Which cities have statues of ancient Egyptian sphinxes. The stunning secrets of the Sphinx. What to see nearby

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. Most Interest among them and among scientists causes a mysterious figure Great Sphinx, which is a symbol of Egypt and a world cultural and historical heritage.

On west bank great river Nile, 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 on state ancient monument 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 Great Sphinx not in a hurry to reveal all their 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.

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 the west 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 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

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.

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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 assemble a council of representatives of various specialties in order to find out the reasons that destroy ancient building.

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 the Cairo Museum - it is on 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 secret place"sacred books", which contain "the secrets of Osiris", and then cast a spell on this place so that knowledge would remain "undiscovered until Heaven gives birth to beings who 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 by 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 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 of the 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" due to the fact that the Sphinx is the guardian of many mysterious legends and a favorite place for tourists - lovers of 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 referred to 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 in his work stone sphinx. 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

According to the 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 intersection point of the path. 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 its 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.

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.

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 modeling, 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 three tunnels went to the Great Pyramid. But then there are very strange data. Allegedly, in one of the tunnels the road was not blocked known to science an energy field that three 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, an archaeological artifact of world significance, which supposedly has the power of technologies 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.

Egypt is a country with an extraordinary culture and history. It was here that the first monumental buildings in the history of mankind were built. architectural monuments. Many people learn about Egyptian culture, pyramids and other sights from school, looking at photos or reading information on Wikipedia. In fact, each of these sculptures deserves to be touched and seen by as many tourists from all over the world as possible. One of the most impressive architectural monuments is the Egyptian Sphinx. This sculpture is full of mysteries and legends. In addition, the Great Sphinx in Egypt is included in the list of ancient sculptures. Its size is impressive and somewhat frightening. The length of the statue reaches 73 meters, and the height of the figure is 20 meters. The shape is no less striking - the head of a man is connected to the body and paws of a lion.

Where is the Sphinx

A popular attraction is located on the west bank of the Nile, in the city of Giza. Address: Nazlet El Semman, Al Haram, Giza. The map shows the Great Sphinx in Egypt inside the Pyramid Complex at Giza, not far from the Pyramid of Cheops. The city of Giza is located 30 km from the capital of the state, Cairo.

How to get there

Since the Great Sphinx in Egypt is in great demand among tourists, getting to it is not difficult. You can drive directly to the Sphinx plateau by taxi. The journey will take about half an hour. According to tourists, a taxi will cost about 20-30 dollars. You can also spend a little more time and save money by taking a scheduled trip. by bus from Cairo. Buses to Giza run at intervals of about half an hour. The ticket price reaches 5-7 dollars. If your hotel is located in other areas of Egypt near the metro, from there you can get to the Giza station. Further attractions are about 2 km away, which can be reached by taxi or on foot.

Origin story

The history of the sphinx is full of mysteries that scientists cannot unravel after millennia. Today, science does not answer the question of when, why and who built the sphinx in egypt. However, there is still official version origin of sculpture. According to the theory, the Sphinx is 4517 years old, since it was built in 2500 BC. Presumably the architect was Pharaoh Khafre. Making such a statement, scientists rely on the similarity of the material used for the construction of the Sphinx and the pyramid of Khafre - the blocks are made of baked clay.

It is worth noting that German scientists put forward another hypothesis, according to which the landmark was erected in 7000 BC. Such a statement is based on studies of the material and erosion of the statue. According to French Institute Egyptology, the sculpture has experienced at least 4 restorations during its existence. One day, heavy winds and sandstorms wiped the Sphinx off the face of the Earth. Several centuries later, the statue was discovered by Khafre and restored.

There is also a theory according to which Pharaoh Khafre was the customer. The one who, according to another hypothesis, was an architect. However, the obvious manifestations of the features of the Negroid race on the face of the Sphinx are rather a negative argument. Experts, resorting to computer technology, created the appearance of the pharaoh and his relatives. After comparative analysis the conclusion was that the statue and the pharaoh's family could not have similar facial features.

The purpose of the Sphinx

IN Ancient Egypt people called the statue " rising sun” or believed that it was dedicated to the Nile. known fact it became only that the majority of civilization in sculpture saw a symbol of the divine principle, namely the God of the Sun - Ra. If you delve into the origin of the name of the statue, then the word “sphinx” is ancient Greek, meaning “strangler”. According to other assumptions, the sculpture was created as a symbol of the protection of the pharaohs after death and as an assistant in the afterlife. But more often, scientists agree that the image of the statue is collective, symbolizing the four seasons, where the wings are autumn, the paws are summer, the face is winter, and the body of the lion is spring.

Secrets of the Sphinx

For several millennia, scientists and researchers around the world have not been able to come to a consensus on the origin and purpose of sculpture. The mysteries of the Egyptian Sphinx remain unsolved and leave more questions than answers. Who, when and why built the statue are not the only mysteries.

Hall of Chronicles

The first to claim the existence of underground passages, was Edgar Cayce, an American scientist. His claim was confirmed by Japanese scientists who discovered a five-meter rectangular chamber under the lion's left paw. Edgar Cayce expressed the idea that the Atlanteans left traces of their existence in the "Hall of Records". Astrologers, in turn, interpret the location of the room and the pyramids in the Necropolis in their own way - in 1980, researchers drilled about 15 meters deep. Aswan granite was found here, although the natural occurrence of this rock is absent here, which indicates traces of the “hall of chronicles”.

Disappearance of the Sphinx

Herodotus, an ancient Greek philosopher, traveled through Egypt. After the trip, he began to describe in detail the location of the pyramids, their number, age. The description even included the number of slaves involved and the food they were fed. Among other things, Herodotus did not mention a word about the Egyptian Sphinx. Scientists believe that the statue was swept up by the sands in this era. This happened to the sculpture repeatedly. Only in the last two centuries, the figure has been excavated more than 4 times. And only in 1925 the Egyptians were able to completely dig out the lion.

On Guard of the Sunrise

Another interesting detail of the statue is the inscription on the chest "I look at your fuss." The figure is endowed with majesty and mystery. Eyes radiate wisdom and alertness. Lips depict contempt and irony. It would seem that the statue has no power and cannot influence the course of events in any way. A story that happened to one journalist proves the opposite. A certain young photographer wanted to make unique shots by climbing onto the statue. After trying to get closer, someone seemed to push him, the journalist fell, and, waking up, found that the footage had been erased from the film. The magical power of the Sphinx showed up more than once. Therefore, the Egyptians are firmly convinced that the statue guards them and watches over the Sunrise.

Why does the sphinx have no nose and beard?

Another amazing feature of the ancient statue in the world - the absence of a nose and a beard. There are three most common versions of this. The first one says that the nose of the Sphinx was hit by an artillery shot during the war with Napoleon. Official sources they reject this, since in the drawings of an earlier age the figure is already without a nose and a beard. According to the second version, in the XIV century, an Islamic extremist climbed onto the figure and barbarously mutilated it, wanting to rid the world of the idol. After that, the fanatic was caught and burned right at the feet of the lion.

The third version has scientific confirmation and speaks of the absence of parts of the face due to water erosion. This theory is followed by French and Japanese scientists.

During the excavations at the foot of the statue, tools, stone blocks, and the remains of workers' belongings were found, which indicates that the builders quickly left the place after the Sphinx was ready.
Excavations led by M. Lehner helped to establish an approximate ration of workers, judging by which we can safely say that the builders received decent wages.
The Sphinx was colorful. Although the statue is now a naturally sandy color, there are stains of yellow and blue paint on the chest and face.
The Egyptian Sphinx has ancient Greek roots. But the Greek figure in mythology is depicted as more cruel and sullen than the Egyptian one.
In Egypt, there is a statue of an androsphinx, as it lacks wings and a woman's face.

Restoration of the Great Sphinx

Attempts to restore and excavate the Sphinx from under the sand were repeated. The first who began to save the oldest sculpture were the pharaohs Thutmose IV and Ramses II. The Italians also cleaned the statue in 1817, later in 1925. In the recent past, the Sphinx was closed to tourists for about 4 months, after which, in 2014, the restoration was completed.

What to see nearby

You can travel around Giza not only for the sake of the Great Sphinx. Nearby, on the plateau, there are 3 famous pyramids, among which and . All of them are located within walking distance and do not require additional transport, according to tourists.

October 17th, 2016

Great Sphinx of Giza, Great Sphinx of Egypt (Great Sphinx) worldwide famous monument, carved from a monolithic rock with the body of a lion and the head of a man. The Great Sphinx is a unique statue 73 m long and 20 m high, 11.5 meters at the shoulders, face width 4.1 m, face height 5 m, carved from a limestone monolith that forms the rocky base of the Giza plateau. Along the perimeter, the body of the Sphinx is surrounded by a moat 5.5 meters wide and 2.5 meters deep. Nearby are 3 world-famous Egyptian pyramids.

There are some interesting information which you might not know. Here, check yourself...

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.

ancient pyramids

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. The guesses of hydrologists are even bolder: "Erosion is more likely not the traces of 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.

Clickable 6000px,...late 1800s

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. 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.

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 the Cairo Museum - it is on 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.

Mother of Fear

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

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 by local authorities. Since that time, the Egyptian government officially forbids geological or seismological research around the Sphinx.

Sphinx and executions.

The word "sphinx" in the Egyptian language is etymologically related to the word "seshep-ankh", which in literal translation into Russian means "the image of the Existing". Another well-known translation of this word is “image of the living”. Both of these expressions have a single semantic content - "the image of the living God." In Greek, the word "sphinx" is etymologically associated with the Greek verb "sphinga" - to suffocate.

Since 1952, five hollow sphinxes have been discovered in Egypt, each of which served as a place of executions and at the same time the grave of the executed. Archaeologists who uncovered the secret of the sphinxes were horrified to discover that the bone remains of many hundreds of corpses covered the floors of the sphinxes in a thick layer. Leather straps hung from the ceilings with the remains of human leg bones. It is believed that among these corpses there could be workers who built the pyramids and tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs, and were sacrificed in order to preserve their secrets.

The apparently hollow bodies of sphinxes deliberately scattered throughout the country served as a place of execution and torture for an extended period of time. The death of the executed was long and painful, and the bodies of the victims hung by the feet were deliberately not removed. The screams of the dying were bound to terrify the living.

The fear of winged sphinxes was so great that it survived for centuries. When in 1845, during excavations in the ruins of Kalah, a winged sphinx with a human head was found, all workers from local residents panicked. They refused to continue excavations, because the ancient legend was still alive that the winged sphinx would bring misfortune to them and cause the death of all living on earth.

And further...

Clickable 3200 px

This is a familiar look. It seems that the pyramids are lost somewhere far away in the desert, covered with sand, and to get to them, you need to make a long camel journey.

Let's see how things really are.

Clickable 4200 px

Giza is modern name large Cairo necropolis, occupying approximately 2000 square meters. m.

The third place in terms of population after Cairo and Alexandria is occupied by this city, which is home to more than 900 thousand inhabitants. In fact, Giza merges with Cairo. Here are the famous Egyptian pyramids: Cheops, Khafre, Mikeren and the Great Sphinx.