The Atlantean “Hall of Records” is under the Old Sphinx Temple

 

Note: This article was originally published on Mysterious Universe (https://mysteriousuniverse.org/)

The Atlantean Hall of Records in Egypt

For a long time, speculations have been rife about secret chambers and tunnels hidden under the Great Sphinx at Giza, which preserve ancient artifacts of great significance. The idea had been popularized by Edgar Cayce, the early 20th century American psychic, who used to enter into a trance-like state and give stunningly accurate readings on a number of different subjects. 

Around sixty percent of Cayce’s readings were medical diagnosis and treatments, some twenty percent were “life readings”, while the rest were on a variety of topics. Some of Cayce’s predictions about the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II came true with astonishing precision. Little wonder then, his readings on Atlantis, and the “Hall of Records” concealed near the Sphinx, generated a lot of interest, and have been taken seriously by many researchers.

In many life readings of people, Cayce described their past incarnations on Atlantis. These are probably the most fantastic of all his readings, and the most difficult to verify. Was Cayce’s unconscious mind making up this information, on the basis of what he had read? 

Edgar Cayce's son, Hugh Lynn Cayce, wrote in the foreword to his brother’s book, Edgar Cayce on Atlantis, that, “My brother, the author, and I know that Edgar Cayce did not read Plato's material on Atlantis, or books on Atlantis, and that he, so far as we know, had absolutely no knowledge of this subject.”[1] This was typical of Cayce. When he went into a trance, he gave readings on subjects he had no knowledge of; and when he came out of the trance he had no recollection of what he had said.

In numerous life readings, given over a span of 43 years, Cayce had said that Atlantis had experienced three periods of destruction, with the final obliteration occurring around 10,500 BCE, which correlates remarkably well with Plato’s estimated date of 9600 BCE for this event, and falls during the period of "Younger Dryas" (c.10,900 - 9700 BCE) when our planet was struck by a slew of cataclysmic events that killed off the Ice Age megafauna and led to long period of freezing cold.

Cayce said that when some Atlanteans became aware of the impending destruction of their civilization they emigrated to different lands – notably Egypt, Pyrenees and the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. A number of readings allude to this. For instance,

“With the realization of the children of the Law of One that there was to be the final breaking up of the Poseidian-Atlantean lands, there were the emigrations with many of the leaders to the various lands.” (Reading 1007-3)

“…in Atlantis during periods of the breaking up of the land. Set sail for Egypt, but ended up in the Pyrenees in what are now Portuguese, Spanish and French lands.” (Reading 315-4)

“…in Atlantean land when there was knowledge that there was soon to be the destruction of that land and there were attempts of individuals to leave the land. Entity (the person requesting the reading) among those who went to Egypt.” (Reading 708-1)  

“…in Atlantis when there was the breaking up of the land, came to what was called the Mayan land or what is now Yucatan – entity was the first to cross the water in the plane or air machine of that period.” (Reading 1710-3)

The Atlanteans, before emigrating to various lands, had created records of their civilization and kept them in a temple in Atlantis, which sank into the ocean after the breaking up of the land. Some of the emigrants to Egypt carried copies of the records with them and kept them in a tomb or "Hall of Records", which was specifically built for that purpose. 

“…in Atlantean land in household of the king before destruction, assisted Alta the scribe in preparing a history of the land.” (Reading 339-1)

“…in Atlantean land before the final destruction – when the priest came from Egypt to Poseidia to gain understanding of Law of One (or God) that there might be records carried back to Egypt, the entity returned with the priest…Entity had charge of records brought back from Atlantis to Egypt.” (Reading 378-13)

“…in Egypt during the building of many tombs that are being found today [the entity] aided in the construction of the Hall of Records yet to be uncovered.” (Reading 519-1)

“…entity in the Atlantean and Egyptian land – among those who came into the Egyptian experience for preserving the records of those activities – became a supervisor of the excavations – in studying the old records and in preparing and building the house of records for the Atlanteans as well as a part of the house initiate – or Great Pyramid.” (Reading 2462-2) 

Cayce provided specific details about the exact location of the Hall of Records in Egypt. He said it can be reached by a passage that opens near the right forepaw of the Sphinx. The hall of records must have been carved into the bedrock, since it was also referred to as a “tomb”. As per the readings, the sealed underground chamber lies on the east-west axis that passes between the paws of the Sphinx, which, as we all know, looks directly eastwards towards the rising Sun. However, it is not located vertically below the Sphinx, as is believed by some. It lies between the Sphinx and the Nile.

“There is a chamber or passage from the right forepaw (of the Sphinx) to this entrance of the record chamber or record tomb.” (Reading 5748-6)

“…the opening of the records that are as copies from the sunken Atlantis; for, with the change, it must rise again. This in position lies, as the sun rises from the waters, the line of the shadow (or light) falls between the paws of the Sphinx, that was later set as the sentinel or guard, and which may not be entered from the connecting chambers from the Sphinx's paw until the TIME has been fulfilled when the changes must be active in this sphere of man's experience. Then [it lies] between the Sphinx and the river.” (Reading 378-16)

Today, the Nile passes nearly 8 km from the Giza plateau, but during the Old Kingdom period and earlier, a branch of the Nile passed by the foot of the Giza plateau, directly in front of the Sphinx. 

Egyptologist Mark Lehner had done substantial work, on the basis of archaeological evidence, traces of ancient landscape features, samples of sediments from deeply-buried surfaces, and best guesses and inferences, to reconstruct the 4th Dynasty Giza waterfront, along the base of the Giza Plateau.[2] 

The proposed Old Kingdom Nile channel follows the course of the Libeini Canal, a relic Nile channel. During the flooding of the Nile, flood waters used to fill the canals and harbors that the Egyptians had built for delivering materials and supplies for pyramid-building.

The Giza waterfront during the 4th Dynasty. Credit: Mark Lehner / www.aeraweb.org

The Nile used to flow by the foot of the Giza plateau, directly in front of the Sphinx, during the Old Kingdom and earlier. Credit: Photo Companion to the Bible

This means, as per the readings of Cayce, the Hall of Records is carved into the bedrock in front of the Sphinx, between the Sphinx and the Nile, along the east-west axis that passes between the paws of the Sphinx.

Right in front of the Sphinx are the eroded ruins of the Old Sphinx Temple which dates to the time when the Sphinx was built. The core limestone blocks used to build the walls of the temple came from the ditch surrounding the Sphinx. Workmen must have hauled away the quarried blocks to construct the temple, as the Sphinx was being carved out of the stone. The Sphinx temple was built on a terrace eight feet lower than the floor of the Sphinx. It is in a very ruined state now, and any inscriptions it may once have carried, which might have told us about its purpose, are long gone. 

Archaeologists believe that the Sphinx Temple may have been an ancient “solar temple”. The twenty-four columns suggest that there was one for each hour of the day and night. There were also ten to twelve statues, suggesting a statue for each hour of the day.[3]

The Old Sphinx Temple lies directly in front of the Great Sphinx, which looks eastwards. Credit: Djehouty CC BY-SA 4.0

The eroded stones of the Old Sphinx Temple. Credit: HoremWeb CC BY-SA 4.0

The most likely location for the Hall of Records, therefore, is in the bedrock under the floor of the Sphinx Temple. The Sphinx may have been carved out later, to serve as the protector of the chamber of records. Many ancient temples – such as the Temple of the Sun (Coricancha) in Cuzco, Peru – have a hidden network of tunnels and chambers under the temple, which were built for preserving precious artifacts and records, particularly during times of invasions or catastrophes. It is not unlikely, therefore, that the Sphinx Temple also has tunnels and chambers under its floor.

Cayce’s readings suggest that were three sets of records of Atlantis. The first set was kept in a temple in Atlantis that sank into the ocean. Another set was preserved in a temple built by Iltar in Yucatan, while the third was in Egypt. Cayce said that the records in Atlantis will be found in future, for Atlantis will rise again from the sea. In fact, all the three Hall of Records may be opened at around the same time, when great changes are imminent in the consciousness of our world.

“The one in the Atlantean land, that sank, which will rise and is rising again; another in the place of the records that leadeth from the Sphinx to the hall of records, in the Egyptian land; and another in the Aryan or Yucatan land, where the temple there is overshadowing same.” (Reading 2012-1)

“Yet, as time draws nigh when the changes are to come about, there may be the opening of those three places where the records are one, to those that are initiates in the knowledge of the One God. The temple of Iltar (in Yucatan) will then rise again. Also, there will be the opening of the temple or hall of records in Egypt, and those records that were put into the heart of the Atlantean land may also be found there – that have been kept, for those that are of that group.  The RECORDS are ONE.” (Reading 5750-1)

These are some of the life readings given by Cayce which describe the hidden Hall of Records near the Sphinx, along with the circumstances that led to its creation. This naturally makes one wonder if any passages or chambers have been discovered near the Sphinx that could validate Cayce’s prophecies. Are we any closer to solving this long-standing mystery now, than we were nearly 80 years ago when these readings were first dictated? 

The Passages and Shafts associated with the Sphinx

There are five shafts, holes or passages that lead into the body of the Sphinx or into the bedrock under it, and they have already been photographed and documented.

1. On Top of the Head of the Sphinx

One shaft is located on the on top of the head of the Sphinx. It is a short dead-end shaft, approx. 6 feet deep. A photograph taken in 1925, when Émile Baraize had started his 11-year excavation and restoration work on the Sphinx, shows a man standing in the hole. Baraize had closed the hole with a metal hatch in 1926.[4] The hole could have been an anchoring point for the crown of the Sphinx, since some New Kingdom stelae depict the Sphinx wearing a crown.[5]

Man standing in the hole on the top of the head of the Great Sphinx of Giza. Photo taken on December 15, 1925. Credit: Archives Lacau, Centre Golenischeff, EPHE, PSL, CC BY 4.0

The metal hatch on the head of the Sphinx put there by Baraize. Source: adapted from airpano.com

2. The Rump Passage

Another deep passage called the rump-passage is located at ground level at the back of the Sphinx, on the north side of the rump. This tunnel had been discovered by Baraize in 1926 and sealed up. More than fifty years later, the existence of the passage was reported by three men who had worked with Baraize as basket carriers. The rump-passage was reopened in 1980 and explored by Mark Lehner and Zahi Hawass.

The passage has an upper and a lower section. The lower part descends into the bedrock to a depth of nearly 16 feet and terminates in a pit at groundwater level. The upper part ascends to a height of nearly 13 feet above the floor level and terminates in a small niche 3.3 ft wide and 5.9 ft high. 

The purpose of the passages remains a mystery. Was it an unfinished tomb, an exploratory shaft, or was it dug out by treasure hunters at a later date? No-one knows. But the existence of the rump passage suggests that the Egyptians may have built a network of tunnels and chambers under the Sphinx.

The rump passage entrance of the Sphinx at floor level, blocked by stones. Credit: Mark Lehner CC BY 4.0

Lower part of the rump passage of the Great Sphinx ends at the groundwater level. Credit Mark: Lehner CC BY 4.0

Upper part of the rump passage of the Sphinx. Credit: Mark Lehner CC BY 4.0

 3. A Natural Fissure through the Waist of the Sphinx

A major natural fissure in the bedrock cuts through the waist of the Sphinx. At the top of the back it measures up to 6.6 ft in width. The bottom of the fissure is irregular bedrock, about 3.3 ft above the outside floor. Baraize, in 1926, sealed the sides and roofed it with iron bars, limestone and cement, and installed an iron trap door at the top.[6]

Top of the Sphinx's back before modern restorations. A large natural fissure cut through the waist. Source: Archives Lacau, Centre Golenischeff, EPHE, PSL, CC BY 4.0

Iron trap-door over the fissure on the Sphinx's back. Credit: Mark Lehner CC BY 4.0

4. Rectangular Pit Behind the Dream Stele

The space behind the Dream Stele, between the paws of the Sphinx, had a small rectangular pit which was covered by an iron beam and cement roof, and fitted with an iron trap by Baraize.[7] 

The Dream Stele, incidentally, was set up by the pharaoh Tuthmosis IV. The stele tells the story of young king Tuthmosis, who fell asleep near the Sphinx, and dreamt that the sun god Khepri-Re-Atum will make him the pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt, if he cleared away the sand that had been building up around the Sphinx. Tuthmosis IV did as he was instructed and went on to become the pharaoh of unified Egypt.

Iron trap door covering a rectangular pit behind the Dream Stele. Source: adapted from airpano.com

5. Perring’s Hole

Lastly, there is a hole on the back of the Sphinx, about 4 feet behind the head, called “Perring’s hole”. This is of recent origin. In the 1840s, General Howard Vyse, a British Egyptologist, had directed his engineer John Perring to drill a tunnel in the back of the Sphinx, just behind the head. The boring rods became stuck at a depth of 27 feet (8.2 m), and attempts to blast the rods free created a crater. The hole was cleared in 1978. Among the rubble was a fragment of the Sphinx's nemes headdress. [8]

Perring's hole. The Crater left by Vyse on top of the Sphinx's back behind the head. Fragment of nemes headress on the right. Credit: Mark Lehner CC BY 4.0

These are the five well-known passages and shafts associated with the Great Sphinx of Giza, and it is a good idea to be aware of their existence, for, every now and then on the internet, one might come across an image of one of the iron trap doors installed by Baraize, or one of the shafts, accompanied by hysterical claims that Egyptologists are deliberately keeping people in the dark about the existence of these openings. Not true. All of these passages have been explored and documented, particularly by Egyptologist Mark Lehner. 

Of all the known tunnels and shafts, it is the rump-passage near the tail that is truly intriguing, for not only does it traverse a fair distance into the body of the Sphinx and under the bedrock, it looks like an ancient construction and its purpose remains unknown. 

Does this mean that Cayce was wrong in his prediction? Not necessarily. Cayce had said that the Hall of Records was carved in the bedrock in front of the Sphinx, between the Sphinx and the Nile, along the east-west axis that passes between its paws. Therefore, the most likely location for the Atlantean Hall of Records is under the bedrock of the Old Sphinx Temple, which sits directly in front of the Sphinx. But, have the Egyptologists looked there? 

Underground Chambers in the vicinity of the Sphinx

Since the 1970s, a series of scientific surveys have been carried out by experts using ground-penetrating radar and other remote sensing equipment to find out if there are additional passages and chambers in the bedrock below the Sphinx.

In 1987 a Japanese team from the Waseda University, Tokyo, carried out an electromagnetic sounding survey of the Sanctuary of the Sphinx. Their results indicated the existence of a water pocket 2.5m to 3m underground near the south hind paw of the Sphinx, another cavity near the north hind paw, and the evidence of a tunnel underneath the Sphinx oriented in a north-south direction.[9] Since cavities and fissures can occur naturally in a limestone bedrock, one cannot say for sure if these anomalies were naturally formed or were or man-made.  

The Great Sphinx. Credit: Radosław Botev CC BY 3.0

Another survey was carried out in 1991 by a team led by Robert Schoch and John Anthony West. They found subsurface cavities in front of the front left paw, and extending from the left paw back along the south flank.[10]

The Florida State University in association with the Schor Foundation carried out seismographic surveys and ground scans around the Sphinx and elsewhere on the Giza plateau in 1996. Since the Schor Foundation was established by Joseph Schor, a multimillionaire life member of ARE (Edgar Cayce’s Association for Research and Enlightenment), there can be little doubt that their objective was to locate the Hall of Records. They claimed to have found rooms and tunnels in front of the Sphinx and running from the rear of the Sphinx.[11]

Clearly, all the ground scans carried out till date indicate that a network of chambers and tunnels exist under the Sphinx oriented in different directions. The rooms and tunnels found in front of the Sphinx are particularly interesting from my perspective, since, as per Edgar Cayce, the Hall of Records was carved into the bedrock in front of the Sphinx, along the east-west axis that passes between its paws. However, it seems to me that ground scans have not been performed on the floor of the Old Sphinx Temple, which is the most likely location for the Hall of Records. 

Nevertheless, the remote sensing projects conducted till date suggest that the Hall of Records may not be illusory. Unfortunately, additional ground scans have not been undertaken after 1996, nor have any excavations been commissioned for determining once and for all, if the underground chambers and tunnels detected by the remote sensing projects are natural or man-made. 

The dominant position amongst mainstream Egyptologists these days is that, the Hall of Records is a fable, and the ground penetrating radars have detected the natural fissures of the bedrock. It is this stubborn refusal to act on the available data, and undertake additional surveys and excavations, that has driven a chasm between mainstream Egyptologists and alternative researchers, with allegations of cover-ups flying all over the place. 

But interest in the Hall of records refuses to wane. Many historians are of the opinion that the bedrock below the Sphinx may contain important tombs and burial chambers which need to be explored. In a program aired on Channel 5 in 2019, well-known British historian Dr. Bettany Hughes stoked the flames of this long-standing mystery when she said that, “Archaeologists are investigating under the statue because there are tantalizing clues that the Sphinx sits right on top of an ancient network of chambers and tunnels…and some are hopeful that these hidden tunnels may lead us to new, undiscovered treasures.”12 

These treasures are not caches of gold and silver, but invaluable historical records of Atlantis which could potentially overhaul our understanding of the past, and provide insights into a lost high civilization of the Ice Age. Provided, of course, we are able to decipher the records, if and when they are found. In one of his life readings Cayce had said that the records were written using two separate scripts: the script of the Atlanteans and the hieroglyphs of the early Egyptians. 

“... the entity joined with those who were active in putting the records in forms that were partially of the old characters of the ancient or early Egyptian, and part in the newer form of the Atlanteans. These may be found, especially when the house or tomb of records is opened, in a few years from now.” [Reading 2537-1; Jul 17, 1941]

If a large chunk of the records are in an unknown “Atlantean script” then decipherment may prove to be problematic unless a new Rosetta stone is found. Cayce was optimistic that the Hall of Records in Egypt will be opened “in a few years” after 1941. That date, of course, is long gone. However, for many, hope still remains that one day the hidden Hall of Records will be found, which will awaken us to a lost era of the erstwhile Golden Age, when highly advanced civilizations flourished on the earth.

References

[1] Edgar Evans Cayce, "Edgar Cayce on Atlantis", Warner Books, 1968
[2] Mark Lehner, "On the Waterfront: Canals and Harbors in the Time of Giza Pyramid-Building",
Aeragram VOL. 15 NO. 1 & 2, Spring-Fall 2014, https://aeraweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/aeragram15_1-2.pdf#page=14
[3] Allen Winston, "The Old and New Kingdom Sphinx Temples at Giza", http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/sphinx3.htm
[4] Mark Lehner, Archaeology of an Image: The Great Sphinx of Giza, 1991, p. 187.
[5] Ibid, p. 363.
[6] Ibid, p. 202–203.
[7] Ibid, p. 298.
[8] Ibid, pp. 204–205.
[9] Responses by Zahi Hawass and Mark Lehner to questions on the Sphinx chambers, PBS > NOVA > Pyramids, February 10, 1997, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/mail/responses970210.html
[10] Ibid
[11] Ibid
[12] Sean Keach, "Mystery HOLE in Sphinx ‘leading down to hidden chambers’ could reveal ‘lost Pharaoh’s treasures’, top historian claims", The Sun, 15 Aug 2019, https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/9730019/sphinx-chambers-tunnels-pharaoh-treasure-khufu-pyramid-giza/