Great sphinx, giza, egypt

When people talk about places where developed ancient civilizations existed, Ancient Egypt comes to mind first. This country, like a magician's cylinder, keeps many secrets and mysteries. The pyramid complex, located in a valley near Cairo, is one of them. But not only the burial places of the ancient rulers of Egypt annually attract millions of tourists to this valley. The greatest interest among them and among scientists is the mysterious figure of the Great Sphinx, which is a symbol of Egypt and a world cultural and historical heritage.

On the western bank of the great Nile River, in the city of Giza, located in the southwestern suburbs of Cairo, not far from the Pyramid of Pharaoh Khafre, there is a sculpture of the Sphinx, the oldest of all surviving monumental sculptures. Hewn by the hands of ancient masters from a huge limestone rock, it is a figure with the body of a lion and the head of a man. The eyes of this mythical entity are directed to that place on the horizon, above which the sun appears on the days of the seasonal equinoxes, revered by the ancient Egyptians as the highest deity. The dimensions of the Great Sphinx are amazing: the height exceeds 20 meters, and the length of the mighty body is more than 72 meters.

The secret of the origin of the Sphinx.

For many centuries, the mystery of the origin of the Sphinx statue in Egypt haunts adventurers, scientists, tourists, poets and writers. Despite the fact that historians have been trying for centuries to find out when and by whom, and most importantly why this grandiose structure was erected, they have not yet been able to get closer to the solution. In ancient papyri there is detailed evidence of the construction of many pyramids, the names of those who participated in their creation are mentioned. However, no such data was found about the Sphinx, which gave impetus to disagreements in the interpretation of the age and purpose of erecting this monument.

The first recorded historical mention of it is considered to be the writings of Pliny the Elder, dating from the beginning of the first century AD. In them, the ancient Roman writer and historian noted that regular work was carried out to clear the statue of the Sphinx in Egypt from sand. It is noteworthy that even the real name of the monument has not been preserved. And the one by which it is now known is of Greek origin and means “strangler”. Although many Egyptologists tend to believe that his name means "the image of Being" or "the image of God."

A lot of controversy arises in the scientific world about the age of the Sphinx. Some researchers believe that the similarity of the materials from which the monument was carved and the stone blocks used in the construction of the Khafre pyramid is indisputable evidence of their same age, i.e. they date back to 2500 BC. However, in the early 90s of the XX century, a group of Japanese archaeologists, while studying the Sphinx, came to a stunning conclusion: the traces of processing left on the stone indicate an earlier origin of the monument. This fact is confirmed by geological studies based on the influence of erosion on the surface of the Sphinx, which allowed the 70th century BC to be considered the moment the monument appeared. And the research of hydrologists, who studied the effect of rain flows on the limestone from which the monument was created, pushed back its age by another 3-4 millennia.

There is still no consensus on whose head is on the body of the Egyptian Sphinx. According to some assumptions, earlier it was a statue of a lion, and the human face was carved much later. Some researchers attribute it to Pharaoh Khafre, explaining this by the similarity of the statue with the sculptural images of the pharaohs of the VI dynasty. Others suggest that this is the image of Cheops, and others - the great Cleopatra. There is also a fantastic assumption that this is one of the rulers of the mythical Atlantis.

For millennia, time dominated the appearance of the Great Sphinx. Over the years, the cobra, a symbol of divine power, which was placed on the forehead of the statue, collapsed and disappeared, and the festive headdress covering the head was partially destroyed. Unfortunately, the man also had a hand in this. Wishing to fulfill the precepts left to the Muslims by the Prophet Muhammad, one of the rulers in the XIV century ordered to beat off the nose of the sculpture. Cannon shots in the 18th century severely damaged the face, and the soldiers of the Napoleonic army in the early 19th century used the Sphinx as a target during practice shooting. Later, when research was being conducted in the Valley of the Pyramids, a false beard was beaten off from the face of the Sphinx statue in Egypt, fragments of which are kept in the Cairo and British Museums. Today, the state of the ancient monument is affected by car exhaust and nearby lime factories. According to studies carried out over the past 20th century, the monument suffered more damage than in all the past millennia.

Restoration work.

For many centuries of the existence of the Sphinx, the sands have repeatedly covered it. The first clearings, during which only the front paws were released, were undertaken under Pharaoh Thutmose IV. To commemorate this, a memorial sign was placed between them. In addition to excavations, primitive restoration work was carried out to strengthen the lower part of the statue.

In 1817, Italian scientists managed to clear the chest of the Sphinx from the sand, but more than a hundred years passed before its complete release. This happened in 1925. In the late 80s of the XX century, a part of the right shoulder of the statue collapsed. During the restoration work, about 12,000 limestone blocks were replaced.

Geolocation work carried out in 1988 by Japanese scientists made it possible to discover a narrow tunnel starting under the left paw. It stretches in the direction of the Khafre pyramid and goes deeper. A year later, during the implementation of seismic surveys, a rectangular chamber was found, located under the forelimbs of the Sphinx. All this indicates that the Great Sphinx is in no hurry to reveal all its secrets.

After restoration work completed at the end of 2014, the ancient statue again became available to tourists. In the evening, the Sphinx greets visitors in several languages, which, together with the illumination, creates an incredible effect.

To preserve this majestic structure for future descendants, the Egyptian government plans to build a glass sarcophagus over it to protect the monument of history and culture from adverse conditions.