On the western bank of the Nile, on the Giza plateau near Cairo, next to the Pyramid of Khafre, there is one of the most famous and, perhaps, the most mysterious historical monument of Ancient Egypt - Great Sphinx.
What is the Great Sphinx
The Great, or Great, Sphinx is the oldest monumental sculpture on the planet and the largest of the sculptures of Egypt. The statue is carved from a monolithic rock and depicts a reclining lion with a human head. The length of the monument is 73 meters, the height is about 20.
The name of the statue is Greek and means “strangler,” reminiscent of the mythical Theban sphinx, who killed travelers who did not solve his riddle. The Arabs called the giant lion “Father of Terror,” and the Egyptians themselves called it “shepes ankh,” “image of the living.”
The Great Sphinx was highly revered in Egypt. A sanctuary was built between his front paws, on the altar of which the pharaohs laid their gifts. Some authors conveyed a legend about an unknown god who fell asleep in the “sands of oblivion” and remained forever in the desert.
The image of the sphinx is a traditional motif in ancient Egyptian art. The lion was considered a royal animal, dedicated to the sun god Ra, therefore only the pharaoh was always depicted as a sphinx.
Since ancient times, the Great Sphinx was considered an image of Pharaoh Khafre (Khefre), since it is located next to his pyramid and seems to be guarding it. Perhaps the giant was really called upon to keep the peace of the deceased monarchs, but the identification of the Sphinx with Khafre is erroneous. The main arguments in favor of the parallel with Khafre were the images of the pharaoh found at the statue, but there was a funeral temple of the pharaoh nearby, and the finds could be associated with it.
In addition, research by anthropologists has revealed the Negroid type of face of the stone giant. Numerous inscribed sculptural images available to scientists do not bear any African features.
Riddles of the Sphinx
Who created the legendary monument and when? For the first time, Herodotus raised doubts about the correctness of the generally accepted point of view. Having described the pyramids in detail, the historian did not mention a word about the Great Sphinx. Pliny the Elder brought clarity 500 years later, talking about the cleaning of the monument from sand deposits. Probably, in the era of Herodotus, the Sphinx was hidden under dunes. How many times during the history of its existence this could have happened, one can only guess.
In written documents there is not a single mention of the construction of such a grandiose sculpture, although we know many names of the authors of much less majestic structures. The first mention of the Sphinx dates back to the era of the New Kingdom. Thutmose IV (XIV century BC), not being the heir to the throne, allegedly fell asleep next to the stone giant and received in a dream a command from the god Horus to clear and repair the statue. In return, God promised to make him Pharaoh. Thutmose immediately ordered the liberation of the monument from sand to begin. The work was completed a year later. In honor of this event, a stele with an appropriate inscription was erected near the statue.
This was the first known restoration of the monument. Subsequently, the statue was freed from sand deposits more than once - under the Ptolemies, during the time of Roman and Arab rule.
Thus, historians cannot present a substantiated version of the origin of the Sphinx, which gives room for the creativity of other specialists. Thus, hydrologists noticed that the lower part of the statue shows signs of erosion from being in water for a long time. High humidity, at which the Nile could flood the base of the monument, characterized the climate of Egypt in the 4th millennium BC. e. There is no such destruction on the limestone from which the pyramids are built. This was considered proof that the Sphinx was older than the pyramids.
Romantic-minded researchers considered erosion to be the result of biblical Flood– the catastrophic flood of the Nile 12 thousand years ago. Some even started talking about the era ice age. The hypothesis, however, has been disputed. The destruction was explained by the effects of rain and the poor quality of the stone.
Astronomers contributed by putting forward the theory of a single ensemble of pyramids and the Sphinx. By building the complex, the Egyptians allegedly immortalized the time of their arrival in the country. The three pyramids reflect the alignment of the stars of Orion's Belt, which personified Osiris, and the Sphinx looks at the point of sunrise on the day of the vernal equinox that year. This combination of astronomical factors dates back to the 11th millennium BC.
There are other theories, including traditional aliens and representatives of proto-civilizations. The apologists of these theories, as always, do not provide clear evidence.
The Egyptian colossus is fraught with many other mysteries. For example, there are no assumptions about which of the rulers he depicts, why an underground passage was dug from the Sphinx towards the Pyramid of Cheops, etc.
Current state
The final clearing of sand was carried out in 1925. The statue has survived to this day in good condition. Perhaps the centuries-old sand cover saved the Sphinx from weathering and temperature changes.
Nature spared the monument, but not the people. The giant's face is badly damaged - his nose is broken off. At one time, the damage was attributed to Napoleon’s artillerymen, who shot the statue from cannons. However, the Arab historian al-Makrizi reported in the 14th century that the Sphinx had no nose. According to his story, the face was damaged by a crowd of fanatics at the instigation of a certain preacher, since Islam prohibits depicting a person. This statement is questionable, since the Sphinx was revered by the local population. It was believed that it caused the life-giving floods of the Nile.
There are other assumptions. The damage is explained by natural factors, as well as the revenge of one of the pharaohs, who wanted to destroy the memory of the monarch, whom the Sphinx portrays. According to the third version, the nose was recaptured by the Arabs during the conquest of the country. Some Arabian tribes had a belief that if you knock off the nose of a hostile god, he will not be able to take revenge.
In ancient times, the Sphinx had a false beard, an attribute of the pharaohs, but now only fragments remain of it.
In 2014, after the restoration of the statue, tourists opened access to it, and now you can come up and take a close look at the legendary giant, whose history contains many more questions than answers.
Egypt has long been a favorite holiday destination for thousands of tourists from all over the world. Some are attracted by the warm and gentle waves of the Red Sea, others by the oriental atmosphere of traditional markets and shops, and still others come here for the mysterious artifacts of Ancient Egypt. We can say that if a tourist came to Egypt and did not see the majestic pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, then he did not see anything. The ancient secrets kept by the temples and pyramids of Egypt still attract not only professional archaeologists, but also those who are ready to discover new knowledge and a lot of impressions.
Great Sphinx in Egypt
The Giza Sand Plateau is one of the most popular destinations in Egypt. Here are the famous pyramids, of which there are more than a thousand in total, and the largest of them are the pyramids of Cheops, Khafre and Mikerin. In addition, one cannot help but notice the guardian of the necropolis - the Great Sphinx. It is the Sphinx that still carries with it the dark mysteries of the past. As is known, The Great Sphinx is a huge statue, the length of which is as much as 72 meters, and its height reaches 20 meters. The statue itself looks like a creature with the head of a man (presumably it was the face of Pharaoh Khafre) and the body of a lion. The statue has changed significantly under the influence of time, in addition to huge distortions in the facial features, the plaster that covered the facing of the Sphinx and was brightly painted in blue, red and yellow colors. Scientists have established that initially the Great Sphinx was painted completely in purple (blue) color, and also served as a place for execution and hanging.
The name "sphinx" originates from the ancient Greek - "sphing", where this creature was feminine, and also this word means the verb “to choke.” Also, there is another etymological connection with the ancient Egyptian name of the sphinx - “shepses ankh”, which means “Image of the Living”. According to one version, The Sphinx is an image of the "Living God", which explains its ancient Egyptian name. Also, another version of scientists explains that, The sphinx served as a place for sacrifices. Practical confirmation of this were five other sphinxes found in Egypt, inside of which there was a thick layer of bone remains of human bodies. In addition, local residents have an ingrained fear of sphinx monsters. For example, in 1845, a sphinx was found in the ruins of Kalah; During the excavation of an archaeological find, local residents were gripped by an incomprehensible panic fear of the ancient sphinx. It is also known that in the Middle Ages the Arabs called the Sphinx the “father of horror.” The authentic name of the statue, which came from Ancient Egypt, remained unknown.
Where are the Pyramids and Sphinx located in Egypt?
Pyramids and Sphinx on the map of Egypt:
The Great Sphinx, standing on the Giza plateau, is the most ancient and grandiose sculpture ever created by man. Its dimensions are impressive: the length is 72 m, the height is about 20 m, the nose was as tall as a person, and the face was 5 m in height.
According to many studies, the Egyptian Sphinx hides even more mysteries than the Great Pyramids. No one knows for sure when and for what purpose this gigantic sculpture was built.
The Sphinx is located on the western bank of the Nile facing the sunrise. His gaze is directed to that point on the horizon where the sun rises on the days of the spring and autumn equinox. The huge statue, made of monolithic limestone, a fragment of the base of the Giza plateau, represents the torso of a lion with the head of a man.
1. The Vanishing Sphinx
It is generally accepted that the Sphinx was erected during the construction of the Pyramid of Khafre. However, in the ancient papyri relating to the construction of the Great Pyramids there is no mention of it. Moreover, we know that the ancient Egyptians meticulously recorded all the costs associated with construction places of worship, but economic documents related to the construction of the Sphinx have never been found.
In the 5th century BC. e. The pyramids of Giza were visited by Herodotus, who described in detail all the details of their construction. He wrote down “everything he saw and heard in Egypt,” but did not say a word about the Sphinx.
Before Herodotus, Hecataeus of Miletus visited Egypt, and after him Strabo. Their records are detailed, but there is no mention of the Sphinx there either. Could the Greeks have missed a sculpture 20 meters high and 57 meters wide?
The answer to this riddle can be found in the work of the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder “Natural History”, who mentions that in his time (1st century AD) the Sphinx was once again cleared of sands brought from the western part of the desert. Indeed, the Sphinx was regularly “freed” from sand deposits until the 20th century.
The purpose of creating the Great Sphinx is also unknown. Modern science believes that it had religious significance and preserved the peace of the dead pharaohs. It is possible that the colossus performed some other function that has not yet been clarified. This is indicated by both its exact eastern orientation and the parameters encrypted in the proportions.
2. Older than the pyramids
Restoration work, which began to be carried out in connection with the emergency condition of the Sphinx, began to lead scientists to believe that the Sphinx may be older than previously thought. To check this, Japanese archaeologists, led by Professor Sakuji Yoshimura, first illuminated the Cheops pyramid using an echolocator, and then examined the sculpture in a similar way. Their conclusion was striking - the stones of the Sphinx are older than those of the pyramid. It was not about the age of the breed itself, but about the time of its processing.
Later, the Japanese were replaced by a team of hydrologists - their findings also became a sensation. On the sculpture they found traces of erosion caused by large flows of water. The first assumption that appeared in the press was that in ancient times the bed of the Nile passed in a different place and washed the rock from which the Sphinx was hewn.
The guesses of hydrologists are even bolder: “Erosion is rather a trace not of the Nile, but of a flood - a mighty flood of water.” Scientists came to the conclusion that the flow of water went from north to south, and the approximate date of the disaster was 8 thousand years BC. e.
British scientists, repeating hydrological studies of the rock from which the Sphinx is made, pushed back the date of the flood to 12 thousand years BC. e. This is generally consistent with the dating of the Flood, which, according to most scientists, occurred around 8-10 thousand BC. e.
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3. What is the Sphinx sick with?
Arab sages, amazed by the majesty of the Sphinx, said that the giant is timeless. But over the past millennia, the monument has suffered a fair amount, and, first of all, man is to blame for this.
At first, the Mamluks practiced shooting accuracy at the Sphinx; their initiative was supported by Napoleonic soldiers. One of the rulers of Egypt ordered the sculpture’s nose to be broken off, and the British stole the giant’s stone beard and took it to the British Museum.
In 1988, a huge block of stone broke off from the Sphinx and fell with a roar. They weighed her and were horrified - 350 kg. This fact has caused UNESCO the most serious concern. It was decided to gather a council of representatives from a variety of specialties to find out the reasons for the destruction of the ancient structure.
Over many millennia, the Sphinx was repeatedly buried under sand. Somewhere around 1400 BC. e. Pharaoh Thutmose IV, after a wonderful dream, ordered to dig up the Sphinx, installing a stele between the front paws of the lion in honor of this event. However, then only the paws and the front part of the statue were cleared of sand. Later, the giant sculpture was cleaned under the Romans and Arabs.
As a result comprehensive examination Scientists have discovered hidden and extremely dangerous cracks in the head of the Sphinx; in addition, they have found that external cracks sealed with low-quality cement are also dangerous - this creates a threat of rapid erosion. The Sphinx's paws were in no less deplorable condition.
According to experts, the Sphinx is primarily harmed by human activity: exhaust gases from automobile engines and the acrid smoke of Cairo factories penetrate into the pores of the statue, which gradually destroys it. Scientists say that the Sphinx is seriously ill.
For restoration ancient monument hundreds of millions of dollars are needed. There is no such money. In the meantime, the Egyptian authorities are restoring the sculpture on their own. 
4. Mysterious face
Among most Egyptologists there is firm belief that the face of the IV dynasty pharaoh Khafre is imprinted in the appearance of the Sphinx. This confidence cannot be shaken by anything - neither by the absence of any evidence of a connection between the sculpture and the pharaoh, nor by the fact that the head of the Sphinx was repeatedly altered.
The well-known expert on Giza monuments, Dr. I. Edwards, is convinced that Pharaoh Khafre himself is visible in the face of the Sphinx. “Although the face of the Sphinx is somewhat mutilated, it still gives us a portrait of Khafre himself,” the scientist concludes.
Interestingly, the body of Khafre himself was never discovered, and therefore statues are used to compare the Sphinx and the pharaoh. First of all we're talking about about a sculpture carved from black diorite, which is kept in the Cairo Museum - it is from this that the appearance of the Sphinx is verified.
To confirm or refute the identification of the Sphinx with Khafre, a group of independent researchers involved the famous New York police officer Frank Domingo, who created portraits to identify suspects. After several months of work, Domingo concluded: “These two works of art depict two different persons. The frontal proportions - and especially the angles and facial projections when viewed from the side - convince me that the Sphinx is not Khafre."
The ancient Egyptian name of the statue has not survived; the word “Sphinx” is Greek and is associated with the verb “to strangle”. The Arabs called the Sphinx "Abu el-Khoya" - "father of horror." There is an assumption that the ancient Egyptians called the sphinxes “seshep-ankh” - “the image of Being (Living)”, that is, the Sphinx was the embodiment of god on earth.
5. Mother of Fear
Egyptian archaeologist Rudwan Al-Shamaa believes that the Sphinx has a female couple and she is hidden under a layer of sand. The Great Sphinx is often called the "Father of Fear". According to the archaeologist, if there is a “Father of Fear,” then there must also be a “Mother of Fear.”
In his reasoning, Ash-Shamaa relies on the way of thinking of the ancient Egyptians, who firmly followed the principle of symmetry. In his opinion, the lonely figure of the Sphinx looks very strange.
The surface of the place where, according to the scientist’s assumption, the second sculpture should be located, rises several meters above the Sphinx. “It is logical to assume that the statue is simply hidden from our eyes under a layer of sand,” Al-Shamaa is convinced.
The archaeologist gives several arguments in support of his theory. Ash-Shamaa recalls that between the front paws of the Sphinx there is a granite stele on which two statues are depicted; There is also a limestone tablet that says that one of the statues was struck by lightning and destroyed.
Now the Great Sphinx is badly damaged - its face is disfigured, the royal uraeus in the form of a cobra raised on its forehead has disappeared, and the festive shawl that hung from its head to its shoulders has partially broken off.
6.Chamber of Secrets
In one of the ancient Egyptian treatises, on behalf of the goddess Isis, it is reported that the god Thoth placed in a secret place “sacred books” that contain the “secrets of Osiris”, and then cast a spell on this place so that knowledge would remain “undiscovered until Heaven will not give birth to creatures who will be worthy of this gift.”
Some researchers are still confident in the existence of a “secret room”. They recall how Edgar Cayce predicted that one day in Egypt, under the right paw of the Sphinx, a room called the “Hall of Evidence” or “Hall of Chronicles” would be found. The information stored in the “secret room” will tell humanity about a highly developed civilization that existed millions of years ago.
In 1989, a group of Japanese scientists using a radar method discovered a narrow tunnel under the left paw of the Sphinx, extending towards the Pyramid of Khafre, and a cavity of impressive size was found northwest of the Queen’s Chamber. However, the Egyptian authorities did not allow the Japanese to conduct a more detailed study of the underground premises.
Research by American geophysicist Thomas Dobecki showed that under the paws of the Sphinx there is a large rectangular chamber. But in 1993 his work was suddenly suspended local authorities. Since that time, the Egyptian government has officially prohibited geological or seismological research around the Sphinx.
People did not spare the face and nose of the statue. Previously, the absence of a nose was associated with the actions of Napoleonic troops in Egypt. Now its loss is associated with the vandalism of a Muslim sheikh, who tried to destroy the statue for religious reasons, or the Mamluks, who used the head of the statue as a target for their cannons. The beard was lost in the 19th century. Some of its fragments are kept in Cairo, some in the British Museum. TO 19th century, according to the descriptions, only the head and paws of the Sphinx were visible.
Address: Egypt, Giza plateau in the suburbs of Cairo
Date of construction: XXVI-XXIII centuries BC e.
Coordinates: 29°58"41.3"N 31°07"52.1"E
Where the green Nile Valley gives way to the Libyan Desert, in the suburbs of Cairo, on the Giza Plateau, the Great Pyramids stand unshakably. To the eyes of a tourist arriving in Giza, the pyramids open unexpectedly: like a mirage, they “grow” from the hot sands of the desert.
Great Pyramids of Giza from above
IN Ancient world The pyramids were considered one of the “7 Wonders of the World,” but even today they impress with their immense size, and their secrets will excite the imagination of mankind for a long time. The pyramids were admired by the “powers of this world” - Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and others.
Great Pyramids of Giza. From left to right: pyramids of queens, pyramid of Mikerin, pyramid of Khafre, pyramid of Cheops
Wanting to inspire the French army before the famous battle with the Mamluks, Napoleon, standing at the pyramids, exclaimed: “Soldiers, 40 centuries are looking at you from these peaks!” And then Bonaparte calculated: if the Cheops pyramid was dismantled, then from 2.5 million stone blocks it would be possible to build a 3-meter wall around France.
Three Great Pyramids, guarded by the Great Sphinx, are part of the huge necropolis of Giza. These pyramids were built under the pharaohs of the IV dynasty, who ruled the Old Kingdom in 2639-2506. BC e. They are surrounded by small pyramids and temples where the wives of the pharaohs, priests and officials are buried.
Pyramid of Cheops
Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)
The largest of the pyramids, the Pyramid of Cheops, is the only one of the “7 Wonders of the World” that has survived to this day. For more than 3,000 years, before the construction of Lincoln Cathedral in England (1311), the Cheops Pyramid was the tallest structure on Earth. Its original height - 146.6 meters - corresponded to a 50-story skyscraper, but after an earthquake in the 13th century, the Cheops pyramid decreased by 8 meters - it lost its cladding and the gilded pyramidon stone that crowned the top.
Pyramid of Cheops and Museum of the Solar Boat
The Egyptians stole the polished white limestone slabs and used them to build Cairo's houses and mosques. The Pyramid of Cheops amazes with its grandeur and the titanic work of people who raised stone blocks weighing 2.5 tons to the sky using primitive devices - ropes and levers. And in the “Tsar’s Chamber” granite blocks weigh up to 80 tons. The Arab historian Abdel Latif (12th century) notes that the individual blocks are so tightly fitted to each other that it is impossible to insert the tip of a knife between them.
Solar boat
Solar boat
Inside the Cheops pyramid there are burial chambers, and outside, at its foot, there is the Museum of the Solar Boat.. On this ship, built of cedar without a single nail, the pharaoh was supposed to go to the afterlife.
Pyramid of Khafre
Pyramid of Khafre (Khafre)
The second largest ancient Egyptian pyramid was built 40 years later than the first by Pharaoh Khafre, the son of Cheops. Although the pyramid of Khafre is inferior in height (136.4 m) to the tomb of his father, but due to its location on a more high point plateau, it was a worthy competitor to the Great Pyramid.
At the top of the Pyramid of Khafre, a white basalt cladding is partially preserved, reminiscent of a glacier on the mountain.
Pyramid of Mikerin
Pyramid of Mikerin (Menkaure)
The ensemble of the Great Pyramids is completed by the relatively modest-sized tomb of Mikerin, built for the grandson of Cheops. Contrary to the loud nickname “Heru” (high), it reaches only 62 meters in height, but it emphasizes the greatness of the pyramids of Cheops and Khafre.
Great Sphinx
Great Sphinx
At the foot of the Giza plateau stands a monumental sculpture 73 meters long and 20 meters high. It is carved from a monolithic limestone rock in the shape of a sphinx - mythical creature with the head of a man, the paws and body of a lion. According to scientists, The facial features of the Great Sphinx are similar to the appearance of Pharaoh Khafre. The Sphinx's gaze is directed to the east, towards the rising sun. According to the beliefs of the Egyptians, the lion was a symbol of the solar deity, and the pharaoh was the deputy of the Sun god Ra on earth and after death merged with the shining luminary.
Great Sphinx from the rear
The lions stood at the gate the afterlife, therefore the Sphinx is considered to be the guardian of the necropolis. The statue's face is badly damaged. Most often you can hear that the Sphinx's nose was beaten off by Napoleonic grenadiers. According to another version of the legend, the damage to the sculpture was caused by one Shah, a religious fanatic. The reason for the vandalism is simple: Islam prohibits making images of people and animals.
The Great Sphinx against the background of the Pyramid of Khafre
Secrets of ancient times: why were the pyramids built?
Disputes about the purpose of the pyramids are still ongoing. The traditional version says that the mounds towering above the mortal world could be the tombs of the pharaohs, from where their ashes rose closer to the sky and the sun. Some scientists consider the pyramids to be temples where sun worshipers performed religious rites; others are scientific laboratories created for astronomical observations. German archaeologists have put forward another hypothesis: pyramids are natural generators of earthly energy.
The Great Sphinx, standing on the plateau at Giza, is a subject of debate among scientists, the object of numerous legends, assumptions and speculation. Who built it, when, why? There is no definite answer to any question. Blown by the sands of time, the Sphinx has kept its secret for many millennia.
It is carved from solid limestone rock. It is believed that she stood nearby and with her shape already resembled a sleeping lion. The length of the Sphinx is 72 meters, height - 20. The nose, which has been missing for a long time, was one and a half meters long.
Today the statue represents a lion lying in the sand, but some historians suggest that initially the sculpture was entirely of a lion, and one of the pharaohs decided to depict his face on the statue. Hence some disproportions between the huge body and the relatively small head. But this version is just a guess.
There are no papers at all preserved about the Sphinx. Ancient Egyptian papyri telling about the construction of the pyramids have survived. But there is not a single word about the lion statue. The first mentions in papyri can be found only at the beginning of our era. Where it is said that the Sphinx was once cleared of sand.
Purpose
Most scientists agree that the Sphinx guards the eternal peace of the pharaohs. In Ancient Egypt, the lion was considered a symbol of power and guardian of sacred places. Some believe that the Sphinx was also a religious object; the entrance to the temple supposedly began at its paws.
Other answers are sought based on the location of the statue. It is turned towards the Nile and looks strictly east. Therefore, there is an option that the Sphinx is associated with the Sun God. The ancient inhabitants could worship him, bring gifts here, and ask for a good harvest.
It is unknown what the ancient Egyptians themselves called the statue. There is an assumption that “Seshep-ankh” is “an image of the Existing or Living.” That is, he was the embodiment of the divine on earth. In the Middle Ages, the Arabs called the sculpture “Father or King of Terror and Fear.” The word “sphinx” itself is Greek and literally translates as “strangler.” Some historians make assumptions based on the name. In their opinion, there is emptiness inside the sphinx, people were tortured, tortured, killed there, hence the “father of horror” and the “strangler”. But this is just a guess, one of many.
Sphinx face
Who is immortalized in stone? The most official version is Pharaoh Khafre. During the construction of his pyramid, stone blocks of the same dimensions were used as in the construction of the Sphinx. Plus, not far from the statue they found an image of Khafre.
But even here, not everything is so obvious. An American expert compared the face from the image and the face of the Sphinx; finding no similarities, he came to the conclusion that these were portraits of completely different people.
Whose face does the Sphinx have? There are many versions. For example, Queen Cleopatra, god rising sun– Horus, or one of the rulers of Atlantis. Proponents of this theory believe that the entire ancient Egyptian civilization was the work of the Atlanteans.
When was it built?
There is no answer to this question either. The official version is in 2500 BC. This exactly coincides with the reign of Pharaoh Khafre and the unprecedented dawn of ancient Egyptian civilization.
Japanese scientists used echolocators to study the internal state of the sculpture. Their discovery was a real sensation. The stones of the Sphinx were processed much earlier than the stones of the pyramids. Hydrologists joined the work. On the body of the Sphinx they found significant traces of water erosion; on the head they were not so large.
Therefore, experts came to the conclusion that the Sphinx was built when the climate in these places was different: it rained and there were floods. And this is 10, according to other sources, 15 thousand years before our era.
The sands of time do not spare
Time and people have not been kind to the Great Sphinx. In the Middle Ages, it was a training target for the Mamluks, Egypt's military caste. Either they broke off the nose, or it was an order from a certain ruler, or it was done by one religious fanatic, who was then torn apart by the crowd. It is not clear how one can destroy a one and a half meter nose alone.
Once upon a time the sphinx was blue or purple. A little paint remains in the ear area. He had a beard - now it is an exhibit in the British and Cairo Museums. The royal headdress - the uraeus, which was decorated with a cobra on the forehead, did not survive at all.
The sands sometimes completely covered the statue. In 1400 BC, the Sphinx, by order of Pharaoh Thutmose IV, was cleaned for a year. We managed to free the front legs and part of the body. A plaque was then installed at the foot of the sculpture about this event; it can still be seen today.
The statue was freed from sand by the Romans, Greeks, and Arabs. But she was swallowed up again and again by the sands of time. The Sphinx was completely cleaned only in 1925.
A few more mysteries and speculations
It is believed that under the Sphinx there are certain passages, tunnels and even a huge library with ancient books. In the late 80s and early 90s, American and Japanese scientists, using special equipment, discovered several corridors and a certain cavity under the Sphinx. But Egyptian authorities stopped the research. Since 1993, any geological or radar work has been prohibited here.
Experts hope to find not only secret rooms. The ancient Egyptians built everything on the principle of symmetry, and one lion looks somehow unusual. There is a theory that somewhere nearby, under a thick layer of sand, another Sphinx is hidden, only female.
