A few days ago I saw the following video on YouTube:

Bright Insight (Egypt’s Osiris Shaft Mystery: This Shocking Update is Truly Disturbing) 

And a few days later, this other one: 

The InBetween (Hawass CLAIMED It Was Empty)

Both referred to what is undoubtedly one of the biggest blunders of Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt. Specifically, he referred to the excavation of the so-called Osiris Shaft in 1999. At one point, the renowned Egyptologist and archaeologist claims, regarding the tomb located at the bottom of the shaft, which is about 30 meters deep: “I opened the sarcophagus [and] it was completely empty.” But this is not true. A few days after the aforementioned interview, researcher Jimmy Corsetti (who asked the question) found an article written by Hawass, published in 2007, in which Hawass himself mentions the presence of human remains in the tomb, accompanied by some amulets, which he describes. Here is the article, which I have translated into Spanish (this English version is a translation of the Spanish translation):

“The Discovery of the Osiris Shaft at Giza”. The Archaelogy and Art of Ancient Egypt. Essays in Honor of David B. O’Connor. Volume I, edited by Zahi A. Hawass y Janet Richards.  

Annales du Service des Antiquités de l’Égypte (cahier número 36). Volume I. Published by the Conseil Supréme des Antiquités de l’Égypte, Le Caire, 2007. 

Zahi A. Hawass

Introduction

In 1945, Abdel Moneim Abu Bakr discovered that the guides of Giza bathed and drank from the water of an underground well beneath the Causeway of Khafre. He was the one who discovered it, as well as its associated chambers. However, he never excavated it or published his findings. In subsequent years, the rising water level in the well prevented scholars from studying it in greater detail and interpreting its function… It was simply used as a water source, so a pipe was laid from the well to a nearby resthouse, and it continued to be used for bathing by the local guides. This well attracted the attention of New Age people, who suggested that it might be the access point to the supposed tunnels that would connect the Sphinx to the Great Pyramid.

In the summer of 1999, I decided to excavate this shaft to determine its function. We found three distinct vertical shafts: the first led to a simple chamber; the second to a larger chamber surrounded by six smaller chambers; and the third to a large chamber with a sarcophagus at its center.

The excavation was very difficult, mainly due to the danger posed by the high water table. The lowest chamber of the shaft was full of water, and only the lid of a large granite sarcophagus was visible. It was necessary to pump out the water before proper excavation could begin…

In order to determine the date of the shaft, it was decided to send young divers underwater before draining it, to retrieve any artifacts that might be there…

We made a number of interesting discoveries during our excavations. As a result, we have been able to link this shaft complex to the god Osiris; therefore, we refer to it as the Well of Osiris.

Location and description of the shaft complex

The entrance to the Well of Osiris is located at the bottom of a shallow tunnel that runs north to south under the Causeway of Khafre, approximately halfway between the Great Sphinx and the mortuary temple of Khafre. The access point is in Shaft A, near the western wall of the tunnel. The complex consists of three vertical shafts leading to three levels. There are additional chambers on the second and third levels.

(Regarding the third level…)

…This is the main level of the complex. It consists of a large square chamber extending west of the shaft (third level). In the center of the chamber is a large basalt sarcophagus, situated in a water-filled emplacement.

…There is a narrow ledge around (partially) the interior walls of the chamber. In the center of the chamber is a rectangular place, hewn from the rock, with the remains of square pillars at each corner. This space is located approximately 1.5 meters from the chamber walls… The presence of itcreates the effect of a trench situated between the aforementioned quadrangular space and the chamber walls…

…The floor at the entrance to the chamber, from the shaft outlet to the center of the place, is level with that emplacement. Thus, the trench that defines the space is shaped like the floor plan of a house, with the hieroglyph pr. This trench is filled with water. Therefore, this burial chamber is similar to an island with the sarcophagus in the middle, surrounded by water, in the shape of the pr sign.

In the center of the emplacement is a rectangular pit.

Inside this shaft lies an anthropoid-shaped sarcophagus made of black basalt. Its lid was discovered on the floor of shaft C; our team moved it and placed it on top of the sarcophagus, supported by wooden beams.

The remains of a skeleton were found in the sarcophagus. Two schist amulets in the shape of Osiris were also found in the tomb, as well as scarabs, especially heart-scarabs, and amulets in the shape of djed pillars, which allow us to date the tomb to the Late Period. An unusual find is a polished red pottery with traces of white paint, which can be stylistically dated to the Old Kingdom, specifically the Sixth Dynasty.

Discussion

The Well of Osiris, in my opinion, can be identified as an underground tomb surrounded by water via a channel, which was mentioned by the Greek historian Herodotus, who visited Egypt in the 5th century BCE. Herodotus believed this to be the tomb of Khufu (Cheops). His description of this structure is not very clear, and it is likely that he did not enter the well himself, but rather relied on information provided by local guides.

The oldest artifacts in the Well of Osiris date to the Sixth Dynasty (Level C). This suggests that the well was initially constructed during that period. The additional chambers on the second level may have been added in later periods, when Giza experienced renewed interest. The sarcophagus currently located in the burial chamber, on the lower level, can be stylistically dated to the 26th Dynasty. The tunnel under the causeway of Khafre, like the similar tunnel under the causeway of Khufu, would almost certainly have been excavated at that time… to serve as access to the tombs of the elite during that period on the Giza plateau.

It is my opinion that this complex is actually a simulated tomb in honor of the god Osiris. The reasons for this association are as follows:

…The consolidation of the Osiris cult can be chronologically linked to the construction of this complex during the Sixth Dynasty. By excavating beneath the plateau, the Egyptians of that era descended into the realm of Osiris…

The large sarcophagus in the Chamber is surrounded by water and four pillars. This arrangement is similar to that of the Osireion at Abydos, also identified as a tomb of Osiris. The water surrounding the tomb symbolizes Osiris's role as the god of vegetation and resurrection, and his identification as a creator god who appeared on the primordial island, surrounded by the waters of Nun [Primordial Ocean]...

The Giza plateau was known in the New Kingdom as the "house of Osiris, lord of Rostau," or "land of the underground tunnels." Rostau can be translated as "cemetery" or "underground tunnels," and generally refers to Giza. Therefore, it is logical that a tomb of Osiris existed at Giza. The water-filled trench around the sarcophagus site, which is shaped like the hieroglyph for house, pr, reinforces this identification.

In conclusion, the Well of Osiris was first excavated during the Old Kingdom and later reused during the New Kingdom when Osiris became an important god at Giza. The well was also used as a burial site during the 26th Dynasty, particularly on the second level. 

Indeed, Herodotus mentioned a tomb of Khufu located on the Giza plateau, situated in an underground shaft, in a chamber, with a tomb in the middle of an island, surrounded by the waters of the Nile. A little later, Herodotus mistakenly states that this underground shaft was beneath the Great Pyramid, perhaps confusing it with the chamber that is indeed located beneath the Pyramid of Khufu, which is accessed via a ramp. Interestingly, he also alludes to the great causeway where the so-called Well of Osiris is located:

Herodotus, Book II of the Histories (Gredos edition, Volume I, 2006; passage 124):

Until the reign of Rampsinitus (Sneferu), there was, according to the priests, strict law in Egypt, and the country enjoyed great prosperity. But Khufu, who reigned after him, plunged its inhabitants into utter misery. First, he closed all the sanctuaries, preventing them from offering sacrifices, and then he ordered all Egyptians to work for him. Some were tasked with dragging blocks of stone from the quarries in the Arabian Mountains to the Nile, and others were ordered to take charge of the blocks, once they had been transported by boat to the other side of the river, and drag them to the Libyan Mountains. They worked continuously in shifts of one hundred thousand men, each shift lasting three months. Likewise, the people were painstakingly engaged for ten years in the construction of the causeway where the stone blocks were dragged, a work which, in my opinion, is not far inferior to the pyramid itself; its length, in fact, is five stades [888 meters]; its width ten fathoms [18 meters]; and its height, where the causeway reaches its greatest elevation, eight fathoms [14 meters]; moreover, it is composed of polished stone blocks with sculpted figures. Ten years, as I say, were spent on the construction of this causeway and the underground chambers of the hill upon which the pyramids stand, chambers which, to serve as his tomb, Khufu had built—by diverting water from the Nile to them—on an island. On the other hand, the construction of the pyramid itself took twenty years…  

Referring to the pyramid of Khafre, he says:

There are no underground chambers beneath it, nor does a canal from the Nile reach it, like the one that enters the other pyramid through an artificial conduit that surrounds an island inside, where, it is said, Khufu himself lies (126).

The commentator notes that the Pyramid of Khufu has an underground chamber, located 31 meters below its base, accessible via a ramp, which may have confused him.

Certainly, Hawass may have “lied” unintentionally, downplaying the importance of the discovery of the material and human remains in the Well of Osiris. But this also undermines the credibility of his hypothesis that the well dates from the Sixth Dynasty, after Khufu.

Given that Herodotus speaks of a tomb of Khufu that almost perfectly matches the characteristics of the Well of Osiris, we cannot rule out that this pharaoh, the supposed patron of the Great Pyramid, was indeed buried there. This is perfectly possible: after all, her mother (Hetepheres I) was buried in a very similar shaft, located very close to the Pyramid of Khufu, just a few meters from the Shaft of Osiris:

Location of the two burial shafts on the Giza plateau

Burital chamber (third level of the Shaft of Osiris)

The tomb of Queen Hetepheres I (mother of Khufu and wife of Snefru) is located on the Giza plateau (G-7000X), east of the Great Pyramid. Her burial shaft was discovered by chance in 1925 by the Harvard-Boston expedition led by George Reisner.

Reisner's assistants—he was traveling in the United States at the time—carefully examined some plaster fragments used to fit limestone blocks together. Once removed, they found an opening with twelve steps leading to a shaft measuring 1.75 x 2.35 meters, completely concealed beneath a stone pavement. At a depth of 7.5 meters, they found a stone slab in the west wall, sealing a small niche where the remains of a sacrifice were deposited. These consisted of a horned skull and three bull's legs wrapped in a mat, two wine jars, and some pieces of charcoal. They also found two flakes of black basalt, probably from the construction of the pavement of Khufu's mortuary temple. Among the blocks extracted from the shaft were ceramic fragments and a clay seal bearing the name of King Khufu.

Inside, the following inscription was found: “Lord of the Two Crowns, Snefru, the Horus Nebmaat.” [This Snefru was the father of Khufu and husband of Hetepheres.] Seeing some damage to the sarcophagus and its lid, Reisner thought that the contents of this chamber were actually a second burial, carried out before it was sealed. The tomb lid was carefully lifted after breaking the five seals, but… the sarcophagus was completely empty! Only a faint dark stain at the bottom indicated that the queen's body had once been placed inside. In a sealed niche in the western wall, they found the four canopic jars containing the queen's viscera.

The tomb of Queen Hetepheres is accessed via a vertical shaft approximately 30.2 meters deep. It was the only Old Kingdom find that preserved its fabulous wealth intact. The treasure included a magnificent baldachin, a canopy bearing the name of her husband (Pharaoh Snefru), a sedan chair, beds, the chest containing the canopic jars (which held the queen's internal organs), and her unique silver bracelets inlaid with butterflies. Most of this regalia is on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

(Compiled from materials found online.)

 Well of Osiris

Well of Queen Hetepheres

Thus, one must ask: Why did Mr. Hawass lie? I have my doubts that it was a simple slip of the tongue, given the article he himself wrote in 2007, alluding to the human remains present in the third level of the well. And by the way, where are these remains? Have they been properly dated?

Without delving into conspiracy theories, one might ask, if Herodotus is correct and the Well of Osiris was indeed the tomb of Khufu, whether he really needed to build an enormous pyramid to serve that purpose. In other words, we cannot rule out the possibility that, if Khufu was buried in an underground shaft a short distance from Khafre's pyramid (beneath its causeway), he found the pyramid already completed and, if so, made modifications inside to place his serdab (his statue), perhaps in the so-called "Queen's Chamber," or to perform ceremonies in the subterranean chamber.

This is just an opinion.

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