Mysterious Osiris Shaft Private Tour Photos

Fri, Oct 29: Cairo, Egypt

Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian, stated that the builder of the Great Pyramid was buried underground inside a granite sarcophagus where there was water. Let’s explore whether the Osiris Shaft matches his story.

The UnchartedX private tour of the Osiris Shaft is one opportunity you won’t want to miss. I definitely wanted to go down into the Osiris Shaft to see what’s underground at the Giza plateau. The shaft tunnels goes down 90 feet and has three lower levels. It starts out ok, but gets weirder and creepier the more you go down.

The lowest level is flooded with water. There is a side tunnel in the lowest level that can only be accessed by wading through the water. The stone box at that level is what gives the shaft its alternate name, The Tomb of Osiris.

Is the Osiris Shaft private tour worth it?

Yes, a trip to the Giza Pyramids isn’t complete without exploring the underground structures like the Osiris Shaft. While it costs around $2000 to rent the Osiris Shaft for a couple hours, being part of the UnchartedX Egypt Tour (and others) lowers the per person price. For our tour, it was $220 per person. You’ll likely visit the pyramids just once in a lifetime, it’s a small incremental price to pay. I would highly recommend you go here if given the opportunity on your tour.

What’s in the Osiris Shaft alcoves?

In the second level of the Osiris Shaft is a chamber with four alcoves, two on each side. There are some sorry looking sarcophagi in a couple of them, and some pottery and shards for budding archaeologists to explore.

What are the Osiris Shaft tool marks?

The underground chambers in the Osiris Shaft shows parallel tool marks left by digging. This suggests something other than a chisel, stone hammer, or pick axe which would leave different marks. Our modern digging tools have evenly spaced “teeth” on rollers which leave similar parallel marks in the stone. In one of the photos, there is evidence of a tool with “fingers”. This suggests the digging tool was similar to a rake rather than a roller.

TIP: When exploring underground tunnels and chambers, check the walls and ceilings for evidence of tool marks.

These parallel digging tool marks can be found in other places in Egypt as well as in other places of the world. See more of the digging tool marks in the Subterranean Chamber of the Great Pyramid.

Is there water at the bottom of the Osiris Shaft?

Yes there is water at the bottom level. The most likely source is that the depth of the shaft has met with the groundwater table level.

While the creepy factor begins as soon as you take your first step on first level, it gets worse at this lowest level. The eerie still water in the darkness only heightens the sensations.

What’s in the Osiris Shaft Hidden Tunnel?

In the corner at the bottom of the Osiris Shaft is a curiously small tunnel which is not open to the public. Set up above the waterline, the tunnel is roughly cut, damp, and narrows down making it impossible for a person to continue to reach the other end. What is beyond there, remains a mystery.

This YouTube video from Thea at More Than Human shows the Osiris Tunnel in more detail – click once to load it and again to play from the bookmarked time.

How old is the Osiris Shaft?

The pottery shards and bones found on the second level of the Osiris Shaft date to about 500 BCE, or 2500 years ago. The artifacts recovered from the lowest, water filled level, date to about 1550 BCE, or 3500 years ago. The actual age of the Osiris Shaft could be older, but it is at least 3500 years old.

More about the Osiris Shaft

Explore similar digging tool marks in this video: Curious Being Yangshan Monument in China.
More info on the shaft in this: Jahannah James Osiris Shaft video with Jimmy from Bright Insight.

Have you visited or heard of the Osiris Shaft and the Tomb of Osiris, what do you think it was used for? Let us know in the comments below.

Part of the Ben UnchartedX Egypt Tour