The connection between the pyramids and the sphinx. Astronomical explanation of the stone sculpture. The story of the Sphinx
Egypt is a country that is still covered with a mass of mysteries that attract tourists from all over the world. Perhaps one of the most important secrets of this state is the great Sphinx, whose statue is located in the Giza Valley. This is one of the most grandiose sculptures ever created by human hands. Its dimensions are truly impressive - the length is 72 meters, the height is approximately 20 meters, the face of the Sphinx itself is 5 meters long, and the fallen off nose, according to calculations, was the size of an average human height. Not a single photo is able to convey the grandeur of this stunning monument of antiquity.
Today, the great Sphinx in Giza no longer instills sacred horror in a person - after excavations it turned out that the statue is just “sitting” in a pit. However, for many centuries, her head, sticking out of the desert sand, inspired superstitious fear in the desert Bedouins and local residents.
general information
The Egyptian Sphinx is located on west coast the Nile River, and his head is facing the sunrise. For many thousands of years, the gaze of this silent witness to the history of the country of the Pharaohs has been directed to that point on the horizon where, on the days of the autumn and spring equinoxes, the sun begins its unhurried course.
The Sphinx itself is made of monolithic limestone, which is a fragment of the base of the Giza plateau. The statue is a huge mysterious creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man. Many have seen this grand building in the photo in books and textbooks on the history of the Ancient World.
Cultural and historical significance of the building
According to historians, in almost all ancient civilizations, the lion was the personification of the sun and the solar deity. In the drawings of the ancient Egyptians, the pharaoh was very often depicted as a lion, attacking the enemies of the state and exterminating them. It was on the basis of these beliefs that a version was built that the great Sphinx is a kind of mystical guard guarding the peace of the rulers buried in the tombs of the Giza Valley.
It is still not known how the inhabitants called the Sphinx ancient egypt. It is believed that the word "sphinx" itself is of Greek origin and literally translates as "strangler". In some Arabic texts, in particular, in the famous collection "A Thousand and One Nights", the Sphinx is called the "Father of Terror". There is another opinion, according to which the ancient Egyptians called the statue "the image of being." This once again confirms that the Sphinx was for them the earthly incarnation of one of the deities.
Story
Probably the most main riddle, which is fraught with the Egyptian Sphinx - this is who, when and why erected such a grandiose monument. In the ancient papyri found by historians, you can find a lot of information about the construction and creators of the Great Pyramids and numerous temple complexes, but there is no mention of the Sphinx, its creator and the cost of its construction (and the ancient Egyptians were always very attentive to the costs of this or that business) not in any source. It was first mentioned in his writings by the historian Pliny the Elder, but that was already at the beginning of our era. He notes that the Sphinx, located in Egypt, was reconstructed and cleared of sand several times. It is precisely the fact that not a single source has yet been found explaining the origin of this monument that gave rise to countless versions, opinions and conjectures as to who and why built it.
The Great Sphinx fits perfectly into the complex of structures located on the Giza plateau. The creation of this complex dates back to the reign of the IV dynasty of kings. Actually, he himself includes the Great Pyramids and the statue of the Sphinx.
It is still impossible to say exactly how old this monument is. According to the official version, the Great Sphinx at Giza was erected during the reign of Pharaoh Khafre, around 2500 BC. In support of this hypothesis, historians point to the similarity of the limestone blocks used in the construction of the Khafre pyramid and the Sphinx, as well as the image of the ruler himself, which was found near the building.
There is one more alternative version origin of the Sphinx, according to which its construction dates back to even more ancient times. A group of Egyptologists from Germany, who analyzed limestone erosion, came to the conclusion that the monument was built around 7000 BC. There are also astronomical theories of the creation of the Sphinx, according to which its construction is associated with the constellation Orion and corresponds to 10,500 BC.
Restorations and the current state of the monument
The Great Sphinx, although it has survived to our times, is now badly damaged - neither time nor people spared it. The face was especially affected - in numerous photos you can see that it is almost completely erased, and it is not possible to distinguish its features. Urey - a symbol of royal power, which is a cobra that wraps around its head - is irretrievably lost. Plath - a solemn headdress descending from the head onto the shoulders of the statue - is also partially destroyed. The beard also suffered, which is now not fully represented. But where and under what circumstances the nose of the Sphinx disappeared, scientists still argue.
Damage on the face of the Great Sphinx, located in Egypt, is very reminiscent of chisel marks. According to Egyptologists, in the 14th century it was mutilated by a pious sheikh who carried out the precepts of the Prophet Muhammad, which forbade the depiction of a human face on works of art. And the head of the structure was used by the Mamelukes as a cannon target.
Today, in the photo, video and live, you can see how much the Great Sphinx has suffered from time and the cruelty of people. A small piece weighing 350 kg even broke off from it - this gives one more reason to be truly amazed. giant size this building.
Although only 700 years ago the face mysterious statue described by an Arab traveler. His travel notes said that this face was truly beautiful, and his lips bore the majestic seal of the pharaohs.
For all the years of its existence, the Great Sphinx has repeatedly plunged up to its shoulders into the sands of the Sahara Desert. The first attempts to excavate the monument were made in ancient times by pharaohs Thutmose IV and Ramses II. Under Thutmose Great Sphinx was not only completely dug out of the sand, but a huge arrow made of granite was also installed in its paws. An inscription was carved on it, stating that the ruler gives his body under the protection of the Sphinx so that it rests under the sands of the Giza valley and at some point rises in the guise of a new pharaoh.
During the time of Ramses II, the Great Sphinx of Giza was not only dug out of the sand, but also underwent a thorough restoration. In particular, the massive rear part of the statue was replaced with blocks, although earlier the entire monument was monolithic. At the beginning of the 19th century, archaeologists completely cleared the chest of the statue of sand, but it was completely freed from sand only in 1925. It was then that the true dimensions of this grandiose structure became known.
The Great Sphinx as an object of tourism
The Great Sphinx, like the Great Pyramids, is located on the Giza plateau, which is 20 km from the capital of Egypt. This is a single complex of historical monuments of Ancient Egypt, which has come down to our days since the reign of the pharaohs from the IV dynasty. It consists of three great pyramids- Cheops, Khafre and Mykerin, small pyramids of queens are also included here. Here, tourists can visit various temple buildings. The statue of the Sphinx is located in the eastern part of this ancient complex.
Great Sphinx (Egypt) - description, history, location. The exact address, phone, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
- Tours for May Worldwide
- Hot tours Worldwide
Previous photo Next photo
One of the most ancient sculptures in the world, without a doubt, can be called the statue of the Sphinx. In addition, it is also one of the most mysterious sculptures, because the secret of the Sphinx has not yet been fully solved. The Sphinx is a creature with a woman's head, the paws and body of a lion, the wings of an eagle and the tail of a bull. One of the largest images of the Sphinx is located on west bank Nile, next to the Egyptian pyramids at Giza.
Almost everything related to Egyptian Sphinx, is controversial among scholars. The exact date of origin of this sculpture is still unknown, and it is completely incomprehensible why the statue has no nose now.
The statue, made of limestone, looks monumental and majestic. It is worth noting its impressive dimensions: length - 73 meters, height - 20 meters. The Sphinx looks at the Nile and the rising sun.
Almost everything related to the Sphinx causes controversy among scientists. The exact date of origin of this sculpture is still unknown, and it is completely incomprehensible why the statue has no nose now. The meaning of the word is also unknown: in Greek, “sphinx” means “strangler”, but what the ancient Egyptians put into this name remains a mystery.
It was customary to portray the Egyptian pharaohs as a formidable lion that would not spare a single enemy. That is why it is believed that the Sphinx guards the rest of the buried pharaohs. The author of the sculpture is unknown, but many researchers believe that it is Khafre. Admittedly, this argument is highly controversial. Proponents of the theory refer to the fact that the stones of the sculpture and the pyramid of Khafre located nearby are the same in size. In addition, an image of this pharaoh was found not far from the statue.
Interestingly, the Sphinx does not have a nose. Of course, once this detail existed, but the reason for its disappearance is still unknown. Perhaps the nose was lost during the battle between Napoleon's troops and the Turks on the territory of the pyramids in 1798. But, according to the Danish traveler Norden, the Sphinx looked like this already in 1737. There is a version that back in the 14th century, some religious fanatic mutilated the sculpture in order to fulfill the covenant of Muhammad to ban the image of a human face.
The Sphinx is missing not only a nose, but also a false ceremonial beard. Her story also causes controversy among scientists. Some believe that the beard was made much later than the sculpture itself. Others believe that the beard was made at the same time as the head and that the ancient Egyptians simply did not have the technical capabilities for the subsequent installation of parts.
The destruction of the sculpture and its subsequent restoration helped scientists find Interesting Facts. So, for example, Japanese archaeologists came to the conclusion that the Sphinx was built before the pyramids. In addition, they found a tunnel under the left paw of the statue, leading towards the pyramid of Khafre. It is interesting that for the first time Soviet researchers mentioned this tunnel.
For a long time mysterious sculpture was under a thick layer of sand. The first attempts to dig up the Sphinx were made in antiquity by Thutmose IV and Ramses II. True, they did not achieve much success. Only in 1817, the Sphinx was freed from its chest, and after more than 100 years, the statue was completely unearthed.
Address: Nazlet El-Semman, Al Haram, Giza
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 green Valley The Nile is replaced by the Libyan Desert, in the suburbs of Cairo, on the Giza plateau, the Great Pyramids stand unshakably. To the gaze of a tourist who arrived in Giza, the pyramids open unexpectedly: like a mirage, they “grow” from the hot sands of the desert.
Great Pyramids of Giza aerial view
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 to come. The pyramids were admired powers of the world this "- Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and others.
Great Pyramids of Giza. From left to right: Pyramids of Queens, Pyramid of Menkaure, 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 pyramid of Cheops 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 Great Sphinx, - part of the huge necropolis of Giza. These pyramids were built under the pharaohs of the 4th dynasty, which ruled in ancient kingdom in 2639-2506 BC e. They are surrounded by small pyramids and temples where pharaohs' wives, priests and officials are buried.
The 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 3000 years, before the construction of Lincoln Cathedral in England (1311), the pyramid of Cheops was the most tall building on the ground. Its initial 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 lining and the gilded pyramidon stone that crowned the top.
Pyramid of Cheops and the Solar Boat Museum
The Egyptians took away the polished white limestone facing slabs and used them in the construction of Cairo houses and mosques. The Pyramid of Cheops amazes with its grandeur and titanic labor of people who raised stone blocks weighing 2.5 tons to the sky with the help of primitive devices - ropes and levers. And in the "King's Chamber" granite blocks weigh up to 80 tons. The Arab historian Abdel Latif (XII century) notes that individual blocks are so tightly fitted to each other that it is impossible to stick a knife edge between them.
solar boat
solar boat
Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are burial chambers, and outside, at its foot, stands 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 (Khafra)
The second largest ancient Egyptian pyramid was erected 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 more high point plateau, it made a worthy competition to the Great Pyramid.
At the top of Khafre's pyramid, a white basalt cladding has been partially preserved, resembling a glacier on a mountain.
Pyramid of Menkaure
Pyramid of Menkaure (Menkaure)
The ensemble of the Great Pyramids is completed by the relatively modest tomb of Mykerin, 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 rises monumental sculpture 73 meters long and 20 meters high. It is carved from a monolithic limestone rock in the form of a sphinx - a mythical creature with a human head, 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 gaze of the Sphinx is directed to the east, to rising sun. According to the beliefs of the Egyptians, the lion was a symbol of the solar deity, and the pharaoh was the viceroy 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 gates of the underworld, so the Sphinx is considered to be the guardian of the necropolis. The face of the statue is badly damaged. Most often you can hear that the nose of the Sphinx was beaten off by the Napoleonic grenadiers. According to another version of the legend, the sculpture was damaged by one shah, a religious fanatic. The reason for the vandalism is simple: Islam forbids making images of people and animals.
The Great Sphinx with the Pyramid of Khafre in the background
Secrets of ancient times: why were the pyramids built?
Until now, disputes about the purpose of the pyramids do not stop. The traditional version says that the mounds towering above the mortal world could be the tombs of the pharaohs, from where their ashes ascended closer to the sky and the sun. Some scientists consider the pyramids to be temples where the sun worshipers performed religious rites; others are scientific laboratories created for astronomical observations. German archaeologists put forward another hypothesis: the pyramids are natural generators of terrestrial energy.
Initially, we didn’t intend to visit the ancient pyramids in Egypt, but when we arrived, we thought, how could it be, this is practically a symbol of this country, one of the seven wonders of the world, and it seems like a place of power, but we don’t go there. And it’s not a fact that we will be in Egypt again. Plus, there are some tricky energy lines intersecting. And off we went... And we saw the pyramids... And it was cool...
The tour to the Egyptian Pyramids cost $50 and included a boat trip on the Nile and lunch at a floating restaurant, a stop at an aroma oil salon and a papyrus factory, and of course our main goal was to visit the ancient pyramids of Egypt and the Great Sphinx.
The trip was unforgettable and full of impressions. Initially, I thought that ancient pyramids of egypt are somewhere far away in the desert, and next to them only sand and wild camels. It turned out that the ancient pyramids of Egypt are located on the outskirts of Cairo, in Giza, a former suburb that is now part of the Cairo metropolis.
By the way, independent visit The pyramid complex costs $12.
Three pyramids: the Pyramid of Cheops, the pyramid of Khafre, the pyramid of Mykerin, as well as 6 more small ones nearby, and the Great Sphinx can be seen on the Giza plateau. The tour bus unloads you on the site between the pyramids of Cheops and Khafre, and you find yourself between this huge stone structures majestic in their power. Each stone is almost the height of a man, and weighs several tens of tons. The height of the Cheops pyramid is about 140 m. Big things, however.
But, unfortunately, you won’t be able to feel this momentous moment right away, as a crowd of local Arabs stick around, offering to buy a super mega set of plastic pyramids at a ridiculous price of “one dollar”. This is very useful thing, I would immediately buy a bag of these, but it would not fit into the bag. Here you also have camel and horse rides, photos with and without a Bedouin. Everything is put on stream, people have to earn money somehow, the country is not very rich. We were warned in advance that they would offer to take a picture for free, or they could give a pebble, and then demand a bribe for their services. Even the policemen, who are dressed in black uniforms, also strive to earn money by offering to photograph you from different angles: I hold the pyramid in my palm, I lean on the pyramid, the whole pyramid. The atmosphere does not match this place of power, there is no mystery. I wanted to run away from this crowd of frenzied people and retire in order to feel the significance of these stone giants, and touch at least for a while the secrets of Egypt. It worked out a little, but since only 1 hour is given for a walk about Egyptian pyramids, then this "a little bit" is not enough.
I realized for myself that I would like to come there for the whole day, calmly go around all the ancient pyramids, sit and think. I suppose that there are not many people at the farthest pyramid of Mykerin, since you still have to get there. In the evening, the backlight is lit, and the pyramids are a very beautiful sight.
From the ancient pyramids of Egypt, with Giza plateau, offers a view of the city of Cairo, which almost came close to the pyramids. The Great Sphinx, such a feeling, will soon be among residential buildings. Haze over Cairo, quite normal for a metropolis.
We did not dare to go inside the ancient pyramids. Firstly, the entrance to the pyramid of Cheops and the pyramid of Khafre costs $ 10-20 per person, and secondly, it is embarrassing that the first people who entered there threw away all the skates, who from what. It is not known why all this was built, and how it affects a person. It may well be that it was not the pharaohs who built it at all, and it is possible that initially the pyramids were not intended for burial at all, but for other purposes. In addition, our guide warned that we won’t see anything special inside the Egyptian pyramids, everything has long been taken out and is in museums. You can also go into a small pyramid, the pyramid of the queen. Admission is free, it is located next to the pyramid of Cheops.
The next step in our program was Great Sphinx with a severed nose: the body of a lion with a human head, height 20 meters. No one knows where the nose went, whether Napoleon blew it up, whether it fell off on its own over time, or some Sufi fanatic chopped it off. 40 minutes were allotted for viewing the little cat, which is enough, since you cannot approach him yourself, you can only see him in a close crowd of pilgrims from a distance on a small side podium.
Despite some disadvantages, the trip turned out to be very informative for us, and it can be taken as a survey in order to draw conclusions for ourselves. The goal, to touch at least for a moment the secrets of Egypt, was achieved. In principle, besides the ancient pyramids and, we are unlikely to be going to see anything else.
Another proof was presented to us by the Japanese scientist Sakuji Yoshimura in 1988. He was able to determine that the stone from which the Sphinx was carved is older than the blocks of the pyramids. He used echolocation. Nobody took him seriously. Indeed, age rock echolocation cannot be determined.
The only serious proof of the “theory of antiquity of the Sphinx” is the “Inventory Stele”. This monument was found in 1857 by Auguste Mariette, the founder of the Cairo Museum (pictured left).
On this stele there is an inscription that Pharaoh Cheops (Khufu) found the statue of the Sphinx already buried in the sand. But this stele was created during the 26th dynasty, that is, 2000 years after the life of Cheops. Don't trust this source too much.
One thing we can say for sure - the Sphinx has the head and face of a pharaoh. This is evidenced by the nemes headdress (or klaft) (see photo) and the decorative element uraeus (see photo) on the forehead of the sculpture. These attributes could only be worn by the pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt. If the statue had a nose, then we would be closer to the solution.
By the way, where is the nose?
The mass consciousness is dominated by the version that the nose was shot down by the French in 1798-1800. Napoleon then conquered Egypt, and his gunners trained by shooting at the Great Sphinx.
This is not even a version, but a "fiction". In 1757, the Danish traveler Frederick Louis Norden published sketches he had made at Giza, and the nose was gone. At the time of publication, Napoleon hadn't even been born yet. You can see the sketch in the photo on the right, there really is no nose.
The reasons for the accusations of Napoleon are clear. The attitude towards him in Europe was very negative, he was often called a "monster". As soon as there was a reason to accuse someone of damage historical heritage of mankind, of course, he was chosen as the “scapegoat”.
As soon as the version about Napoleon began to be actively refuted, a second similar version arose. It says that the Mamluks fired cannons at the Great Sphinx. We can't explain why public opinion gravitates so much towards the cannon hypothesis? It is worth asking sociologists and psychoanalysts about this. This version also has not received confirmation.
A proven version of the loss of the nose is expressed in the work of the Arab historian al-Makrizi. He writes that in 1378 the nose of the statue was beaten off by a religious fanatic. He was outraged that the inhabitants of the Nile Valley worship the statue and bring gifts to it. We even know the name of this iconoclast - Mohammed Saim al-Dahr.
Nowadays, scientists have studied the area of the nose of the Sphinx and found traces of a chisel, that is, the nose was chipped off with this particular tool. There are two such traces in total - one chisel was hammered under the nostril, and the second from above.
These traces are small, and the tourist does not notice them. However, you can try to imagine how this fanatic could do it. Apparently, he was lowered down on a rope. The Sphinx lost its nose, and Saim al-Dakhr lost his life, he was torn to pieces by the crowd.
From this story, we can conclude that the Sphinx was still in the 14th century the object of worship and worship of the Egyptians, although almost 750 years have passed since the beginning of the domination of the Arabs.
There is another version of the statue's loss of the nose - natural causes. Erosion destroys the statue, and it even fell off part of the head. It was installed back during the last restoration. And this statue had many restorations.
