Sphinx in Egypt: secrets, riddles and scientific facts. Great sphinx

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.

The Three Great Pyramids, guarded by the Great Sphinx, are part of the huge Giza necropolis. These pyramids were built under the pharaohs of the IV dynasty, which ruled in the Old 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 a higher point of the plateau, it competed with 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 a 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 the 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.

The Great Sphinx standing on the Giza Plateau is the oldest and grandest sculpture ever created by man. Its dimensions are impressive: the length is 72 m, the height is about 20 m, the nose was the height of a person, and the face was 5 m high.

According to many studies, the Egyptian Sphinx hides even more puzzles than the Great Pyramids. No one knows for sure when and for what purpose this giant sculpture was built.

The Sphinx is located on west bank 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 equinoxes. The huge statue, made of monolithic limestone, a fragment of the base of the Giza plateau, is the body of a lion with the head of a man.

1. Disappearing Sphinx

It is generally accepted that the Sphinx was erected during the construction of the Khafre pyramid. However, in the ancient papyri relating to the construction of the Great Pyramids, there is no mention of him. Moreover, we know that the ancient Egyptians meticulously recorded all the costs associated with the construction of religious buildings, but economic documents related to the construction of the Sphinx have not 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 he did not say a word about the Sphinx.
Before Herodotus, Hecateus of Miletus visited Egypt, after him - Strabo. Their records are detailed, but there is no mention of the Sphinx there either. Could the Greeks fail to notice the 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”, which mentions that in his time (1st century AD) the Sphinx was once again cleared of the sands applied from the western part of the desert. Indeed, the Sphinx was regularly "liberated" from sand drifts until the 20th century.

The purpose of creating the Great Sphinx is also not known for certain. modern science believes that he had a religious significance and kept the rest of the dead pharaohs. It is possible that the colossus performed some other function that has not yet been clarified. This is indicated both by its exact eastern orientation and the parameters encrypted in proportions.

2. Ancient Pyramids

Restoration work, which began to be carried out in connection with the emergency state of the Sphinx, began to lead scientists to the idea that the Sphinx may be older than previously thought. To test this, Japanese archaeologists, led by Professor Sakuji Yoshimura, first illuminated the pyramid of Cheops with an echo sounder, and then examined the sculpture in a similar way. Their conclusion struck - 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 another place and washed the rock from which the Sphinx was carved.
Hydrologists' guesses are even bolder: "Erosion is rather traces not the Nile, but the 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 is 8 thousand years BC. e.

British scientists, repeating the 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 scholars, occurred around 8-10 thousand BC. e.

enter text image

3. What is the disease of the Sphinx?

The Arab sages, struck by the majesty of the Sphinx, said that the giant is timeless. But over the past millennia, the monument has suffered a lot, and, first of all, the person is to blame for this.
At first, the Mamluks practiced accuracy of shooting at the Sphinx, their initiative was supported by Napoleonic soldiers. One of the rulers of Egypt ordered to beat off the nose of the sculpture, and the British stole a stone beard from the giant and took it to the British Museum.
In 1988, a huge stone block broke away from the Sphinx and fell with a roar. She was weighed and horrified - 350 kg. This fact caused the most serious concern of UNESCO. It was decided to convene a council of representatives of various specialties in order to find out the reasons that destroy the ancient structure.

For many millennia, the Sphinx has repeatedly been buried under the sand. Somewhere in 1400 BC. e. Pharaoh Thutmose IV, after a wonderful dream, ordered to dig up the Sphinx, setting up a stele between the front paws of a lion in honor of this event. However, then only the paws and the front of the statue were cleaned of sand. Later, the giant sculpture was cleaned under the Romans, the Arabs.

As a result of a comprehensive examination, scientists discovered hidden and extremely dangerous cracks in the head of the Sphinx, in addition, they found that external cracks sealed with low-quality cement are also dangerous - this creates a threat of rapid erosion. The paws of the Sphinx were in no less deplorable condition.
According to experts, the Sphinx, first of all, is harmed by human life: the exhaust gases of 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.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are needed to restore the ancient monument. There is no such money. In the meantime, the Egyptian authorities are restoring the sculpture on their own.

4. Mysterious face
Among the majority of Egyptologists, there is a firm belief that the face of the pharaoh of the IV dynasty Khafre is imprinted in the appearance of the Sphinx. This confidence cannot be shaken by anything - neither by the absence of any evidence of the connection between the sculpture and the pharaoh, nor by the fact that the head of the Sphinx was repeatedly remade.
The well-known expert on the monuments of Giza, Dr. I. Edwards, is convinced that Pharaoh Khafre himself peeps through 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 found, and therefore statues are used to compare the Sphinx and the pharaoh. First of all, we are talking about a sculpture carved from black diorite, which is stored in Cairo Museum- it is according to it that the appearance of the Sphinx is verified.
To confirm or deny the identification of the Sphinx with Khafre, a group of independent researchers involved the well-known New York policeman Frank Domingo, who created portraits to identify suspects, in the case. After a few months of work, Domingo concluded: “These two works of art depict two different faces. The frontal proportions - and in particular the angles and facial protrusions when viewed from the side - convince me that the Sphinx is not Khafre.

The ancient Egyptian name of the statue has not been preserved, the word "Sphinx" is Greek and is associated with the verb "strangle". The Arabs called the Sphinx "Abu el-Khoy" - "the father of horror." There is an assumption that the ancient Egyptians called the sphinxes "seshep-ankh" - "the image of the Existing (Living)", that is, the Sphinx was the embodiment of God on earth.

5. Mother of fear

The Egyptian archaeologist Rudwan Ash-Shamaa believes that the Sphinx has a female couple and it is hidden under a layer of sand. The Great Sphinx is often referred to as the "Father of Fear". According to the archaeologist, if there is a "Father of fear", then there must be a "Mother of fear".
In his reasoning, Al-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, 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.
In support of his theory, the archaeologist gives several arguments. 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 it.

Now the Great Sphinx is badly damaged - its face is mutilated, the royal uraeus has disappeared in the form of a cobra rising on its forehead, the festive kerchief that fell from the head to the shoulders is partially broken off.

6. Secret room

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 "holy books" that contain the "secrets of Osiris", and then cast a spell on this place so that knowledge remained "undiscovered until The sky will not give birth to creatures that will be worthy of this gift.
Some researchers are still confident in the existence of a "secret room". They remember 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 mankind about a highly developed civilization that existed millions of years ago.
In 1989, a group of Japanese scientists using the radar method discovered a narrow tunnel under the left paw of the Sphinx, leading towards the pyramid of Khafre, and an impressive cavity 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 is a large rectangular chamber. But in 1993, his work was suddenly suspended. local authorities. Since that time, the Egyptian government officially forbids 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 the 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. Part of its fragments is kept in Cairo, part - in the British Museum. TO XIX century, according to the descriptions, only the head and paws of the Sphinx were visible.

The Sphinx of Giza is one of the oldest, largest and most mysterious monuments ever created by man. Disputes about its origin are still going on. We've rounded up 10 little-known facts about the majestic monument in the Sahara desert.

1. The Great Sphinx of Giza is not a Sphinx

Experts say that the Egyptian sphinx cannot be called a traditional image of the sphinx. In classical Greek mythology, the sphinx was described as having the body of a lion, the head of a woman, and the wings of a bird. In Giza, there is actually a sculpture of an androsphinx, since it has no wings.

2. Initially, the sculpture had several other names

The ancient Egyptians did not originally call this giant creature the "Great Sphinx". In the text on the Dream Stele, dated to about 1400 BC, the Sphinx is referred to as the "Statue of the great Khepri". When the future pharaoh Thutmose IV was sleeping next to her, he had a dream in which the god Khepri-Ra-Atum came to him and asked him to free the statue from the sand, and in return promised that Thutmose would become the ruler of all Egypt. Thutmose IV dug up a statue that had been covered with sand over the centuries, which after that became known as Horem-Akhet, which translates as "Mountains on the horizon." The medieval Egyptians called the Sphinx "balhib" and "bilhou".

3. No one knows who built the Sphinx

Even today, people do not know the exact age of this statue, and modern archaeologists argue about who could have created it. The most popular theory is that the Sphinx originated during the reign of Khafre (fourth dynasty ancient kingdom), i.e. The age of the statue dates back to around 2500 BC.

This pharaoh is credited with the creation of the pyramid of Khafre, as well as the Giza necropolis and a number of ritual temples. The proximity of these structures to the Sphinx prompted a number of archaeologists to believe that it was Khafre who ordered the construction majestic monument with your face.

Other scholars believe that the statue is much older than the pyramid. They argue that the statue's face and head bear evidence of obvious water damage and theorize that Great Sphinx already existed during the era when the region faced extensive flooding (6th millennium BC).

4. Whoever built the Sphinx ran away from it headlong after it was built.

American archaeologist Mark Lehner and Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass have discovered large stone blocks, toolkits and even fossilized dinners under a layer of sand. This clearly indicates that the workers were in such a hurry to get away that they did not even take their tools with them.

5The Laborers Who Built The Statue Were Fed Well

Most scholars think that the people who built the Sphinx were slaves. However, their diet suggests something completely different. As a result of excavations led by Mark Lehner, it was found that the workers regularly dined on beef, lamb and goat meat.

6 The Sphinx Was Once Covered In Paint

Although now the Sphinx is grey-sandy in color, it was once completely covered in bright paint. Remains of red paint can still be found on the face of the statue, and there are traces of blue and yellow paint on the body of the Sphinx.

7. The sculpture was buried under the sand for a long time.

The Great Sphinx of Giza has been victimized several times quicksand the Egyptian desert during its long existence. The first known restoration of the Sphinx, almost completely buried under the sand, occurred shortly before the 14th century BC, thanks to Thutmose IV, who shortly thereafter became Egyptian pharaoh. Three thousand years later, the statue was again buried under the sands. Up until the 19th century, the statue's front legs were deep below the desert surface. The entire Sphinx was excavated in the 1920s.

8 The Sphinx Lost Its Headdress In The 1920s

During the latest restoration, the Great Sphinx fell off part of its famous headdress, and the head and neck were seriously injured. The Egyptian government hired a team of engineers to restore the statue in 1931. But during this restoration, soft limestone was used, and in 1988 a 320-kilogram part of the shoulder fell off, nearly killing a German reporter. After that, the Egyptian government again began restoration work.

9. After the construction of the Sphinx, there was a cult that honored it for a long time.

Thanks to the mystical vision of Thutmose IV, who became pharaoh after he unearthed giant statue, in the 14th century BC, a whole cult of worship of the Sphinx arose. The pharaohs ruling during the New Kingdom even built new temples from which the Great Sphinx could be seen and worshipped.

10. The Egyptian sphinx is much kinder than the Greek

The Sphinx's modern reputation as a violent creature comes from Greek mythology, not Egyptian mythology. In Greek myths, the Sphinx is mentioned in connection with a meeting with Oedipus, to whom he asked a supposedly unsolvable riddle. In ancient Egyptian culture, the Sphinx was considered more benevolent.

11. Napoleon is not to blame for the fact that the Sphinx has no nose

The mystery of the absence of a nose on the Great Sphinx has given rise to all sorts of myths and theories. One of the most common legends says that Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the nose of the statue to be beaten off in a fit of pride. However, early sketches of the Sphinx show that the statue lost its nose even before the birth of the French emperor.

12 The Sphinx Was Once Bearded

Today, the remnants of the Great Sphinx's beard, which were removed from the statue due to severe erosion, are kept in the British Museum and in the Museum Egyptian antiquities created in Cairo in 1858. However, the French archaeologist Vasil Dobrev claims that the bearded statue was not from the very beginning, but the beard was added later. Dobrev argues for his hypothesis that removing the beard, if it had been a component of the statue from the start, would have damaged the statue's chin.

13. The Great Sphinx is the oldest statue, but not the oldest sphinx

The Great Sphinx of Giza is considered the oldest monumental sculpture in human history. If we assume that the statue dates from the reign of Khafre, the smaller sphinxes depicting his half-brother Djedefre and sister Netefer II are older.

14. Sphinx - the largest statue

Sphinx, which is 72 meters long and 20 meters high, is considered the largest monolithic statue on the planet.

15. There are several astronomical theories associated with the Sphinx.

The mystery of the Great Sphinx of Giza has given rise to a number of theories about the ancient Egyptians' supernatural understanding of the cosmos. Some scientists, such as Lehner, believe that the Sphinx with the Pyramids of Giza is a gigantic machine for capturing and processing solar energy. Another theory notes the coincidence of the Sphinx, the pyramids and the Nile River with the stars of the constellations Leo and Orion.

Let's try to understand the purpose of its creation and the methods of its construction. Let's find out what they say in the scientific world about the age of the Sphinx. What does he hide inside and what role does he play in relation to the pyramids? We will weed out fiction and assumptions, leaving only scientifically confirmed facts.

Brief description of the Sphinx in Egypt

Sphinx and 50 jets

The Sphinx in Egypt is the most grandiose surviving sculpture of antiquity. The length of the body is 3 compartment cars (73.5 m), and the height is a 6-storey building (20 m). The bus is smaller than one front paw. And the weight of 50 jet airliners is equal to the weight of a giant.

The blocks that make up the paws were added during the New Kingdom period to restore the original appearance. The sacred cobra, nose and ritual beard - symbols of the power of the pharaohs - are absent. Fragments of the latter are exhibited in the British Museum.

Near the ear, remnants of the original dark red paint can be seen.

What can strange proportions say?

One of the main abnormalities of the figure is the disproportion of the head and torso. It appears that the upper part was remade several times by subsequent rulers. There are opinions that at first the head of the idol was either a ram or a falcon and later turned into a human form. Restorations and renovations over many thousands of years could reduce the head or enlarge the body.

Where is the Sphinx located?

The monument is located in the necropolis of Memphis next to the pyramidal structures of Khufu (Cheops), Khafre (Khefren) and Menkaura (Mitserin) about 10 km from Cairo, on the west bank of the Nile River on the Giza plateau.

God is the other way around or what does the giant symbolize

In ancient Egypt, the figure of the Lion personified the power of the pharaohs. In Abydos, the cemetery of the first Egyptian kings, archaeologists have found about 30 skeletons of adults who were under 20 years old, and ... the bones of lions. The gods of the ancient Egyptians were always depicted with a human body and an animal head, but here it is the other way around: a human head the size of a house on the body of a lion.

Maybe this suggests that the power and strength of the lion was combined with human wisdom and the ability to control this power? But to whom did this power and wisdom belong? Whose features are carved in stone?

Unraveling the secret of construction: interesting facts

The world's leading Egyptologist Mark Lehner spent 5 years next to the mysterious creature, exploring him, the materials and rock around. He made up detailed map statues and came to an unequivocal conclusion: the statue was carved from limestone, which lies at the base of the Giza plateau.

First, they hollowed out a trench in the form of a horseshoe, leaving a huge block in the center. And then the sculptors carved a monument out of it. Blocks weighing up to 100 tons for the construction of the walls of the temple in front of the Sphinx were taken from here.

But this is only part of the puzzle. The other is how exactly did they do it?

Together with Rick Brown, an expert on ancient tools, Mark reproduced the tools depicted in the drawings of the tombs over 4000 years old. These were copper chisels, a two-handed pestle and a hammer. Then, with these tools, they cut out a detail of the monument from the limestone block: the missing nose.

This experiment allowed us to calculate that the creation of a mysterious figure could work one hundred sculptors in three years. At the same time, they were accompanied by a whole army of workers who created tools, dragged the rock and did other necessary work.

Who broke the nose of the colossus?

When Napoleon arrived in Egypt in 1798, he saw mysterious monster already without a nose, as the drawings of the 18th century prove: the face was like this long before the arrival of the French. Although you can meet the opinion that the nose was recaptured by the French military.

There are other versions. For example, the shooting of Turkish (according to other sources - English) soldiers, whose target was the face of an idol, is called. Or there is a story that tells of a fanatical Sufi monk in the 8th century AD who mutilated a “blasphemous idol” with a chisel.

Fragments of a ritual beard Egyptian Sphinx. British Museum, Photo from EgyptArchive

Indeed, there are traces of wedges driven into the bridge of the nose and near the nostril. The impression is that someone hammered them on purpose to break off the part.

Prophetic dream of the prince at the Sphinx

The monument was saved from complete destruction by the sands that covered it for millennia. Attempts to restore the colossus have been made since Thutmose IV. There is a legend how during the hunt, resting in the midday shade of the building, the son of the king fell asleep and had a dream. The giant deity promised him the crown of the Upper and Lower Realms and in return asked him to be released from the consuming desert. The Granite Dream Stele, set between the paws, keeps this story.

Drawing of the Great Sphinx 1737 Hood. Frederic Norden

The prince not only dug up the deity, but also surrounded it with a high stone wall. At the end of 2010, Egyptian archaeologists unearthed sections of a brick wall that stretched 132 meters around the monument. Scientists believe that this is the work of Thutmose IV, who wants to protect the statue from drifts.

The Story of the Unfortunate Restoration of the Sphinx at Giza

Despite efforts, the structure was again filled up. In 1858 some of the sand was cleared by Auguste Mariette, founder of the Egyptian Antiquities Service. And in the period from 1925 to 1936. the French engineer Emile Baraise completed the clearing completely. Perhaps for the first time, the divine beast was exposed to the elements again.

It is also evident that the statue is being destroyed due to wind, humidity and exhaust gases from Cairo. Realizing this, the authorities are trying to preserve the ancient monument. In the last century, in 1950, a huge and costly restoration and conservation project was started.

But on initial stage work, instead of benefit, only additional damage was caused. The cement used for the renovation was later found to be incompatible with the limestone. For 6 years, more than 2000 limestone blocks were added to the structure, chemical treatment was carried out, but ... this did not bring a positive result.

How M. Lehner guessed who the Great Sphinx of Egypt represents

Excavations of the temple of Khafre (in the foreground).
The Cheop pyramid is in the background.
Photograph by Henri Bechard, 1887

The tombs of the pharaohs change their shape and size over time. and appear. And the Great Sphinx is the only one.

A significant number of Egyptologists believe that he represents the pharaoh Khafre (Havra) from the fourth dynasty, because. a similar small stone silhouette with his face was found nearby. The dimensions of the blocks of the tomb of Khafre (circa 2540 BC) and the monster also coincide. Despite their claims, no one knows for sure when and by whom this statue was installed in Giza.

Mark Lehner found the answer to this question as well. He studied the structure of the Sphinx Temple, which is 9 meters away. On the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun at sunset connects the two sanctuaries of the temple and the pyramid of Khafre, in one line.

The religion of the ancient Egyptian kingdom was based on the worship of the sun. locals worshiped the idol as the incarnation of the Sun God, calling it Khor-Em-Akhet. Comparing these facts, Mark determines the original purpose of the Sphinx and its identity: Khafre face, the son of Cheops, looks from the figure of a god who protects the pharaoh's journey to the afterlife, making it safe.

In 1996, a New York detective and identification expert revealed that the resemblance is more noticeable with Chefren's older brother Djedefre (or son according to other sources). The debate on this topic is still ongoing.

How old is the giant anyway? Writer vs Scientists

Explorer John Anthony West

There is a lively debate going on over the dating of the monument. Writer John Anthony West was the first to notice footprints on the body of a lion. one erosion. On other structures of the plateau, wind or sand erosion is observed. He contacted Boston University geologist and assistant professor Robert M. Schoch, who, after reviewing the material, agreed with West's findings. In 1993, their joint work "The Secret of the Sphinx" was presented, which received an Emmy Award for Best Research and a nomination for Best Documentary.

Although today this area is arid, about 10,000 years ago the climate there was humid and rainy. West and Schoch concluded that the age of the Sphinx must be 7,000 to 10,000 years.

Scholars have dismissed Schoch's theory as grossly misguided, pointing out that the once-common, severe rainstorms in Egypt ceased before the appearance of the sculpture. But the question remains: Why was it that only this Giza structure showed signs of water damage?

Spiritual and supernatural interpretations about the purpose of the Sphinx

The famous English journalist Paul Brunton spent a lot of time traveling in Eastern countries, lived with monks and mystics, studied history and religion ancient egypt. He explored the royal tombs, met with famous fakirs and hypnotists.

His favorite symbol of the country, a mysterious giant, told him his secrets during a night spent in the Great Pyramid. The book “In search of mystical Egypt” tells how one day the secret of all things was revealed to him.

The American mystic and prophet Edgar Cayce is confident in the theory that can be read in his book on Atlantis. He pointed out that the secret knowledge of the Atlanteans was stored next to the Sphinx.

Sketch by Vivant Duvon 1798. Depicts a man climbing out of a hole at the top.

The writer Robert Bauval published an article in 1989 that the three pyramids at Giza formed a kind of three-dimensional "hologram" of the three stars of Orion's belt and the Milky Way relative to the Nile. He developed an elaborate theory that all the structures in the area, together with the ancient scriptures, constituted an astronomical map.

The most suitable position of the stars in the sky for this interpretation was in 10500 BC. This date is, for obvious reasons, disputed by Egyptologists, since not a single archaeological artifact dating from these years has been excavated here.

New mysteries of the Sphinx in Egypt?

There are various legends about the secret passages associated with this artifact. Research at the University of Florida and Boston, as well as Waseda University in Japan, revealed various anomalies around the figure. Although, it is possible that these are natural features.

In 1995, workers repairing a nearby car park stumbled upon a series of tunnels and paths, two of which plunge into the dungeon near the man-beast's stone body. R. Bauval is convinced that these structures are the same age.

Between 1991 and 1993, while studying the damage on the monument with a seismograph, Anthony West's team discovered regular hollow spaces or chambers located at a depth of several meters between the forelimbs and on both sides of the mysterious image. But permission for a deeper study was not obtained. The mystery of the underground rooms has not yet been solved.

The Sphinx in Egypt continues to excite inquisitive minds. Many conjectures and assumptions exist around the most ancient monument on our planet. Will we ever know who and why left this mark on Earth?

It is interesting to know your opinion, write it in the comments.
Please rate the article by choosing the desired number of stars below.
Share with friends in in social networks to discuss the secrets and mysteries of the Sphinx of Egypt at the meeting.
Read more interesting materials on the Zen channel

The most big statue in Egypt, the Sphinx. Legends of Egypt. History of the Sphinx.

Each civilization has its own symbols, which are considered integral parts of the people, their culture and history. The Sphinx of Ancient Egypt is an immortal proof of the power, strength and greatness of the country, a silent reminder of the divine origin of its rulers, who have sunk into centuries, but left an image on earth eternal life. The national symbol of Egypt is considered one of the greatest architectural monuments past, which still inspires involuntary fear with its impressiveness, a halo of secrets, mystical legends and centuries of history.

Monument in numbers

The Egyptian Sphinx is known to everyone and every inhabitant on earth. The monument is carved from a monolithic rock, has the body of a lion and the head of a man (according to some sources - a pharaoh). The length of the statue is 73 m, height - 20 m. The symbol of the power of royalty is located on the Giza plateau. west coast the Nile River and is surrounded by a wide and fairly deep moat. The thoughtful gaze of the Sphinx is directed to the east, towards that point in the heavens where the Sun rises. The monument has been covered with sand many times and has been restored more than once. The statue was completely cleared of sand only in 1925, striking the imagination of the inhabitants of the planet with its scale and size.

History of the sculpture: facts against legends

In Egypt, the Sphinx is considered the most mysterious and mystical monument. His story over the years has been of great interest and Special attention historians, writers, directors and researchers. Everyone who has had a chance to touch the eternity that the statue represents offers their own version of its origin. The locals call the stone sight "the father of horror" because the Sphinx is the keeper of many mysterious legends and a favorite place for tourists who love mysteries and fantasy. According to researchers, the history of the Sphinx has more than 13 centuries. Presumably, it was built in order to record the astronomical phenomenon - the reunion of the three planets.

origin myth

Until now, there is no reliable information about what this statue symbolizes, why it was built and when. The lack of history is replaced by legends that are passed from mouth to mouth and told to tourists. The fact that the Sphinx is the oldest and largest monument in Egypt gives rise to mysterious and ridiculous stories about it. There is an assumption that the statue guards the tombstones of the greatest pharaohs - the pyramids of Cheops, Mykerin and Khafre. Another legend says that stone sculpture symbolizes the personality of Pharaoh Khafre, the third - that it is a statue of the god Horus (god of heaven, half-man, half-falcon), watching the ascent of his father - the Sun God Ra.

legends

In ancient Greek mythology, the Sphinx is mentioned as an ugly monster. According to the Greeks, the legends of Ancient Egypt about this monster sound like this: a creature with a lion's body and a human head gave birth to Echidna and Typhon (a half-snake woman and a giant with a hundred dragon heads). It had the face and chest of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. The monster lived not far from Thebes, lay in wait for people and asked them a strange question: “Which living being moves on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?” None of the wanderers trembling with fear could give the Sphinx an intelligible answer. After which the monster sentenced them to death. However, the day came when the wise Oedipus was able to solve his riddle. “This is a man in childhood, maturity and old age,” he replied. After that, the crushed monster rushed from the top of the mountain and crashed against the rocks.

According to the second version of the legend, in Egypt the Sphinx was once God. One day, the heavenly ruler fell into an insidious trap of the sands, called the "cell of oblivion", and fell asleep in it with eternal sleep.

Real facts

Despite the mysterious undertones of the legends, real story no less mystical and mysterious. According to the initial opinion of scientists, the Sphinx was built at the same time as the pyramids. However, in the ancient papyri, from which information about the building of the pyramids was obtained, there is not a single mention of a stone statue. The names of architects and builders who created grandiose tombs for the pharaohs are known, but the name of the person who gave the world the Egyptian Sphinx is still unknown.

True, a few centuries after the creation of the pyramids, the first facts about the statue appear. The Egyptians call her "shepes ankh" - "a living image." Scientists could not give the world any more information and scientific explanation of these words. But at the same time, the cult image of the mysterious Sphinx - a winged monster maiden - is mentioned in Greek mythology, numerous fairy tales and legends. The hero of these tales, depending on the author, periodically changes his appearance, appearing in some versions as a half-man, half-lion, and in others as a winged lioness.

The history of ancient Egypt about the Sphinx

Another puzzle for scientists was the chronicle of Herodotus, who in 445 BC. described in great detail the process of building the pyramids. He told the world interesting stories about how the structures were erected, for how long and how many slaves were involved in their construction. The narration of the "father of history" touched even such nuances as the food of the slaves. But, oddly enough, Herodotus never mentioned the stone Sphinx in his work. In none of the subsequent records, the fact of the erection of the monument was also found.

The work of the Roman writer Pliny the Elder "Natural History" helped scientists shed light on the mystery of the Sphinx. In his notes, he talks about the next cleansing of the monument from sand. Based on this, it becomes clear why Herodotus did not leave the description of the Sphinx to the world - the monument at that time was buried under a layer of sand drifts. So how many times has he been trapped in the sand?

The first "restoration"

Judging by the inscription left on the stone stele between the monster's paws, Pharaoh Thutmose I spent a year freeing the monument. Ancient writings tell that, being a prince, Thutmose fell asleep at the foot of the Sphinx and had a dream in which the god Harmakis appeared to him. He predicted the prince's ascension to the throne of Egypt and ordered the statue to be released from the sand trap. After some time, Thutmose successfully became pharaoh and remembered the promise given to the deity. He ordered not only to dig up the giant, but also to restore it. Thus, the first revival of the legend of Egypt took place in the 15th century. BC. That's when the world knew about grand structure and a unique cult monument of Egypt.

It is known for certain that after the revival of the Sphinx by Pharaoh Thutmose, it was once again dug up during the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty, under the Roman emperors who captured Ancient Egypt, and the Arab rulers. In our time, it was again freed from the sands in 1925. Until now, the statue has to be cleaned after sandstorms, as it is an important tourist attraction.

Why is the monument missing a nose?

Despite the antiquity of the sculpture, it has practically survived in its original form, embodying the Sphinx. Egypt (the photo of the monument is presented above) managed to maintain its architectural masterpiece but failed to protect him from the barbarism of the people. The statue does not have this moment nose. Scientists suggest that one of the pharaohs, for reasons unknown to science, ordered to beat off the nose of the statue. According to other sources, the monument was damaged by Napoleon's army, firing a cannon at his face. The British, on the other hand, chopped off the beard of the monster and sent it to their museum.

However, in the later records of the historian Al-Maqrizi from 1378, it is said that the stone statue no longer had a nose. According to him, one of the Arabs, wanting to atone for religious sins (the Koran forbade the depiction of human faces), chipped off the giant's nose. In response to such a crime and abuse of the Sphinx, the sands began to take revenge on people, advancing on the lands of Giza.

As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that in Egypt, the Sphinx lost its nose as a result of strong winds and floods. Although this assumption has not yet found real confirmation.

The Stunning Secrets of the Sphinx

In 1988, as a result of exposure to caustic factory smoke, a decent part of a stone block (350 kg) broke off from the monument. UNESCO, concerned appearance and the state of tourism and cultural object, resumed repairs, thereby paving the way for new research. As a result of a thorough study of the stone blocks of the pyramid of Cheops and the Sphinx by Japanese archaeologists, a hypothesis was put forward that the monument was built much earlier than the great tomb of the pharaoh. The conclusion was a stunning discovery for historians, who assumed that the pyramid, the Sphinx, and other funerary structures were contemporaries. The second, no less surprising discovery was a long narrow tunnel discovered under the left paw of a predator, connected to the pyramid of Cheops.

After Japanese archaeologists, hydrologists took up the most ancient monument. They found traces of erosion on his body from a large water stream that moved from north to south. After a series of studies, hydrologists came to the conclusion that the stone lion was a silent witness to the flood of the Nile - a biblical catastrophe that occurred about 8-12 thousand years ago. American researcher John Anthony West explained the traces of water erosion on the body of a lion and their absence on the head as evidence that the Sphinx existed back in time ice age and dates from any period up to 15 thousand years BC. e. According to French archaeologists, the history of Ancient Egypt can boast of the oldest monument that existed even at the time of the death of Atlantis.

Thus, the stone statue tells us about the existence of the greatest civilization, which managed to erect such a majestic structure, which became the immortal image of the Past.

The admiration of the ancient Egyptians before the Sphinx

The pharaohs of Egypt regularly made pilgrimages to the foot of the giant, which symbolized the great past of their country. They made sacrifices on the altar, which was between his paws, burned incense, receiving from the giant a silent blessing on the kingdom and throne. The Sphinx was for them not only the incarnation of the sun god, but also a sacred image that gave them hereditary and legitimate power from their ancestors. He personified powerful Egypt, the history of the country was reflected in its majestic form, embodying each image of the new pharaoh and turning modernity into a component of eternity. Ancient writings glorified the Sphinx as a great creator god. His image reunited the past, present and future.

Astronomical explanation of the stone statue

By official version The Sphinx would have been built in 2500 BC. e. by order of Pharaoh Khafre during the reign of the Fourth Ruling Dynasty of Pharaohs. A huge lion is located among other majestic structures on stone plateau Giza - three pyramids. Astronomical studies have shown that the location of the statue was chosen not by blind intuition, but in accordance with the point of intersection of the path of heavenly bodies. It served as the equatorial point, indicating the exact location on the horizon of the place of sunrise on the day of the vernal equinox. According to astronomers, the Sphinx was built 10.5 thousand years ago.

It is noteworthy that the pyramids of Giza are located on the earth in exactly the same order as the three stars of Orion's Belt in the sky that year. According to legend, the Sphinx and the pyramids fixed the position of the stars, the astronomical time, which the ancient Egyptians called the first. Since the heavenly personification of the god Osiris, who ruled at that time, was Orion, man-made structures were built to depict the stars of his belt in order to perpetuate and fix the time of his power.

The Great Sphinx as a tourist attraction

Currently, a giant lion with a human head attracts millions of tourists eager to see the legendary, shrouded in darkness centuries of history and many mystical legends stone sculpture. The interest of all mankind in it is due to the fact that the secret of the creation of the statue remained undisclosed, buried under the sands. It is hard to imagine how many secrets the Sphinx keeps in itself. Egypt (a photo of the monument and the pyramids can be seen on any travel portal) can be proud of his great history, outstanding people, grandiose monuments, the truth about which their creators took with them to the kingdom of Anubis - the god of death. Great and impressive is the huge stone Sphinx, whose history has remained unsolved and full of secrets. Still, the calm gaze of the statue is directed into the distance, and its appearance is still imperturbable. How many centuries has he been a silent witness of human suffering, the vanity of rulers, the sorrows and misfortunes that befell the Egyptian land? How many secrets does the Great Sphinx keep in itself? Unfortunately, all these questions have not been answered for many years.

What is wrong with the Sphinx?

The Arab sages, struck by the majesty of the Sphinx, said that the giant is timeless. But over the past millennia, the monument has suffered a lot, and, first of all, the person is to blame for this.

At first, the Mamluks practiced accuracy of shooting at the Sphinx, their initiative was supported by Napoleonic soldiers. One of the rulers of Egypt ordered to beat off the nose of the sculpture, and the British stole a stone beard from the giant and took it to the British Museum.

In 1988, a huge stone block broke away from the Sphinx and fell with a roar. She was weighed and horrified - 350 kg. This fact caused the most serious concern of UNESCO. It was decided to convene a council of representatives of various specialties in order to find out the reasons that destroy the ancient structure.

According to experts, the Sphinx, first of all, is harmed by human life: the exhaust gases of 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.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are needed to restore the ancient monument. There is no such money. In the meantime, the Egyptian authorities are restoring the sculpture on their own.

mother of fear

In his reasoning, Al-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, 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.

In support of his theory, the archaeologist gives several arguments. 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 it.

Chamber of Secrets.

Some researchers are still confident in the existence of a "secret room". They remember 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 mankind about a highly developed civilization that existed millions of years ago.

In 1989, a group of Japanese scientists using the radar method discovered a narrow tunnel under the left paw of the Sphinx, leading towards the pyramid of Khafre, and an impressive cavity 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 is a large rectangular chamber. But in 1993, his work was suddenly suspended by local authorities. Since that time, the Egyptian government officially forbids geological or seismological research around the Sphinx.

Older than civilization

First, in 1991, a professor of geology from Boston analyzed the erosion of the sphinx's surface and concluded that the age of the sphinx must be at least 9,500 thousand years, that is, the sphinx is at least 5,000 years older than scientists thought! Second, Robert Bauval, using modern technologies computer simulation, found that about 12,500 years ago (11th century BC), in the early morning, the ascent of the constellation Leo was clearly visible right above the place where the sphinx was built. He logically assumed that the sphinx, which is very reminiscent of a lion, was built on this site as a symbol of this event. Well, the third nail in the coffin of views official science scored by police artist Frank Domingo, who painted sketches. He stated that the sphinx had nothing to do with the face of Pharaoh Khafre. So now it was safe to say that the Sphinx was built long before any civilization known to science.

Huge voids under the sphinx

Of course, all these discoveries and statements could have been hidden under a thick layer of dust from scientific rooms, but then, as luck would have it, Japanese researchers arrived in Egypt. It was 1989, when a group of scientists from Waseda, led by Professor Sakuji Yoshimura, using modern electromagnetic radar devices, discovered tunnels and rooms right under the sphinx. Immediately after their discovery, the Egyptian authorities intervened in the research, and the Yoshimura group was deported from Egypt for life. The same discovery was repeated in the same year by Thomas Daubecki, an American geophysicist. True, he managed to explore only a small area under the right paw of the sphinx, after which he was also promptly expelled from Egypt.

Three very strange events

In 1993, a robot was sent into a small tunnel (20x20 cm) that went from the burial chamber of the Cheops pyramid, which found a wooden door with brass handles inside this very tunnel, into which it successfully rested. Next, for 10 years, scientists have been developing a new robot to open the door. And in 2003 they launched it into the same tunnel. It must be admitted that he safely opened the door, and behind it the already narrow tunnel began to narrow even more. The robot could not go further, but in the distance he saw another door. A new robot, with the aim of opening the second "shutter", was launched in 2013. After that, tourist access to the pyramids was finally closed, and all research results were classified. Since then there has been no official news.

secret city

But there are many unofficial ones, one of which is actively lobbied and promoted by the American Casey Foundation (the one, by the way, who allegedly predicted the discovery of some secret room under the sphinx). According to their version, in 2013 they drove through the second door of the tunnel, after which a stone slab with hieroglyphs rose from the ground between the front paws of the sphinx, which told about a room under the sphinx and a certain Hall of Testimony. As a result of excavations, the Egyptians got into this very first room, which turned out to be a kind of hallway. From it, the researchers went down a tier below and found themselves in a round hall from which to Great Pyramid there were three tunnels. But then there are very strange data. Allegedly, in one of the tunnels, the road was blocked by an energy field unknown to science, which three certain great people were able to remove. After that, a 12-storey building was discovered, going underground. The dimensions of this structure are truly grandiose and more like a city than a building - 10 kilometers wide and 13 kilometers long. In addition, the Casey Foundation claims that the Egyptians concealed a certain rod of Thoth - archaeological artifact world significance, which supposedly has the power of technology unknown to mankind.

More questions than answers

Of course, at first glance, the theory of Cayce's followers seems to be complete nonsense. And everything would have been so if the Egyptian government had not partially confirmed the discovery of a certain underground city. It is clear that about some energy force fields no information was received from the authorities. Also, the Egyptian authorities did not recognize the fact that they did get into the city, therefore, what was found there is also not known. But the fact of recognition of the discovery of the underground city remains. So the Sphinx makes people think new riddle, and we just have to make every effort to still unravel it.