Great Sphinx, Giza, Egypt. Sphinx: the oldest mystery (6 photos)

The Great Sphinx, standing on a plateau at Giza, is the subject of controversy among scientists, the object of numerous legends, assumptions and conjectures. Who built it, when, why? Not a single question has a definitive answer. Blown by the sands of time, the Sphinx keeps its secret for many millennia.

It is carved out of a single limestone rock. It is believed that she stood nearby and with her shape already resembled a sleeping lion. The length of the Sphinx is 72 meters, the height is 20. The nose, which has been missing for a long time, was one and a half meters long.

Today, the statue is a lion lying in the sand, but some historians suggest that the original sculpture was completely lion, and one of the pharaohs decided to depict his face on the statue. Hence some disproportions between the huge body and the relatively small head. But this version is just a guess.

No papers have been preserved about the Sphinx at all. Ancient Egyptian papyri about the construction of the pyramids have survived. But there is not, not a single word about the statue of a lion. The first mentions in papyri can be found only at the beginning of our era. Where it says that the Sphinx, which was once cleared of sand.

Purpose

Most scientists agree that the Sphinx guards the eternal rest of the pharaohs. In ancient Egypt, the lion was considered a symbol of power and the guardian of sacred places. Some believe that the Sphinx, in addition, was a religious object; the entrance to the temple supposedly began at its paws.

Other answers are looking for, focusing on the location of the statue. It is turned to the Nile and looks strictly to the east. Therefore, there is an option that the Sphinx is associated with the Sun God. The ancient inhabitants could worship him, bring gifts here, ask that the harvest be good.

It is not known what the ancient Egyptians themselves called the statue. There is an assumption that "Seshep-ankh" is "the image of the Being or the Living". That is, he was the embodiment of the divine on earth. In the Middle Ages, the Arabs called the sculpture "Father or the king of horror and fear." The word “sphinx” itself is Greek and literally translates as “strangler”. Some historians speculate based on the name. In their opinion, there is emptiness inside the sphinx, people were tortured, tortured, killed there, hence the “father of horror” and the “strangler”. But this is just a guess, one of many.

Sphinx face

Who is immortalized in stone? The most official version is Pharaoh Khafre. During the construction of his pyramid, stone blocks of the same dimensions were used as in the construction of the Sphinx. Plus, not far from the statue, they found an image of Khafre.

But even here it is not so obvious. An American expert compared the face from the image and the face of the Sphinx, finding no similarities, he came to the conclusion that these are portraits of completely different people.

Whose face is the Sphinx? There are many versions. For example, Queen Cleopatra, the god of the rising sun - Horus, or one of the rulers of Atlantis. Proponents of this theory believe that the entire ancient Egyptian civilization was the work of the Atlanteans.

When was it built?

There is no answer to this question either. The official version is in 2500 BC. This just coincides with the reign of Pharaoh Khafre and the unprecedented dawn of ancient Egyptian civilization.

Japanese scientists using echo sounders studied the internal state of the sculpture. Their discovery was a real sensation. The stones of the Sphinx are processed much earlier than the stones of the pyramids. Hydrologists joined the work. On the body of the Sphinx, they found significant traces of water erosion, on the head they were not so large.

Therefore, experts came to the conclusion that the Sphinx was built when there was a different climate in these places: it rained, there were floods. And this is 10, according to other sources, 15 thousand years before our era.

The sands of time have no mercy

Time and people did not spare the Great Sphinx. In the Middle Ages, it was a training target for the Mamluks, the military caste of Egypt. The nose was broken off either by them, or it was the order of a certain ruler, or it was done by one religious fanatic, who was then torn apart by the crowd. It is not clear just how one and a half meter nose can be destroyed alone.

Once upon a time, the Sphinx was blue or purple. A little paint remained in the ear area. He had a beard - now it is an exhibit of the British and Cairo museums. The royal headdress - the uraeus, which was decorated with a cobra on the forehead, did not survive at all.

The sands sometimes covered the statue with its head. In 1400 BC, the Sphinx, on the orders of Pharaoh Thutmose IV, was cleansed for a year. It was possible to free the front paws and part of the torso. About this event, at the foot of the sculpture, a plaque was then installed, it can be seen now.

The statue was freed from the sand by the Romans, Greeks, Arabs. But she was swallowed up again and again by the sands of time. The Sphinx was completely cleaned up only in 1925.

A few more mysteries and conjectures

It is believed that under the Sphinx there are some passages, tunnels and even a huge library with ancient books. In the late 80s and early 90s, American and Japanese scientists, using special equipment, discovered several corridors and a certain cavity under the Sphinx. But the Egyptian authorities stopped the research. Since 1993, any geological and radar work has been prohibited here.

Experts hope to find not only secret rooms. The ancient Egyptians built everything according to the principle of symmetry, and one lion looks somehow unusual. There is a theory that somewhere nearby, under a thick layer of sand, another Sphinx is hidden, only female.

Egypt is a country with an extraordinary culture and history. It was here that the first monumental architectural monuments in the history of mankind were built. 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 an official version of the origin of the 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 the French Institute of Egyptology, the sculpture has gone through 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 a 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 "the rising sun" or believed that it was dedicated to the Nile. The only known fact was 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 take unique pictures by climbing 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 oldest statue in the world is the absence of a nose and 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 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 a plateau, there are 3 famous pyramids, including and. All of them are located within walking distance and do not require additional transport, according to tourists.

Above the tombs of the pharaohs, the Egyptians erected statues of sphinxes. In the suburbs of Cairo is the most ancient on the planet of the Great Egyptian Sphinx. The statue is carved from limestone and depicts a huge lion with a human face.

The history of the appearance of the statue

The monument of the Egyptian Sphinx is located near the pyramid of Cheops. Between the paws of the statue there is an inscription announcing that the monument is a copy of the sun god - Khamarkis. According to one version, the face of the statue is made in the likeness of Pharaoh Khafre. It was created during his reign - 2520-2494 BC. e.

Many years later, the statue was discovered under a mound of sand and restored by Pharaoh Thutmose IV. There are legends among the Egyptians about the ability of the sphinx statue not only to protect the tombs and souls of the dead, but also to move around.

The Sphinx changes its location when it is dissatisfied with something - the government or the attitude towards itself. He goes into the desert, where he burrows deep into the sand. The pharaoh dreamed of God and said that his body was covered with sand and asked for help, indicating the exact location of the statue. During the excavations, a statue was discovered, the severed head of which rested peacefully between its paws.

The steps leading up to the statue were built much later, during the time of the Roman Empire. The Romans were engaged in the reconstruction of most of the Egyptian monuments. When a notch was found on the head of the statue, people thought that this was a secret entrance to the pyramid, but in fact it turned out that this was the place where the headdress was lost in a sandstorm.

Previously, it was believed that secret passages were built in the sphinx, but after lengthy research, it was possible to prove that the body was built from a rocky ledge, and the front part consists of separate stone parts.

Pedestal dimensions:

• length - 73.5 m;
• height - 20 m.

The material of the statue was examined by introducing metal pipes inside. Detailed analyzes made it possible to determine the composition of the remains of mumillites - marine inhabitants of tiny sizes.

This proves that the rock for the statue was brought to this place with the help of an unknown transport facility. The second version says that the monument was built from a local rock, which, according to external data, was similar to the sphinx initially.

The Sphinx was considered a portal between our world and the Great Pyramid. Between the paws of the statue there was an entrance, and inside there was a labyrinth, wandering through which, a person came to the starting point. The location of the correct moves was known to the Egyptian priests.

In the labyrinth, travelers were looking for a bronze door that opens the mysterious World of the pyramid and the key to the wisdom of the gods. Evidence of its existence has not been found. If we assume that the door was, then it is littered with debris and sand, because over time the statue was badly damaged.

The sculpture has come down to us in a disfigured form. Her nose was beaten off by conquering Muslims so that the faithful would abandon idolatry, and traces of red paint are barely visible on her face. For the Egyptians, the statue remained a symbol of wisdom and the personification of physical strength.

Place of the Sphinx in Greek Mythology

In the mythology of ancient Greece, the sphinx is a creature that was depicted as a half-woman, half-lion, with the wings of a bird. Demoness-strangler personified the inevitability of fate, human suffering and torment. In some legends, Tryphon and Echidna became her parents, in others - Chimera and Orff.

Hera sent a sphinx to Thebes to devastate the territories and punish Laem for seducing Chryssip. Another version says that the creature was sent by Ares to Thebes to avenge the slain dragon. The creature chose to live in a cave on a mountain near the city gates of the city. The sphinx gave each traveler the task of guessing a riddle. People who did not cope with the task, she killed. Many noble Thebans became its victims, among them - the son of King Creon, Haemon.

Oedipus solved the riddle. After that, the Sphinx threw herself off the mountain in despair. This is the interpretation according to Euripides. Aeschylus presented the story differently. In his version, the Sphinx herself guessed the riddle of Silenus. The ancient Boeotian version of the story describes a monster called Fix. It swallowed its victims and lived on Mount Fikion. During a fierce battle, a ferocious creature was killed by Oedipus.

Sphinxes in other nations

The mythical creature occupied a certain place in the mythology of the Persians, Assyrians and Phoenicians. In their legends, the creature is depicted in male form with a beard and long curly hair. A little later, the image was modernized and in the legends they began to mention female and male individuals. Here the sphinxes were revered for their wisdom.

Sphinxes have centuries of knowledge, speak all languages ​​and own forgotten types of magic. They are presented as adepts in the use of spells in magical rituals. Creatures love jewelry and books.

The males are described as large beings with great physical strength. In a fit of anger, challenging, the sphinx emits a deafening roar that can be heard for hundreds of miles around. Females are much smarter, endowed with wisdom, tend to help people. They patronize poets and philosophers.

Sphinx in Egyptian mythology

The true purpose of the Egyptian Sphinx:

• guard the house of the gods;
• teach people wisdom;
• indicate the right path to knowledge;
• personify the god Harmachis on earth.

God Harmachis is one of the incarnations of the young Ra. The parents of the divine essence were Osiris and Isis. Set killed Osiris even before the conception of Harmachis, but his wife, with the help of magic, brought him back to life. A little later, Set dismembered Osiris, scattered his remains around the world, in the hope that Isis would not be able to resurrect him anymore. The goddess had to hide from Set in the swamps of the Nile for a long time in order to keep the child in the womb.

At the moment of the birth of the deity, a red star lit up in the sky. The mother protected her child with magic until he came of age. Throughout his childhood and youth, Harmakhis successfully studied and gave knowledge to others. At the age of 30, he had 12 disciples who helped heal the sick.

The matured Harmachis entered into a duel with Seth in order to avenge his father. During the battle, Set tore out the eyes of the young man, but the young god, not bewildered, returned him to himself and, having killed Set, took the masculine nature of the enemy. With the help of his eye, he resurrected his father and became the full ruler of Egypt. He was identified with victory and the power of justice.

There is a legend in which Set is the personification of darkness, and Harmachis is light. Their fight was not the only one, but continued for an eternity, beginning at dawn and ending at dusk. Their battle is an eternal struggle between good and evil.

Some monumental structures depict the Egyptian sphinx as a lion with a falcon's head and one large eye in its forehead. The Egyptians believed that God had the gift of clairvoyance, which helped him to distinguish truth from lies every time. Putting his eye on a sick person, he helped to gain clear thoughts and see the resolution of a difficult situation. The magic of the god was the ability to see with eyes full of love, without prevarication, without being selective and without malice in the heart.

A little later, the interpretation of the god-ruler was relegated to the background, since persons of non-royal blood began to be allowed to power, which changed the attitude towards the pharaohs in the bud. Harmakhis became not the supreme god, but the son of the god Ra. Later, the divine descendant was betrayed by one of his disciples. Harmachis was crucified and buried. He lay like that for 3 days, and then rose again.

Historical mysteries

Concerning the origin of the Egyptian Sphinx, there are still disputes. Its existence is surrounded by secrets and mysteries:

1. There are 3 underground passages under the monument. It was possible to find only one, located behind the head of the statue.
2. The exact time of the appearance of the monument could not be established. There is historical evidence that it was built long before the reign of Pharaoh Khafre.
3. The accusations of the French emperor Napoleon and his army in the destruction of the face of the statue may be groundless, because. there are sketches of an ancient traveler depicting a pedestal already without a nose and they are dated to the times when Bonaparte was not yet born.
4. There is not a single mention of the erection of the monument in the records of the Egyptians. The people carefully documented information about the costs of all constructions.
5. The first mention of the statue is found in the notes of Pliny the Elder. They contain information about the excavations, during which the monument was released from sand captivity.

Restoration work

The first pharaoh who managed to completely free the statue from the sand was Thutmose IV. Later, the monument was ordered to be dug up by Ramses. Then restoration attempts were made in the 19th-20th centuries.

Today, active work is underway to restore and strengthen the monument. The statue was closed for 4 months and the composition of the material was carefully analyzed, the possibilities of strengthening the foundation were determined. All cracks were isolated with modern building materials. The monument became accessible to tourists in 2014.

The Great Sphinsk is one of the most valuable statues in Egypt. Scientists from all over the world are still working on the riddles of the monument. There is no documentation regarding its origin, so it was not possible to fully understand when it was built. In mythology, the sphinx appears before people in different guises. It carries the wisdom of centuries, helps to shed light on the solution of complex problems and is the guardian of the world of the gods.

The large sphinx, whose figure is carved from solid rock and faces east, is much older than the pyramids located in the Giza Valley. This fact is proved by the inventory stele, discovered in the vicinity of Cairo in 1857.

According to inscriptions engraved on ancient granite, the Sphinx was restored in the era of Pharaoh Khafre, whose reign dates back presumably to 2558 BC. e. Previously, it was believed that the half-lion-half-man was only erected at this time.

Mysteries of the ancient Sphinx

The Sphinx is located next to the pyramid of Khafre, so scientists agreed that a stone lion with a human head is the guardian of the tomb of the great king of the Egyptian people. However, in the papyri, which described the course of the construction of the pyramids, there is no information about the huge sculpture.

There is no such information in the records of Herodotus, who visited Egypt in the 5th century BC. e. How could an ancient Greek historian fail to notice a figure whose height is 20 m and width 57 m?

Previously, it was believed that the head of the Sphinx has a portrait resemblance to Khafre. In 1993, the famous American identikit compiler Frank Domingo was invited to Egypt for independent research.

For identification, a sculpture of the pharaoh, kept in the museum of Cairo, was used. The results of the comparative analysis showed that the faces of the Sphinx and Khafre have nothing in common.

Witness of the Flood

By the end of the 20th century, the decrepit state of the half-lion figure caused restoration work. In 1988, a group of archaeologists from Japan, led by Professor Yoshimura, used electronic equipment to explore the pyramids and the Sphinx. The results were stunning: the material from which the huge statue is made is much older than the blocks of the pyramids.

The second sensational discovery was the discovery of a tunnel sculpture under the paw. By the way, at the beginning of the 20th century, the American clairvoyant Edgar Cayce suggested that there was a hidden room under the Sphinx, which is a repository of centuries-old scrolls with information about disappeared civilizations.

The traces of erosion on his body also testify to the ancient origin of the guardian of the pyramids. In the 90s of the XX century, hydrologists came to the conclusion that these depressions are the result of the action of powerful water flows.

According to paleoclimatologists, the last showers of such force irrigated the lands of Egypt seven thousand years ago, but even they could not have damaged the statue so badly. Scientists believe that the damage could have been caused by a larger catastrophe - the Flood.

An ancient legend says that when the half-lion, half-man speaks, life on Earth will change its course. Perhaps the Sphinx harbors knowledge that can fundamentally change humanity. What other mysteries does the witness of the events that took place more than 8 thousand years ago hide in himself?

While there is no answer to this question, the silent prophet of the desert knows how to keep secrets. But it is known that the ancient pharaohs.

Hello ladies and gentlemen. Today we have Sunday July 15, 2018, on Channel One there is a TV game "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?". The players and host Dmitry Dibrov are in the studio.

In the article we will consider one of the interesting questions of the game, and a little later there will be a general article with all the questions and answers in today's TV game.

What material is the Great Sphinx made of in Egypt?

The Great Sphinx on the west bank of the Nile at Giza is the oldest monumental sculpture on Earth. Carved from a monolithic limestone rock in the form of a colossal sphinx - a lion lying on the sand, whose face, as has long been considered to be, is given a portrait resemblance to Pharaoh Khafre (c. 2575-2465 BC), whose funerary pyramid is located nearby.

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

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

In ancient times, the Sphinx had a false beard, an attribute of the pharaohs, but now only fragments remain of it.

In 2014, after the restoration of the statue, tourists opened access to it, and now you can come up and look close to the legendary giant, in whose history there are many more questions than answers.

• granite
• limestone
• marble
• clay

The correct answer to the question of the game is limestone.