Kryptos: The Sanborn Sculpture at CIA Headquarters
** John 's Solutions & Analysis! **

Miscellany

Other elements around the Kryptos sculpture (inc. Morse code):
Jim Gillogly's Kryptos Pictures, including the Kryptos sculpture, compass, and Morse code segments

Compass, needle attracted by lodestone, south-end pointing approx. 15-30 degrees N of E
Several 4-layered stone blocks/slabs, 2 of which are on either end of a small pond 
Pyramid design on corner of a "kite/shield-shaped" block
A couple of large colored (one white, one reddish-brown) stones near the sculpture itself
Morse code phrases on copper plate covering part of granite slabs:

.  .  ...-  ..  .-.  -  ..-  .-  .-..  .-..  -.--  .  |  .  .  .  .  .  .  ..  -.  ...-  ..  ...  ..  -... .-..  .
e e  V   I   R  T  U  A   L   L    Y   e  | e  e e e  e e  I  N  V   I   S   I   B   L  E
(Note: "e-Invisible" is a Morse code palindrome - related to 1st part of Sec.2 Secret Message)

-..  ..  --.  .  -  .-  .-..  .  .  .  |  ..  -.  -  .  .-.  .--.  .-.  .  -  .-  -  ..  -cut
D   I  G  E T A  L    e e e  |  I  N T E  R    P   R  E T A T  I  -?
(Note: Mispelled(sic) Digital, and presumably Interpretation, which got cut off - related to 2nd part of Sec.2 Secret Message)

.  .  ...  ....  .-  -..  ---  .--  .  .  |  ..-.  ---  .-.  -.-.  .  ...  .  .  .  .  .
e e  S   H  A  D   O  W  e e  |  F    O   R   C  E  S  e e  e e e
(Note: amusingly, Forces Shadow --> [4 says "Shadow"], maybe we need a light? - related to 3rd part of Sec.2 Secret Message)

.-..  ..-  -.-.  ..  -..  .  .  .  |  --  .  --  ---  .-.  -.--  .
 L   U   C   I   D  e  e e | M  E M  O  R   Y   e
(Note: amusingly, maybe Loose ID, M or E - related to 4th part of Sec.2 Secret Message)

-  ..  ...  -.--  ---  ..-  .-.  |  .--.  ---  ...  ..  -  ..  ---  -.
T  I  S   Y    O  U   R   |   P   O   S   I  T  I  O  N
(Note: This is next to the lodestone on the compass slab - related to 5th part of Sec.2 Secret Message)

...  ---  ...
S   O   S
(Note: Morse code for "Save Our Ship" - Distress call - nearby a "tiny breach" in the rock slabs)

.-.  --.-
R    Q
(Note: Morse code for "Request" / "?" - Interrogative - check the compass and lodestone...)

(Note: All the Morse code phrases appear to lie on top of the 2nd layer of two of the granite slabs, correlating to the "Secret Message" fragments found in Sec. 2 )

Just for fun, if the "e"s mean to get that character, forward or back, then we get T,I,Y,I,H,O,O,C,Y
anagram "Tiy, I C yooh"->Tiy, I see you. (explained later)

The following sections detail the theorized breakdown of how to decrypt Kryptos.  The actual breakdown will, of course, not be known until the author(s) decide(s) to reveal his/their secrets.  At the time of this webpage, sections 1-3 have been solved by various people ( I did not solve them independently; the answers were well publicized by the time I heard of Kryptos. I am simply analyzing the solutions and patterns for the 1st 3 sections). However, Section 4 currently remains a mystery, although many individuals/groups are working on it, including the http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kryptos people. Contained herein is this kryptoanalyst's proposed solution for section 4. In the decryptions below, there is a single mispelled (sic) word in each section, highlighted in red. This has been confirmed by the author(s) to be part of the mystery...

0th Section: (Kryptos sculpture + Other stones)

See above:
KRYPTOS

1st Section: (Poetry)

Clues:
KRYPTOS - Primary keyword of this Vigenère cipher --> KRYPTOS
The entire sculpture appears like an ancient scroll, the "roll" being made of petrified wood.
Thesaurus lookup: ancient manuscript ~ scroll ~ codex ~ palimpsest
A palimpsest is a particular type of scroll, one which has been partially erased and reused --> PALIMPSEST

ECDM
UOXO on the bottom-left section, bottom-left side could be "code-x/codex ~ scroll ~ palimpsest"

1st letters of sculpture are "EM"-->ElectroMagnetic-->Light (clue for importance of light throughout the sculpture)
This seems to be confirmed by many other references to light, seeing, etc.

Bill Houck's description of section 1 & 2

2nd Section: (Secret Message)

Clues:
KRYPTOS - Primary keyword of this Vigenère cipher --> KRYPTOS
A compass nearby, "T is your position", directed Morse code segments, thesaurus lookup of Nuance, etc. leads to measurement words.
Measurement leads to coordinates...the ordinate and abscissa...
Also, the mispelled (sic) Q: q is often used in advanced physics as a position coordinate, with p being the momentum coordinate
So, q = x-coord = abscissa
This ties in strongly with the use of scientific notation for speed of light = c, in the ABSCISSA
The poem also specifies a fairly precise position, between subtle shading and darkness.
Finally, examining 1st letters: "the ABSence of light(=C) lies the nuance of Iqlusion, between Subtle Shading And" --> ABSCISSA
Bill Houck's description of section 1 & 2

K2 - HardCoded ver.

3rd Section: (Howard Carter @ Tutankhamen's Tomb, 26 Nov 1922)

Clues:
KRYPTOS --> 7 letters => 7 rows
ID BY ROW_S --> ID by rows / ID by row "S" / ID by "rose" - # of rows (=7), the start row ends with letter "S" for a row-col transposition.
also, looking at Cipher side of Tableau Row "S", you can almost make out HE WENT To EGYpt... as well as TWT (=TUT) vertically on the left edge
|T
|W
|T
|EIFTBRSPAMhHEWENaTamaTEGYeERLB   ===> Row"S" of tableau side
The Sec.2 message is about someone looking for something buried.

also, structure of hint suggests a date: ID-BY-ROWS --> ##-##-#### --> 11-26-1922, if the TUT reference is accepted
also, the tombs in the Valley of Kings are labeled with KV##'s, all along various rows...KV62 is the last, King Tutankhamen, found by Howard Carter.
NORTH ... WEST --> The columnar transpositions go up (=North) and to the left (=West), or maybe overanalyzing here...
( 38°, 57', 6.5" N ) x ( 77°, 8', 44" W ) --> Approximate GPS coordinates of the Kryptos sculpture, or someplace quite close by.

Elonka Dunin's description of section 3
Howard Carter's diary: discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb - see Nov 26 entry

SLOWLY DESPARATLY SLOWLY THE REMAINS OF PASSAGE DEBRIS THAT ENCUMBERED THE LOWER PART OF THE DOORWAY WAS REMOVED WITH TREMBLING HANDS I MADE A TINY BREACH IN THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER AND THEN WIDENING THE HOLE A LITTLE I INSERTED THE CANDLE AND PEERED IN THE HOT AIR ESCAPING FROM THE CHAMBER CAUSED THE FLAME TO FLICKER BUT PRESENTLY DETAILS OF THE ROOM WITHIN EMERGED FROM THE MIST X CAN YOU SEE ANYTHING Q (?)

The word LOOK, spelled vertically, after CAN YOU SEE ANYTHING?
Lines/light-rays through various X, Q's also go through the ?=Doorway
Using Modulus Transpose decryption in Sec.3:
decoded=(192*encoded+192-1) mod 337  (*Note* 192nd char is in the THE just before decoded "CANDLE")
encoded=(251*decoded+251-1) mod 337  (*Note* 251st char  is in the THE just before decoded "FLAME")
(ID-by-rows) --> (ID-by-"ROSE") as a Compass Rose, you can find symbolic virtual compass (rose) w/ lodestone:
  RTV
LRVQQ pointing to the "T is your position" T
L
This mirrors the actual compass which also points NE, has a lodestone nearby, and has the "T is your position" message nearby.
The RRQQ's indicate a request "RQ" or interrogative, again implying that ?=doorway
The "SOS" Morse code phrase is next to a tiny breach in the rock slab. In the decrypted section 4, you can see the letters "SSO" just under where the tiny breach would be as well.
If the pattern of mispelled(sic) letters referring to "KRY...." continues, then "PTOS" should be in Sec.4 --> "T is your position" ->T-Pos->PTOS

Since looking at 1st letters seems to be working, let's do it again, using the same spacing from the sculpture...
SLOWLY DESPARATLY SLOWLY THE REMAINS...

SDSTR OPDTET LPOTDWR WTHIMAT BITULHCA TWTHALII TCAPITH AEFTCC TFTFBPD OTRWEF TMXCYSAQ?

notice: SPOT TWT or maybe TWT centered on W  I TWT  "I see Tut"  C

THEMIST begins the 1st letters of the Sec.4 "tomb"
Illusion + Underground + Desperately = We are desperately seeking the illusionary/virtual underground tomb.
Also, the SLOWLY,...,SLOWLY, meaning to do something step-by-step, like these instructions...
Also, notice that the petrified wood has a stair-step section, near the top.
Also, suggestive words visible in encryption, such as DRY, DIG, SITE, door's, etc.
Also, possibly "RQ" ~ requiem, a hymn or memorial (Kryptos itself) to the deceased...
Follow the instructions, creating the PALIMPSEST by using the CANDLE: keyword -->CANDLE
The word AIR is under the CANDLE, and the word MIST can be formed on the 4 lines
John "Indiana Jones" Wilson, this webmaster/Kryptos fan's opinion/solution: (currently unconfirmed, but I like it...)
Read the directions of Sections 1 & 2 Metaphorically and Section 3 Literally for the Section 4 Metaphor:

John's Semi-Random Thoughts and Research:

Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary-Deluxe 2nd Ed.
"crypto-,crypt-, [from Gr. kryptos, hidden, secret.] a combining form meaning hidden, covered, secret, as in cryptogram, ..."
"cryptanalysis, n. [cryptogram, and analysis.] the art or science of deciphering a code or coded message without prior knowledge of the key."
"cryptic, cryptical, a. [LL. crypticus; Gr. kryptikos, from kryptein, to hide.] 1. hidden; secret; occult. 2. having a hidden or ambiguous meaning..."
"crypt, n. [L. crypta; Gr. krypte, a vault, crypt; from kryptein, to hide] 1. a subterranean cell or cave, especially one constructed for the interment of bodies..."
"palimpsest, n. [Gr. palimpsestos, rubbed again; palin, again, and psen, to rub] a parchment, tablet, etc. that has been written upon or inscribed 2 or 3 times, the previous text or texts having been imperfectly erased and remaining, therefore, still visible.: a. of or in the form of a palimpsest; written upon or engraved more than once."
"abscissa, n.; pl. abscissae [L. abscissa (linea), (a line) cut off; fem. of abscissus, pp. of abscindere; ab-, off, and scindere, to cut.] in geometry, the line or part of a line drawn horizontally on a graph, by which a point is located with reference to a system of co-ordinates; distinguished from ordinate."  JBW-a point's position along the x-axis.
===
Time-Life: Lost Civilizations - Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs
pg. 119
"16 steps led down into a rubble-filled underground passage cut into the rock; it was 27  feet long and took several days to clear."
pg. 121
"Reached by a series of 16 steps, Tutankhamen's tomb, hollowed out of limestone, lay 13  feet below ground."
pg. 117
"An effigy of the deity Anubis, god of embalming and protector of the dead, sits atop the gilded chest on which it rested for 3,245 years in Tutankhamen's tomb, shrouded in a linen shawl."
pg. 124
"The gilded wooden statue at left is one of two ka figures of Tutankhamen, made life-size. It is believed that the statues were intended as hiding places for sacred religious texts, but cavities discovered under the kilts - presumably carved to hold the papyri - were empty."
pg. 130
"All we have to do is to peel the shrines like an onion, and we will be with the king himself."-quote by Howard Carter
pg. 17
"The hieroglyphic script omits most vowels...It is a script that is at once pictorial, symbolic, and phonetic within the same text, the same sentence, I would almost say within the same word."-by Jean-François Champollion (1822 decrypter of Egyptian hieroglyphs)
======
The Hieroglyphs of Ancient Egypt-Aidan Dodson
pg. 38
"The Egyptian Alphabet:"
"Hieroglyph: bird-like symbol  Academic Transliteration: w  English Equivalent: w,u
pg. 25
"Thus, in texts where there was only space for one part of the royal titulary, a king such as Tutankhamun would be referred to by his prenomen, Nebkheperure, rather than his nomen - Tutankhamun-heqaiunshemay (Tutankhamun, ruler of southern Heliopolis). With but a tiny handful of exceptions, the prenomen always incorporated the name of the sun-god Re."
pg. 130
"The Hieroglyphic Names of the Kings of Egypt: Dynasty XVIII" - Hieroglyph cartouche of Tutankhamun

======
Microsoft Encarta: Valley of the Kings
"Valley of the Kings, burial site used by Egyptian rulers of the New Kingdom period (1550-1070 BC). It is located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the modern town of Luxor...the tombs stand below a pyramidal mountain called today The Horn (Ar. Al Qurn)."

Microsoft Encarta: Letter "S"
"S, 19th letter of the English alphabet. It first appeared in its modern form in the Roman alphabet, as the equivalent of the Greek letter sigma, ultimately derived from an Egyptian hieratic character based on the hieroglyph for an inundated garden. The s sound, technically known as a sibilant consonant, may be either voiceless or voiced. The letter s is occasionally given the phonetic value of sh or zh in words such as sure and treasure; it is silent in a few words, including aisle and debris."
=======
Roget's International Thesaurus, 4th Ed.
602. WRITING
.11 (ancient manuscript) codex, scroll, palimpsest, codex rescriptus [L.], papyrus, parchment.

29. DEGREE
.1 degree, grade, step, pas[Fr.], leap, round, rung, tread, stair, point, mark, peg, notch, cut, plane, level, plateau, period, space, interval, extent, measure, amount, ratio, proportion, stint, standard, height, pitch, reach, remove, compass, range, scope, caliber, shade, shadow, nuance.
.6 by degrees, degreewise, gradually, gradatim, step by step, grade by grade, ..., bit by bit, little by little, ..., slowly --> ...at a funeral pace

490. MEASUREMENT
.6 coordinates, ... various coordinate systems..., latitude, longitude, altitude, azimuth, declination, right ascension, ordinate, abscissa.

335. LIGHT
.31 light, lightish, lightsome, lucid, lucent, luculent, relucent, translucent, translucid, pellucid, diaphanous, transparent, clear, serene, cloudless, unclouded, unobscured.
========
MS Bookshelf 2000 & Webster Dictionaries
ca·delle (kə-dĕlʹ) noun
A small blackish beetle... (Tenebroides mauritanicus), both the larval and adult forms of which damage stored grain.; the larva or adult of a horny-headed beetle...; the larva or adult of a small, shiny, black beetle...

scar·ab (skărʹəb) noun
1. A scarabaeid beetle, especially Scarabaeus sacer, regarded as sacred by the ancient Egyptians.
2. A representation of this beetle, such as a ceramic or stone sculpture or a cut gem, used in ancient Egypt as a talisman and a symbol of the soul. In this sense, also called scarabaeus.

Scarab, common name for any of various large, bright-colored beetles. More than 12,000 species are found worldwide. Scarabs are up to 15 cm (6 in) long and have diverse horns growing on the head or thorax. Scarabs are divided into scavenging dung beetles, which feed on decaying plants, and chafers, which feed on young plants. Dung beetles lay their eggs in balls of dung, on which their young feed. Other species deposit eggs in the soil. In ancient Egypt, a species of scarab, Scarabaeus sacer, was held sacred.
===
Ancient Egypt, An Illustrated Reference to the Myths, Religions, Pyramids, and Temples of the Land of the Pharaohs-Lorna Oakes & Lucia Gahlin
pgs. 114-115 (The Discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb)
This is basically the "source" document for Kryptos parts 3 & 4.  Of course, it was taken from an earlier version, as the book as been reprinted many times.

from Carter's paraphrased quote: the (*...*) indicate changes found in Kryptos Sec. 3
Slowly, (*desparatly*)/desperately slowly, it seemed to us as we watched, the remains of the passage debris that encumbered the lower part of the doorway (*was*)/were removed, until at last, the whole door was clear before us. The decisive moment had come. With trembling hands I made a tiny breach in the upper left-hand corner. Darkness and blank space as far as I could reach, showing that whatever lay beyond was empty and not filled like the passage we had just cleared. Candle tests were then applied as a precaution against foul gases, and then, widening the hole a little, I inserted (*the*)/a candle and peered in, Lord Carnarvon, Lady Evelyn and Callender standing anxiously nearby to hear the verdict. At first I could see nothing, the hot air escaping from the chamber (*caused*)/causing the (*flame*)/candle to flicker, but as my eyes grew accustomed to the gloom, (*presently*) details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange statues and animals and gold, everywhere the glint of gold. For the moment, an eternity it must have seemed to those standing by, I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnavon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, '(*X*) Can you see anything (*Q*) ?' it was all I could do to get out the words, 'Yes. Wonderful things!' Then making the hole a little wider we inserted an electric torch.

The altered wording is interesting in itself. Why should it be necessary to alter the text? Because, by doing so, you can "fix up" what the encoded text looks like! You have a choice of encryption parameters to choose from, ~(message length)^2. This is an interesting tangent when using Modular Transposition enciphering. The English letter frequencies don't change, so many "suggestive" words can appear. Even more variations become possible when the plaintext is slightly altered...

However, this is not all... there are many descriptions of items which can be found in the Kryptos palimpsest!
The one that really did it for me was:
"A painted wooden head of Tutankhamun emerging from a lotus flower was found among the rubble blocking the passage to the tomb. It shows Tutankhamun appearing as the sun god did at the time of creation from a lotus floating on the waters of the primordial ocean. It combines the idea of creation with the king's recreation." Tut's Head emerging from Lotus. If you look at encoded Sec. 3, you can see this! Remember, W=U in Egyptian transliteration.

These pages are an accurate description of what you will find if you look closely at the letters of Kryptos.
Just about everything, and possibly EVERYTHING, that is on these 2 pages, is IN Kryptos, I assure you.  JBW
===
Other good resources, esp. for Egyptology and hieroglyphs are:
www.virtual-egypt.com
*The Treasures of Tutankhamun*

4th Section: - (The Krypt in Detail)  What will we find inside !?!

Sec 1: Poetry (BETWEEN SUBTLE SHADING AND THE ABSENCE OF LIGHT LIES THE NUANCE OF IQLUSION)
Reread - (Between a kind of dark, shadowy area and darkness of a tomb, lies an occluded/sealed nuance/stairway - or, there is a sealed doorway between the shadowy stairway and the darkness of the hidden crypt. As noted by another Kryptos group member, this poem could also be taken as a metaphor for a palimpsest, where some of the overwritten letters are peeking through...)
Sec 2: Secret Message
Reread - The high priests of Egypt had to sneak out the mummy and treasure of King Tut to the Valley of the Kings, so that tomb robbers could not find him. (THEY USED THE EARTHS MAGNETIC FIELD) a compass, to find the location of the underground tomb, and buried Tut there, along with all of his possessions (THE INFORMATION WAS GATHERED AND TRANSMITTED UNDERGRUUND TO AN UNKNOWN LOCATION). Perhaps WW, as well as being the CIA director (William Webster) at the time of the sculpture installation, was the head high priest of Egypt, or some of the Necropolis inspectors?... Meanwhile, thousands of years later...(IT WAS TOTALLY INVISIBLE)...because (ITS BURIED OUT THERE SOMEWHERE)... under tons of rock and sand. The reference GPS coordinates even make sense. They are not the coordinates of the real Tut, they are the coordinates of this virtual Tut, encrypted (in both senses) into Kryptos. The coordinates point to Kryptos.
Sec 3: Paraphrase of Howard Carter's account of the opening of King Tut's tomb
Reread - These are the steps that Howard Carter took to open Tut's tomb. Follow these INSTRUCTIONS slowly, step-by-step, at a funeral pace!! They are directions for opening the crypt/krypt!!
Sec 4: This is the hidden tomb/crypt/Kryptos
Reread - Jackpot!! X marks the spot!! "You call him Dr. Jones"!! This is now the explanation for "Virtually invisible". The tomb/crypt is hidden in the virtual reality/space of Kryptos.

*John's KRYPTOS Part 4 Solution*

NOTES
Kryptos - from (Gr.) Kruptos - meaning hidden (like a hidden crypt / cryptogram, hint-hint...)
Kryptos is a Palimpsest, which is a scroll which is partially erased and reused.
**We are the ones who do the reusing, creating the palimpsest in section 4, by following the instructions of section 3.**
Amusing note: scroll ~ codex ~ Code "X", this code uses a lot of X's, as well as the emphasis on the x-coordinate = abscissa.
Abscissa is the x-coordinate, which seems important in Sec.4, as well as all the X's in Sec.2. Also abscissa comes from the Latin root meaning to cut away.
Now then...
Assume that the bottom 4 rows of Kryptos are the hidden tomb/crypt; hence the smooth walls at the bottom covered by jagged rubble above.
Assume that the tomb/crypt outer opening/doorway is at the H in D^YAH^R, at the upper-left hand corner of Section 3 text. Jim's D^YAH^R picture
Note: The D in (D^YAH^R) is the same D as in the decrypted DOORWAY. Also, (D^YAH^R) sounds/looks a bit like DOOR. The D is at position 3 of section 3, and the outer doorway of Tut's tomb was apparently discovered on 3-4 Nov, 1922. So Howard is at the "H" on this date.
Assume that the sealed inner DOORWAY is at the ? ending Sec.3, at the upper-left hand corner of the Sec.4 text. DOHW?OBKR
Note: This is why it is unclear whether the ? is part of Sec.3 or Sec.4, it is actually part of both, the doorway between the two...
On the Kryptos sculpture, there is a half-space before the D and after the ^R., which doesn't seem to appear elsewhere on the sculpture. The ^YAR, or backwards ^RAY, is in superscript font. If we combine the extra "L" on the other side we get "L - RAY = Light Ray/Light of RA(Y), which could be a reference that CANDLE is the keyword for Sec.4, as "candling" is the art of seeing inside of things by shining light behind them, similar to an x-ray. In either case, the interior becomes visible. If Howard Carter is just beside the inner crypt doorway on 26 Nov, 1922, then he is at the W (position 26) beside the doorway ? (position 27) at the end of a 27 foot long passage... (only W? knows where it is buried...) Howard Carter's diary: discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb - see Nov 26 entry
Note that the virtual compass and lodestone indicate this position as well. Also, just to tie everything back together, a palimpsest, or ancient scroll, is just the sort of thing that one might find in an ancient Egyptian tomb..., providing an intriguing recursive relationship...


FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS
Remove the passage debris (passage like a tunnel, or in this case a word passage)
Make a breach in the doorway (doorway = ?, which is at position 27 of the 27 foot long passage)
Widen the hole (remove letters VDOHW?)
Insert the CANDLE at this location! (the opening at H in ^YAH^R is now 16 "steps" from the C in CANDLE)
(also, HC = Howard Carter perhaps, and if ?WHODV is backwards, and replaced by CANDLE, then ?W_HO+LE = widen hole?)
(also, ?WHO_DV=Who_Decrypts? -Us, Who_Discovered? - Howard Carter, Who_Deceased? - Tutankhamen)
(also, the opening is outdoors in the hot Egyptian sun, so perhaps sun god RA, or sun RAY, or light ray, or L-^RAY)
(also, once you have done this, then you are at letter T, peering through the doorway - "T is your position")
Let the air escape (remove letters for AIR, and maybe HOT, and maybe THE, or maybe nothing, since it's just air...)
(also, note that there is A,I,R just below the candle)
Watch the flame flicker (could mean that the candle changes to another word, in addition to sliding around the rows/cols of the tomb),
(also, I like the idea of CANDLE changing to CAADLE/CADDLE or CADELLE, which is a scarab-like beetle, in which case the N may be the mispelled (sic) letter of Sec.4)
Details will emerge from the mist (when you line M,I,S,T up properly; several different ways to do this, I like M,I,S,T going up from floor to near the doorway)...
Can you see anything?

Could it be... a tomb/crypt containing...  "Yes, wonderful things!"

(which is what I see when the M,I,S,T is lined up vertically - this is the M on bottom row, T on top row near candle, I & S in the middle rows)
BTW, I found this answer a few days after Elonka's talk at Dragon*Con 2003. I have been trying to strengthen the case since then...
...and, in fact, I now believe that the lower section is not only a hidden tomb, but contains a hidden hieroglyphic scroll. See my solution!

The fact that the very suggestive words COFFIN, GOLD, EGYPT, & maybe ANUBIS don't exist until after you follow the instructions and insert the CANDLE, etc. gives great credit to the theory that KRYPTOS is indeed a virtual crypt.  Further strengths are that A,I,R can be found directly under the inserted CANDLE, causing it to flicker, and that the M,I,S,T rises to the "T is your position" observation point at letter "T", just in front of the candle, as in the real tomb. It seems likely that this may not be the only possible solution, as there are a lot of ways to make M,I,S,T. Also, the question itself, "Can you see anything?" is ambiguous in terms of answering it... yes, no, maybe, list details, etc.
=============================================================================================
MORE BRAINSTORMING
...

There are at least 3 different MIST systems...

(There are 36 ways to line up a M,I,S,T exactly vertically on the 4 different tomb rows, 18 upward or 18 downward... any of which might make other things "visible"...  in addition, perhaps the M,I,S,T doesn't have to be exactly vertical, maybe just letter adjacent...which gives 36*3*3*3=972 possible combinations. It is one of these combos that gives the COFFIN answer... Additionally, the possible removal of more letters: A,I,R maybe H,O,T maybe also T,H,E takes the possibilities into the billions, if it is the technique used to make more words...)

(also, there are a number of M's, I's, S's, & T's on the first row, just before the doorway, which may perhaps be ways of sliding columns around, or perhaps the spacing of a transposition code - could be significant...)

(Further, note that the decrypted "THEMIST" of section 3 is 7 letters wide, like Kryptos, and begins the section-4-tomb, and is a Morse code palindrome.  If you make the section-4-area 7 columns wide by several rows deep, then the ?=doorway drops down to 13 "feet/spaces" below the opening at D^YAH^R, as in the real Tut's tomb. In addition, it makes a majority of the doubled letters line up vertically in the same column. I think this is especially significant!!! Also, you can almost make out the word CODEX, another word for scroll, at the encrypted site of THEMIST)

...

The uneven lines in Sec.2 and Sec.3 are unnecessary from a decryption point of view. Therefore, they could be the "cosmetic" rubble covering the smooth walls of the tomb. The "X" breaks in the secret message are unnecessary from a decryption point of view, other than throwing off the frequency analysis. I suspect that they are spacers for alternate ID by Rows to find Tut... The X,Q nulls in Sec.3 are unnecessary from a decryption point of view. I believe that they are involved in the "Light-^ray lines"... see below...

...

Iqlusion - sounds like occlusion (like an occluded doorway-the sealed door of a tomb. also an illusionary/virtual tomb)
Undergruund - sounds like underground (Kryptos: it's an underground tomb!)
Desparatly - sounds like desperately (Howard Carter & George Herbert "Lord Carnarvon" were desperate to find the tomb, as are all the Kryptos fans)
(also, could be reference to Sanborn and Scheidt, waiting for the puzzle to be solved, as this line actually referred to Carter & Group waiting for the rubble to the tomb to be cleared away.)
(also, as noted by other Kryptos groups members, could also be disparately, meaning step-by-step, separately, etc.)
*Candle*?? -> Caadle/Caddle/Cadelle?? (A cadelle is a shiny, black beetle with horns, much like an Egyptian scarab)

Examining all of the mispelled (sic) letters:

The definitely wrong letters are Q,U,A --> "qua" = " in the character of " (maybe Kryptos qua crypt, Kryptos as a crypt)
Could be that last single letter is D, making "quad" = 4 parts.
Also, observe that each of the wrong letters is paired to a double letter... could mean that the double letters in part 4 are important somehow.

Q <--> LL
UU <--> O
E,E <--> A
my guess for the 4th letter...CANDLE
N <--> AA/DD/LL?
my guess for a hidden word - QUEEN
Also, there are a statistically significant # of double letter pairs in section 4, most of which fall into the same column when the tomb is arranged in length 7 rows.

...

(Q was encrypted to K in section 1) - interestingly, iqlusion would still sound like iklusion
(U was encrypted to R in section 2) - interestingly, undergruund would still sound like undergrrund
(perhaps the raised Y in section 3..., or the Y that the "H" doorway decrypts to..., or Yuha, Queen?)
(P - ?)
(T - Tuya, Queen?)
(O - ?)
(S - ?) maybe OSiris?
best guess, "T is your POSition (T-POS)", in section 4.
also, looking on the Tableau side
Sec/Row 1/A= |"K"|
Sec/Row 2/B= |"R"|
Sec/Row 3/C= |"Y"|___
Sec/Row 4/D= |"PTOS"|, which creates the extra "L".
Also, KRYPTOS is the final set of letters for row 4, a clue that Sec.4 "is" Kryptos. This would explain the extra 4 letters in the top/bottom alphabets.

Who are the secret "QUEEN"s?
If we have to guess then I'll stake out "NEFERTITI", who was around Tut's time.
Also, Howard Carter found the tombs of YUYA, and TUYA, in the Valley of Kings due to their prominence. They were the parents of QUEEN TIY(E)/THY. They were thought to be the great-grandparents of King Tut.
HC also found the tomb of  "HATSHEPSUT", who is also buried in the Valley of Kings
(She was apparently a ruler in her own right, and the wife of Thutmose II. Other queens were usually buried several kilometers away in the Valley of Queens.)

...

XCANYOUSEEANYTHINGQ? - Immediately after the ?-door you can find the decrypted word LOOK. The X and Q in Sec.3 are unnecessary from the paraphrase of Howard Carter. Therefore, they are probably a clue. Between them is a question, "Can you see anything?", a reference to light and visibility. A line/light-ray from X_d3 through Q_d3 goes to the ?-doorway. (The subscript _d3 means decrypted section 3, _e2 means encrypted section 2, etc.) Notice there are a pair of "queens", a XUEEN in Sec.2, and there is a QHEEN in Sec.3; a line/light-ray drawn from this X_e2 through this Q_e3 also goes to the ?-inner doorway! Interesting coincidence???
A line/light-ray from X_e3 through Q_e3 goes to the odd SS doublet in Sec.4, the one that is out of alignment with the freq 7 doublet pairs... Why all the light-rays? Because the XQ in Sec.1 decodes into part of the word LIGHT, which used the scientific notation "C" to make the Sec.2 keyword ABSCISSA !!! (just as you have to insert the "C" from LIGHT to make ABSCISSA, you have to use the "C"ANDLE in the ?-doorway to LIGHT your way in Sec.4 !!!) Also, once the tomb is formed, if you look from the "T is your position"-"CANDLE" to the XQ in the bottom-right corner, you will see "TUT". In Sec.2, the words MAGNETIC and TRANSMITTED are used. These suggest Electromagnetic Fields, which means photons = LIGHT.

Also, at EcGY.u.XUEEN ~ Egyptian Queen?, and near the QhEEN is AT.EGY ~ Queen at Egypt?, but stretching it here quite a bit...
...or maybe not: Taking the "YA" from the raised letters (D^YAH^R-L) .  The top queen is perhaps YUYA, and the bottom queen is perhaps TUYA, who are the parents of Queen Tiy/Tiye/Thy (many different spellings), and who are thought to be the great-grandparents of Tut.  Howard Carter also helped to discover these tombs.  The (D^YAH^R-L) now has an explanation.  Get an "O" from the Dyahr-->Door.  Then you have YAORL, anagram for ROYAL and DY-->DYNASTY, or the Royal Dynasty. This is perhaps why the letters are raised, they are royalty.
Now, you can make an almost straight line from:
the encrypted XQ in decrypted LIGHT, through the Xueen (Yuya), through RQYAL (royal?) through the Qheen (Tuya), making QUEEN TIY(E)/THY, through the ?-door, through TUT, to the XQ (which was RA-sun god) at the bottom-right corner of the tomb. This is the royal lineage.
Also, near the TUYA queen is possible TIY/THY and AY, another relative of Tut.

***Possible buried treasure***. The encrypted X_e3 --> Q_e3 in Sec.3 points to the RA and DIG in Sec.4 that begins the possible buried treasure message!

As pointed out by Patrick F.:
    The NUANCE of IQLUSION is the only thing between the subtle shading and darkness, i.e. some sort of light.
    CAN YOU SEE ANYTHING Q?, another light reference...
    CAN YOU SEE ANYTHING Q?-> cAN U C N E thing Q ->anagram NUANCE followed by Q again!,
    leaving behind a "c-thing -> candle, or see the thing" :JBW
    Carter said "...Our sensations and astonishment are difficult to describe as the better light revealed to us the marvelous collection of treasures."

...

Other clues that this stuff might be right:
Notice:
TWT (= TUT as English equivalent transliteration) on the left side of the tomb, the 27th row, oddly enough ;-)
R.I.P. (Rest In Peace) at the top of the tomb,
DIG at the bottom of the tomb,
bits of KR,YP,T,OS on the right side of the tomb,
and possibly WIN at the "found" COFFIN.

...

Actually, in the Part 4 solution, I can make TUT-ANKH-AMEN in the VALE OF KINGS under the AL QURN mountain in EGYPT, as well as a lot more...
One can find TUT - LIFE - AMIN in the tomb *John's KRYPTOS Part 4 Solution*
TWT = TUT, since w = u in Egyptian transliteration...
Ankh means life/live
Amin ~ Amen ~ Amun
Therefore...
TUT-ANKH-AMEN or TUT-ANKH-AMUN, since there seem to be alternate spellings
Apparently, the Egyptian hieroglyphs don't specify vowels very tightly, according to one source I checked....


here is another version

King TUTANKHAMEN's royal Cartouche begins with his throne name, NEBKHEP(E)RURE.
In hieroglyphs NEBKHEPURE (NB-K-HPR-U-RE) looks like:
(a Re/Ra sun-disk = RE/RA, then a Scarab = K-HPR/KHEPER, then 3 lines = U, over  a "bowl shape" = NB/NEB). 
...
RA and RE and REY (king in Sp.) are visible at ^YAH^R near the top.
If the CANDLE does change to a CADELLE, then that could be the Scarab, and H,PR (=Scarab) is right at the candle->cadelle/scarab position!
Perhaps the 3rd hieroglyphic symbol is somewhere near the bottom, perhaps that NB,K on the lower right...
There is also another backwards sun god RA at the very end of section 4, which changes to the XQ light reference when decrypted...
Pretty much, all of these will lie along the same line/light-ray drawn through the middle of the letters.
...
In hieroglyphs TUTANKHAMEN or TUTANKHAMUN (T-U-T-ANKH-A-MN) looks like:
(a quill = A, "cake-like thing" over a zigzag = MN/MEN over N, Semi-Disc = T, Bird = U, Semi-Disc = T, Ankh symbol = ANKH)
(the last 3 are: a staff? = HEQ (Ruler), a candle? = ANNU (High Priest), and a plant? = RESU (King of Upper Egypt)  )
Again, these syllables all lie along a single line/light-ray.
...
BTW, hieroglyphs are apparently read right-to-left in most cases...

...

ECDM
UOXO on the left side of the tomb section could be "codex ~ scroll ~ palimpsest".
But this is where the decrypted THEMIST goes to... The codex/palimpsest emerging from the mist of scrambled letters. Or, this is the section where the palimpsest is to be created...

...

In Jim's pictures of Kryptos & surrounding stone structures, I find very interesting:
strata1.jpg - appears to be a 4-level structure with an open "hidden crypt" on the lower right side, like our favorite 4-part cryptogram...
strata3.jpg - 4 top plates, which slant downwards, like a passage going down...
block.jpg - looks like a Egyptian pyramid on the top portion, with an apex stone on the top of the pyramid...
compass1.jpg - the compass stone has the south point of the needle pointing approximately 15-30 degrees North of East, which is approximately the correct direction to go to make a great circle journey from the Kryptos Sculpture to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, where Tut's real tomb/crypt is...
It's also possible that the compass is indicating the direction to the buried artifacts.

...

In section 3, it is almost as if "Q" is asking the question, "Can you see anything?"
The "W" was in this position when encrypted, "Only W_W knows"...
In section 4, near TWT, there is a "JS = James Sanborn?" between 2 "Q"s - Also, there is an "ES = Ed Scheidt" right next to it.
Are Sanborn/Scheidt asking us if we see anything?  Yes, of course they are...
*John's KRYPTOS Part 4 Solution*
...

Other elements around Kryptos (Morse code), now with interpretation:

"VIRTUALLY INVISIBLE" --> The krypt is hidden in the virtual reality/virtual space "inside" the KRYPTOS sculpture, and is "virtually invisible" Also, the words that you can find on the palimpsest are totally visible, but are "virtually invisible" unless you understand the context of what you are looking at.-related to 1st part of Sec.2 Secret Message.
"DIGETAL INTERPRETATI-" --> "Digital Interpretation" pertaining to a sculpture, interpreted partially through touch, also perhaps pertaining to a digital code. Also, perhaps that the tomb section is a hidden "digital" hieroglyphic scroll, which needs to be interpreted. Anagram also gives "DIG-TALE", a reference to a story about an archeological dig. Since "Interpretati-" is unfinished/unending, I think that the dig-tale/(digital) interpretation is potentially unending, which is consistent with my solution. -related to 2nd part of Sec.2 Secret Message
"SHADOW FORCES" --> Reference to the CIA, headquartered in Langley, where the Kryptos coordinates in Sec.2 point to... Also, the hidden scroll tells of Tut's journey in the afterlife, and his involvement with other Egyptian gods (shadow-forces). Also, possible [Forces Shadow->"4 says Shadow"], thus we need a light. -related to 3rd part of Sec.2 Secret Message
"LUCID MEMORY" --> Lucid can refer to light or luminous, and memory can refer to a symbol, or to recall, so perhaps to "recall a light symbol" - the CANDLE. Also, the hidden scroll documents the history of Tut, a "lucid, clear memory". Possible "Loose ID, M or E", could be reference to the QUEEN's again, as both row E and row M have an almost QUEEN phrase...- related to 4th part of Sec.2 Secret Message. Possible reference to Thomas Young, the linguist and scientist, who did experiments with light, optics, color vision, and eye-memory/persistence-of-vision. The human eye takes the equivalent of photograph pictures, which persist for a few milliseconds. Rapidly switched scenes, or frames, give the illusion of continuous motion. Each frame is a "lucid memory". What makes it interesting here is that Thomas Young was all around genius, and also helped to decode the hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone...
"T IS YOUR POSITION" --> Tut is your position? Also, you are standing at "T" beside the CANDLE. Also, Time is your position on the hidden scroll. Sec.4 missing letters, PTOS = T-POS = T is your position. The RRVVQQ compass in Sec.4 also points here, and this Morse code is beside the real lodestone also. -related to 5th part of Sec.2 Secret Message
"SOS" --> "Save Our Ship", reference to distress call of ships needing help, often due to lack of light and crashing on reefs. The lighthouse was invented to help with such navigation, one of the most famous being the Pharos: the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, located in Egypt. Early lighthouses used fires or candles for the light source. Also, the "SOS" phrase is very near a "tiny breach" in the rock slabs. This is mirrored in the Sec.4 decryption, which has "SSO" just under where the metaphorical "tiny breach" is.
"RQ" --> Morse code "Request", meaning that something is needed - the CANDLE.  The RQ's are used as a symbolic compass in encrypted Sec.4. It points to the "T is your position" location. It is used to indicate where to place the CANDLE. Also, possible abbr. for Requiem, a hymn or dirge for the dead, also meaning rest, quiet, peace - the Kryptos sculpture is in a restful, peaceful garden, for quiet contemplation. - related to Requiescat In Pace - R.I.P. (Rest in Peace-frequently inscribed on tombstones, cemetery vaults, etc.)
lots of "E"s --> errors or pauses in transmission...

...
Metaphor Analysis:
PALIMPSEST: Sec.0 - Sculpture looks like scroll, or palimpsest.: Sec.1 The poem can be read as describing a palimpsest. : Sec.2 The secret message sounds like pieces have been cut out, similar to a palimpsest with sections erased. : Sec.3 There could easily have been a palimpsest in Tut's tomb. : Sec.4 The krypt is created by treating Kryptos as if it is a palimpsest.
ABSCISSA: Sec.0 - Directed Morse Code Segments & Compass + Carved Letters in sculpture (to cut away). : Sec.1 - A position between subtle shading and darkness. : Sec.2 - "X"'s mark message breaks (both X-coords & cut outs). : Sec.3 - Passageway cleared to position of the door + Making a tiny breach (to cut away). : Sec.4 - Cut and shift the bottom rows to solve the puzzle.
26 NOV 1922/Howard Carter: Sec.1 - Poem refers to cleared sealed doorway between dimly lit passage and dark crypt. : Sec.2 - Secret message from Howard Carter perhaps, describing his search for Tut's tomb. : Sec.3 - Howard Carter discovers Tut's tomb. : Sec.4 - We reenact the discovery of Tut.
LIGHT/CANDLE: Sec.1 - Candle provides the dim subtle shading and flickering illusions. : Sec.2 - Electromagnetic field-->photons-->Light. : Sec.3 - Insert the Candle/Flame. : Sec.4 - Can you see anything? LOOK, Insert the CANDLE to see...
James Sanborn himself says that he likes to play with light and shadow and metaphor.
...

"It's buried out there somewhere. Who knows the exact location? Only WW (William Webster-CIA) This was his last message: (coords)."
***Possible buried treasure***
"RA IS BELoW GRUUND, DIG AT RAK(rock), VA" ******* Another detail from the MIST !!*******
***Possible buried treasure***
maybe RAK (rock), maybe ARK (chest?)
*John's KRYPTOS Part 4 Solution*
...
Subtle connections:
Every section has an interesting keyword.  The keyword is a brief summarization of the decoded text for that section.
Every section has a hint for the next section, with the sculpture itself being a hint for the 1st section.
Every keyword and every section is a hint for the last section and the overall solution.
Everything is intimately, subtlely, and perfectly tied together.

...
INFINITE IMPROBABILITY LEVEL ACHIEVED... (mem. to Douglas Adams)
In Part 4 of Kryptos, there are a few things which are just way too coincidental for this solution to be wrong.
(1) Following the INSTRUCTIONS of Part 3 - Each step is possible, there are indications of a door, the AIR exists, the MIST exists, placing the CANDLE definitely gives the following related words: COFFINS, EGYPT, GOLD, TUT, and maybe THREE (coffins), ANUBIS, and HOLE (which the CANDLE is in).
(2) From the "source" document, Ancient Egypt, there is a "HEAD" in the rubble blocking the passageway. see Tut's Head emerging from Lotus. Only the particular modular transpose encryption used out of the 113,569 possible combinations does this. In addition, there are other numerous references in the book that appear to exist in encoded Sec. 3 and  decoded Sec. 4. Also, the Covert Operation Fragments from the Zola Spy Restaurant (possibly related to Kryptos based on the modified Carter account that it decrypts to... see John's KRYPTOS Details under Zola): appear to confirm the idea that the particular encryptions used were chosen so that certain "scrambled" words would appear in the encoded versions, in that case the words "DINE" and "SATE", and maybe "SPY" and "SPIES".
(3) The symbolic compass rose + lodestone -> pointing to "T is your position" in Sec. 4, just in front of the CANDLE position, which mirrors the actual compass + lodestone + "T is your position" Morse code message. Also, the symmetry between the SOS message near a tiny breach in the rocks and the "SSO" under the tiny breach of Sec. 4. Also the single M at pos. 94 of the bottom section.
(4) This solution utilizes the various keywords, esp. PALIMPSEST, in very interactive ways.  We are the ones who turn Kryptos into a palimpsest by following the directions.


If any of this analysis is correct, and we can make the words: coffin, Egypt, king, Tutankhamen, etc., then that is a darn creative way to make a puzzle: "DETAILS EMERGED FROM THE MIST", with different details being revealed and recovered as Carter looked through a small hole in the doorway...
Imagine a misty treasure room lit only with a single flickering candle flame. I love the idea of the answers having to be seen through a virtual / literary (it's hard to even describe the concept) small, candle-lit hole, with mist rising, our seeing unclear, with details slowly emerging. Beautiful !! Also, the whole metaphor of encryption, making a crypt, both real and virtual, both literal and literary, and the subsequent decryption, details emerging from actual mist, and the virtual mist of scrambled letters, etc. ... Fantastic!!

My regards to the KRYPTOS designers!! Excellent!! Truly Excellent!!

I can't begin to describe my elation when I realized that the section 3 paraphrase was actually instructions. I knew, before putting pen to paper, or finger to keyboard in my case, that it was going to lead to something. Then, seeing how the mist system worked, that was really cool. Also, thanks to Elonka, who made me search for the "digetal interpretati-", which led to the hidden interpreted digital hieroglyphic scroll theory, which may be unending...


Again, the above is all speculation by John "Indiana Jones" Wilson on Section 4, and is currently unconfirmed.

****** For more details about the tomb, check in later; same Bat time, same Bat channel !! ******

Patrick also found from the 2 main keywords that:
PALIMPSEST + ABSCISSA <= (anagram) => P.S. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS ABC
I agree...

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