Underwater entryway discovered in the Nile

The article tells of an ancient entryway found underneath the Nile River.

According to a report in National Geographic News, a team of Egyptian archaeologist-divers found the portico in Aswan while conducting the first-ever underwater surveys of the Nile, which began earlier this year

With underwater exploring JUST being examined in the Nile River, this find will certainly warrant further investigation.

Its believed the entryway and surrounding stones have markings/hieroglyphs etched on it which will help the archaeologists better understand, and also give more proof to the elaborate taxation system that was in place for all Nile residences, based on flood expectations and expected crop yields.

The nice thing about this is that the exploration of Nile (from underwater) is merely in its infancy, and could certainly uncover many more hidden pieces of the puzzle.

Under the Nile

What really amazes me is the fact that it has taken this long for these explorations to begin.



[edit on 2-6-2008 by Grailkeeper]

I'll have to do a bit of digging but there is some thing nagging me about this tunnel discovery.

It seems familiar but i cannot place it right now.

I'll be back!

I want to know why they leave it till 2008 to start digging deeper into some of the more mysterious places on earth. Sounds fishy. Stonehenge was only recently explored into as well, apparently that had some interesting discoveries.

I can't wait to hear more about this! this is fascinating, One could only imagine what they'll find maybe King Tuts DVD collection
Just kidding I'll keep an eye on this one.

Here's some more links (Picture of the stones w/ markings)

National Geographic

Dive News

Weekly Ahram

What will they find....

A complete survey of the Nile is planned to start in September, from Aswan to Luxor. It is expected that more discoveries will be made under the waters of the Nile, not only because of the rise of the waters over the centuries but also shipping accidents and natural disasters caused objects to fall under the water

Originally posted by SLAYER69
I can't wait to hear more about this! this is fascinating, One could only imagine what they'll find

maybe King Tuts DVD collection

Just kidding I'll keep an eye on this one.

Zahi Hawass will tell you whats hidden under the nile... in his new 12 book box set that comes complete inside of a hallowed out mummified cat carcass that was buried with a real pharaoh!**




**what constitutes a "real" pharaoh to Dr. Hawass, may include but is not limited to: royal fan waver, royal concubine, royal food taster, royal grape feeder, or another cat.

I did a little checking on the Underwater explorations of Egypt. It would appear that the underwater aspect for exploration has been around since the early 1900,s.

Only in 1996 did they actually form Department of Underwater Archaeology (DUA).

The reasons for the creation of this new department were directly linked to the excavations of the site at the foot of Qait Bay Fort in 1995 and the discoveries of part of the royal quarter in the Eastern Harbor in Alexandria in 1996.

Underwater Archaeology in Egypt

Originally posted by Grailkeeper
I did a little checking on the Underwater explorations of Egypt. It would appear that the underwater aspect for exploration has been around since the early 1900,s.

Only in 1996 did they actually form Department of Underwater Archaeology (DUA).

The reasons for the creation of this new department were directly linked to the excavations of the site at the foot of Qait Bay Fort in 1995 and the discoveries of part of the royal quarter in the Eastern Harbor in Alexandria in 1996.

Underwater Archaeology in Egypt

Oh I don't doubt they knew there was something there for decades. I can't stand zahi hawass, that guy really has his own agenda and hes defiantly not telling us what it is.

Him and his team of locals are the only significant group allowed to search the ruins. Its not surprising at all that they've just not got to the nile, as obvious a land feature that it is and ignoring the importance of flowing water ways to ancient cultures.

There should be mounds of artifacts in the Nile! Like anywhere else during that time a slow running river would've been the central means of transporting goods all over the region.

I can't even begin to imagine what the world would find if he opened up the boarders to anthropologists in all specialties, from all over the world and told them that as long as they do not remove anything from Egypt, they were free to explore and study anything there. It's not like hes keeping out a hooligans, these people are qualified archaologists, ancient historians, Egyptologists, geologists with PhD after their names...

Ugh he gets me riled up sorry

Yeah and what if he finds something that goes completely against his narrow minded view? Like we will hear anything then! Chances are they'll find something keep it to themselves and only release what they think is appropriate
for the public to know.

They should let more qualified people work with them that way nothing is hoarded from human history and that's what we are really talking about Human history they have no right deciding for the rest of the world what is to be known!


[edit on 2-6-2008 by SLAYER69]

reply to post by SLAYER69


Exactly, I couldn't agree with you more man.

I'd be willing to bet him and his team has already opened up the chambers underneath the sphinx and have possession of the hall of records. A few years from now he'll make a big deal about letting the west "discover" the hall for themselves except he'll have cleaned it all out already and be playing ignorant about it. Theres no way in my mind someone that supposedly so interested in Egyptology and the history of his people, could simply sit on the hall of records, without opening it, for decades.

He always brings up the few people who think aliens built the pyramids in his excuses why he doesn't let people in. I mean it's such a tiny minority and of the people who cling to that theory, I'm not sure any of them, or very very few, are actually career archaeologists with a PhD, most if not all are just authors. Sometimes I guess its better to keep our community's crazier ideas on the DL.. I have my own thoughts on it, that doesn't include aliens actually

reply to post by 1-Cent
I read somewhere one of his most trusted men used to be a very vocal proponent of alien masterbuilders.

Well it's not just this Egypt thing this kinda stuff goes on all the time!
Even here in the states look at Washington the Smithsonian has tons of stuff squirreled away that the public never gets to see

I fear with this new discovery in Egypt we will find a lot of what we don't know about Egypt but NO! Zahi Hawass and his gang of History thieves will hide it all away just like in Smithsonian in Washington

Originally posted by 1-Cent
Him and his team of locals are the only significant group allowed to search the ruins.

Actually, the professors here at Southern Methodist University have done a lot of work on the Giza plateau. There's a number of other universities that are allowed firmans there, but they were the ones who got into this early on and have seniority. Since it's such a high profile place, there's a waiting list to be allowed to dig in the area (otherwise the place would be carpeted with researchers and you couldn't get folks in there or out of there.

As for the "hidden" stuff in the Smithsonian, they rotate it on a regular basis. You can also get permission to look at material in any museum's collection. It isn't hard. I've gone back to see some dinosaur stuff in the Albuquerque museum... great fun if you like that kind of thing.

In regards to Zahi Hawass,

There is a good thread on here, with some evidence, which totally contradicts your opinions.

Back on track,

It seems there will be a lot more underwater exploring done in the future. There should be plenty of new discoveries to be examined by many.

I feel somewhat excited about the news, the possibility of hidden entrances or possibly lost tombs has a nice suspenseful ring to it.

I personally don't care if Hawass milks for everything its worth, as long as they provide detailed findings when its completed.

[edit on 2-6-2008 by Grailkeeper]

My fear concerning Hawass is that he'll report the findings with his own interpretation. I can't count the amount of shows I watch where he makes himself out to be the ONLY true expert egyptologist, even going as ffar as to call anyone else a crackpot (or whatever word he used). I don't remember if it was TV, or news article, but I remember Hawass stating blatantly that he turned away certain archeologist groups because of their 'fringe' beliefs, saying something to the effect that he feared they would intentionally misinterpret their findings and misinform the world. Hiding something, or afraid that your views may be challenged? Either way, it's not a good thing, in my opinion.

I wish they would make a website with compilations of their findings, photos, etc. for the public to view. I understand that alot of this material would bew misconstrued, but the fact is that there are alot of us that are interested in this stuff. I would LOVE to be able to see the most recent photos and such as they come out, rather than waiting for someone else's interpretation. How do we know they didn't find something that they just threw out because it didn't fit with their 'theory'?

I'm guessing they will find more of these entrances... just a feeling. I always had a suspicion that there are a series of underground tunnels... a whole underground city, if you will. Someone posted earlier that this seemed familiar, and I'm saying the same thing. This particular tunnel (just my gut feeling) ends about 100 feet in because of being blocked on purpose. Just a gut feeling. I'm gonna bet they find 5 more of these, and every one is going to end and not seem to go anywhere. Again, just a gut feeling, maybe from a dream I don't remember, who knows.

Ah guys

They found the entryway into a temple. It isn't an entryway into a tunnel its an entryway into a temple. The entryway once led to the temple of the ram-headed fertility god Khnum.

Archaeologists have discovered a portico, or covered entryway, of an ancient Egyptian fertility temple beneath the surface of the Nile River in Egypt.

The massive portico is too large to be removed during the current excavation, but archaeologists removed a one-ton stone with inscriptions that could date from the 22nd dynasty (945-712 B.C.) to 26th dynasty (664-525 B.C.).

Zahi is an Egyptian nationalists and tries to do as much of the science with locals. The foreigners had full control for hundreds of years prior. They are still allowed in and as Byrd noted there is a waiting list.

Hall of records? If you check you'll find that several expeditions have examined the areas, holes have been drilled, cameras put down etc.

No hall of records - unless it was teleported down thru the limestone the Sphinx sits on.

Is Zahi kinda of egotistical? Yep, met him in '83, he was that way then too!