On April 5, 1909 a story appeared in the Arizona Gazette claiming that an archeological expedition funded by the Smithsonian Institute had found caves in the Grand Canyon which contained ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and artifacts. No follow up story was ever done, sources were not verified, and the Smithsonian has no record of it. Just a hoax, right? That’s what many people thought and the story faded away, forgotten for nearly a century.

In October of 2000, another story came to light about two backpackers who had been exploring the area of the Grand Canyon known as Isis Temple. They also claimed to have seen caves but those caves were sealed shut. Climbing the nearly 800 feet to the entrance of one of these caves, they saw that they were clearly man-made and had a six foot circular pattern carved into the ceiling. The markings, though worn and distorted, appeared to be of Egyptian origin. The location of Isis Temple is not the same as the original reported location of the 1909 caves. Could it be that there are two sites or was the first article intentional misinformation?

There are quite a few different rumors and legends associated with the Grand Canyon but one of the more mysterious seems to be the connection of this North American region with the ancient Egyptians. There are a number of sites inside the Grand Canyon that have been named after Egyptian deities and artifacts. Is this coincidence? There are also many Indian legends that are similar to those that come from the Middle East, Egypt and Israel. One of these is an Indian legend about the Great Flood, very similar to the story of Noah and his ark. How did this story travel across the ocean that was supposedly not crossed until the 15th Century?

Grand Canyon tour guides make sure they point out these stories to visitors and often elaborate on them during the telling. This creates word of mouth rumors and undoubtedly makes the legends grow with each telling. There can be no doubt though that there was an actual event at some point that precedes the formation of any myth or legend. The mystery of the Egyptian caves in the Grand Canyon brings scores of backpackers and history buffs on Grand Canyon tours every year and the truth will surely be uncovered at some point. Unless, of course, it already has been and then covered back up again.