was
designed by NASA for which I offer my 'humble apologies'.
We'll have to wait and see what will happen next. I believe
Doctor Hawass has said that it will take several months to
analyse the data and work out a way to proceed.
So how long will we have to wait until
we get some answers? On the 20th November 2003, at a presentation in
London, Dr Hawass stated that he hopes to investigate beyond
the airshaft "doors" in 2005. He also said that in the short term he
will be examining the Great Pyramid exterior to see if he can find
the Queen's Chamber airshafts emerging at the surface.
Go Back
Pyramid Ventilation Scheme Updates
For some time, Towers Online has been receiving reports about the
ventilation situation inside the Great Pyramid, all of which state
that the ventilation system was not working at the time of the
visit. We have not known if the reports reflect isolated occurrences
or if they reflect the situation for most of the time.
On the 22nd August 2002, we received a report from Nacho Ares,
director of a Spanish publication entitled "Revista de
Arqueologia". Mr. Ares is an Egyptologist and is the
author of six books on Ancient Egypt. He has also made programmes
about the Great Pyramid for Spanish television and is a frequent
visitor to Cairo, having his own house in Heliopolis. Mr. Ares says
that he has visited the Great Pyramid dozens of times and believes
that the reports of the non-operation of the ventilation system are
isolated occurrences. He quotes specific visits to the Great Pyramid
in October 2001, March 27th 2002 and August 14th 2002 as examples
where the system was in operation. As he puts it, "I remember it
because the sound of the ventilation is very strong".
This positive report about the operation of the ventilation system
is good news. On the basis of the negative reports received to
date and knowing that Doctor Hawass is of the opinion
that the pyramid interiors should be closed to tourists, it would be
easy to speculate on the existence of a hidden agenda. (For example,
in an article entitled "Saving
The Secrets Of The Sands" by Elizabeth Kay McCall,
he is quoted as saying, "...my philosophy is that the pyramids
should not be visited inside by tourists. The pyramids are tombs. In
my opinion, the magic of the pyramid is on the outside, not on the
inside, but at the same time, for tourism, we do balance the
two..."). Such speculation can be dismissed if the ventilation
system is indeed in regular operation.
Towers Online would still very much like to hear from other visitors
to the Great Pyramid or any of the other pyramids . Please use the
feedback link at the end of this page to send the date and time of
the visit, the monument visited and the conditions experienced
within.
Reports Received...
-
In June 2000, a writer to the (now
defunct) EgyptNews_Talk list mentioned that on a visit to the
Great Pyramid earlier in that month the interior was very hot
and humid. The writer also mentioned that only three hundred
visitors a day are allowed to enter the pyramid. This implied
that either the replacement ventilation system didn't work or
that it wasn't switched on for some reason. At the time, Towers
Online commented that if this situation was allowed to continue,
the corridors and chambers of the Great Pyramid would once again
sustain serious damage which could provide a reason to
permanently close the Giza pyramids to visitors.
-
In March 2001, Towers Online
received an update from a visitor to the Great Pyramid on the
afternoon of the 26th February 2001. Once again, the ventilation
system was not in operation. This was also the case inside the
Red (North) Pyramid at Dahshur on the afternoon of
the 27th February 2001, which in addition was suffering badly
from the strong aroma of bat droppings. On asking about the
non-operation of the ventilation system at Dahshur, our
visitor was told that the system had been out of action for some
time.
-
Joshua Calvert contacted
Towers Online to pass on information from a visitor to the Great
Pyramid on the 20th September 2001. The reporter said it was
very hot inside and that he sweated profusely due to the high
humidity and lack of oxygen, the interior being "quite stuffy".
Many thanks to Joshua Calvert for obtaining this information and
passing it on to Towers Online.
-
Simon of LTV Communications
visited the Great Pyramid on the 24th March 2002 at nine thirty
in the morning. He reports that, "I didn't hear anything to
suggest a ventilation system was running. It was very quiet
apart from several people trying very very hard to breathe!!"
-
George Neculae visited the
interior of the Great Pyramid early in the morning of the 23rd
April 2002, being the first visitor of the day. He reports that
there was no ventilation in evidence and the air was difficult
to breathe. He also notes that the Queen's Chamber was closed to
visitors with no explanation provided.
Go Back
|