Great Sphinx in Giza - description, photos, interesting facts. The Great Pyramids of Giza (Egyptian Pyramids) and the Great Sphinx are a legacy of the Old Kingdom

The Sphinx of Giza is one of the oldest, largest and most mysterious monuments ever created by man. Disputes about its origin are still ongoing. We collected 10 little known facts about a 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. At 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", dating from around 1400 BC, the Sphinx is referred to as the "Statue of the Great Khepri". When the future pharaoh Thutmose IV slept 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 unearthed the statue, which had been covered with sand over centuries, which then became known as Horem-Akhet, which translates as “Horus on the horizon.” Medieval Egyptians called the Sphinx "balkhib" and "bilhou".

3. Nobody 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 arose during the reign of Khafre (Fourth Dynasty Ancient kingdom), i.e. The age of the statue dates back to approximately 2500 BC.

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

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

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

American archaeologist Mark Lehner and Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass discovered large stone blocks, tool sets 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.

5. The laborers who built the statue were well fed

Most scholars think that the people who built the Sphinx were slaves. However, their diet suggests something completely different. Excavations led by Mark Lehner revealed that workers regularly dined on beef, lamb and goat.

6. The Sphinx was once covered in paint

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

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

The Great Sphinx of Giza fell victim to the quicksand of the Egyptian desert several times during its long existence. The first known restoration of the sphinx, almost completely buried under sand, occurred shortly before the 14th century BC, thanks to Thutmose IV, who soon after became Egyptian pharaoh. Three millennia later, the statue was again buried under the sands. Until the 19th century, the statue's front paws were deep below the desert surface. The Sphinx was completely excavated in the 1920s.

8. The Sphinx lost her headdress in the 1920s

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

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

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

10. The Egyptian sphinx is much kinder than the Greek one

The Sphinx's modern reputation as a cruel 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. It’s not Napoleon’s fault that the Sphinx doesn’t have a nose

The mystery of the Great Sphinx's missing nose 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 broken off in a fit of pride. However, early sketches of the Sphinx show that the statue lost its nose before the birth of the French emperor.

12. The Sphinx was once bearded

Today, the remains of the Great Sphinx's beard, which was removed from the statue due to severe erosion, are kept in the British Museum and in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, established in Cairo in 1858. However, French archaeologist Vasil Dobrev claims that the statue was not bearded from the very beginning, and the beard was added later. Dobrev argues that removing the beard, if it had been a component of the statue to begin with, would have damaged the statue's chin.

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

The Great Sphinx of Giza is considered the oldest monumental sculpture in human history. If the statue is believed to date from Khafre's reign, the smaller sphinxes depicting him stepbrother Djedefre and sister Netefere II, older.

14. Sphinx - the largest statue

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

15. Several astronomical theories are associated with the Sphinx

The mystery of the Great Sphinx of Giza has led 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 giant 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.

Egypt is a country that is still shrouded in a lot of mysteries that attract tourists from all over the planet. Perhaps one of the most important secrets of this state is the great Sphinx, the statue of which is located in the Giza Valley. This is one of the most grandiose sculptures ever created by human hands. Its dimensions are truly impressive - the length is 72 meters, the height is approximately 20 meters, the face of the Sphinx itself is 5 meters long, and the nose that fell off, according to calculations, was the size of an average human height. Not a single photo can convey the full grandeur of this stunning ancient monument.

Today, the great Sphinx in Giza no longer inspires sacred horror in a person - after excavations it was discovered that the statue was just “sitting” in a hole. However, for many centuries, her head, sticking out of the desert sand, inspired superstitious fear among desert Bedouins and local residents.

general information

The Egyptian Sphinx is located on the west coast of the Nile River, and its head faces the sunrise. For many thousands of years, the gaze of this silent witness to the history of the land of the Pharaohs has been directed to that point on the horizon where, in the days of autumn and spring equinox the sun begins its leisurely course.

The Sphinx itself is made of monolithic limestone, which is a fragment of the base of the Giza plateau. The statue represents a huge mysterious creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man. Many have probably seen this grandiose building in photographs in books and textbooks on the history of the Ancient World.

Cultural and historical significance of the structure

According to historians, in almost all ancient civilizations the lion was the personification of the sun and solar deity. In the drawings of the ancient Egyptians, the pharaoh was often depicted as a lion, attacking the enemies of the state and exterminating them. It was on the basis of these beliefs that the version was built that the great Sphinx is a kind of mystical guard protecting the peace of the rulers buried in the tombs of the Giza Valley.

It is still not known what the inhabitants called the Sphinx Ancient Egypt. It is believed that the word “sphinx” itself is of Greek origin and is literally translated as “strangler.” In some Arabic texts, in particular in the famous collection “A Thousand and One Nights,” the Sphinx is called nothing less than “Father of Terror.” There is another opinion, according to which the ancient Egyptians called the statue “the image of being.” This once again confirms that the Sphinx was for them the earthly incarnation of one of the deities.

Story

Probably the most main mystery, which conceals within itself Egyptian Sphinx- this is who, when and why erected such a grandiose monument. In the ancient papyri found by historians, one can find a lot of information about the construction and creators of the Great Pyramids and numerous temple complexes, but there is no mention of the Sphinx, its creator and the cost of its construction (and the ancient Egyptians were always very careful about the costs of this or that business). not in any source. The historian Pliny the Elder mentioned it for the first time in his writings, but this was already at the beginning of our era. He notes that the Sphinx, located in Egypt, has been reconstructed and cleaned of sand several times. It is precisely the fact that not a single source has yet been found that explains the origin of this monument, which has given rise to countless versions, opinions and guesses as to who built it and why.

The Great Sphinx fits perfectly into the complex of structures located on the Giza plateau. The creation of this complex dates back to the reign of the IV dynasty of kings. Actually, it itself includes the Great Pyramids and the statue of the Sphinx.

It is still impossible to say exactly how old this monument is. According to the official version, the Great Sphinx in Giza was erected during the reign of Pharaoh Khafre - approximately 2500 BC. In support of this hypothesis, historians point to the similarity of the limestone blocks used in the construction of the pyramid of Khafre and the Sphinx, as well as the image of the ruler himself, which was discovered not far from the building.

There is another, alternative version of the origin of the Sphinx, according to which its construction dates back to even more ancient times. A group of Egyptologists from Germany, who analyzed the erosion of the limestone, concluded that the monument was built around 7000 BC. There are also astronomical theories about the creation of the Sphinx, according to which its construction is associated with the constellation Orion and corresponds to 10,500 BC.

Restorations and the current state of the monument

The Great Sphinx, although it has survived to this day, is now badly damaged - neither time nor people have spared it. The face was especially damaged - in numerous photographs you can see that it is almost completely erased, and its features cannot be distinguished. Uraeus - symbol royal power, which represents a cobra that wraps itself around its head, is irretrievably lost. The plat - the ceremonial headdress that descends from the head to the shoulders of the statue - is also partially destroyed. The beard, which is now not fully represented, has also suffered. But where and under what circumstances the Sphinx’s nose disappeared, scientists are still arguing.

Damage to the face of the Great Sphinx, located in Egypt, is very reminiscent of chisel marks. According to Egyptologists, in the 14th century it was mutilated by one pious sheikh, who fulfilled the commandments of the Prophet Muhammad, prohibiting the depiction human face on works of art. And the Mamelukes used the head of the structure as a cannon target.

Today, in photos, videos and live, you can see how much the Great Sphinx has suffered from time and the cruelty of people. A small piece weighing 350 kg even broke off from it - this gives another reason to be truly amazed gigantic size this building.

Although only 700 years ago the face of the mysterious statue was described by a certain Arab traveler. In his travel notes it was said that this face was truly beautiful, and his lips bore the majestic seal of the pharaohs.

Over the years of its existence, the Great Sphinx has more than once plunged up to its shoulders into the sands of the Sahara Desert. The first attempts to excavate the monument were made in ancient times by the pharaohs Thutmose IV and Ramses II. Under Thutmose, the Great Sphinx was not only completely dug out of the sand, but also a huge granite arrow was installed in its paws. An inscription was carved on it, saying that the ruler was giving his body under the protection of the Sphinx so that it would rest under the sands of the Giza Valley and at some point be resurrected in the guise of a new pharaoh.

During the time of Ramses II, the Great Sphinx of Giza was not only dug out of the sand, but also underwent a thorough restoration. In particular, the massive back part of the statue was replaced with blocks, although previously the entire monument was monolithic. IN early XIX century, archaeologists completely cleared the chest of the statue of sand, but it was completely freed from sand only in 1925. It was then that the true dimensions of this grandiose structure became known.

The Great Sphinx as a tourism object

The Great Sphinx, like the Great Pyramids, is located on the Giza plateau, 20 km from the capital of Egypt. This is a single complex of historical monuments of Ancient Egypt, which has survived to this day since the reign of the pharaohs from the IV dynasty. It consists of three large pyramids - Cheops, Khafre and Mikerin, and small pyramids of queens are also included here. Here tourists can visit various temple buildings. The Sphinx statue is located in the eastern part of this ancient complex.

The Great Sphinx, standing on the plateau at Giza, is a subject of debate among scientists, the object of numerous legends, assumptions and speculation. Who built it, when, why? There is no definite answer to any question. Blown by the sands of time, the Sphinx has kept its secret for many millennia.

It is carved from solid 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, height - 20. The nose, which has been missing for a long time, was one and a half meters long.

Today the statue represents a lion lying in the sand, but some historians suggest that the sculpture was originally entirely of a 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.

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

Purpose

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

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

It is unknown what the ancient Egyptians themselves called the statue. There is an assumption that “Seshep-ankh” is “an image of the Existing or Living.” That is, he was the embodiment of the divine on earth. In the Middle Ages, the Arabs called the sculpture “Father or King of Terror and Fear.” The word “sphinx” itself is Greek and literally translates as “strangler.” Some historians make assumptions 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, not everything is so obvious. American expert compared the face from the image and the face of the Sphinx, finding no similarities, he came to the conclusion that these were portraits of completely different people.

Whose face does the Sphinx have? 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 exactly coincides with the reign of Pharaoh Khafre and the unprecedented dawn of ancient Egyptian civilization.

Japanese scientists used echolocators to study the internal state of the sculpture. Their discovery was a real sensation. The stones of the Sphinx were processed much earlier than the stones of the pyramids. Hydrologists joined the work. They found significant traces on the body of the Sphinx water erosion, on the head they were not so big.

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

The sands of time do not spare

Time and people have not been kind to the Great Sphinx. In the Middle Ages, it was a training target for the Mamluks, Egypt's military caste. Either they broke off the nose, or it was an order from a certain ruler, or it was done by one religious fanatic, who was then torn apart by the crowd. It is not clear how one can destroy a one and a half meter nose alone.

Once upon a time the sphinx was blue or purple. A little paint remains in the ear area. He had a beard - now it is an exhibit in 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 completely covered the statue. In 1400 BC, the Sphinx, by order of Pharaoh Thutmose IV, was cleaned for a year. We managed to free the front legs and part of the body. A plaque was then installed at the foot of the sculpture about this event; it can still be seen today.

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

A few more mysteries and speculations

It is believed that under the Sphinx there are certain passages, tunnels and even a huge library with books of the ancients. 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 Egyptian authorities stopped the research. Since 1993, any geological or radar work has been prohibited here.

Experts hope to find not only secret rooms. The ancient Egyptians built everything on 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.

The Egyptian one was recognized as one of the most mysterious sculptures of our Earth. Sphinx. The Sphinx rises above the vast expanses of the desert in the Valley of the Kings on the Gizo plateau. Now it's a plateau Guizot is the city of Giza on the outskirts of Cairo, more than 900 thousand inhabitants live there. When you drive along its streets, the pyramids are already looming on the horizon. The necropolis, on the territory of which the pyramids are located, occupies approximately 2000 square meters. m. and declared a protected area. These pyramids are considered one of the wonders of the world. The city can be said to have already come close to the pyramids. Literally 100 meters from the residential quarters there is the Sphinx, and behind it the pyramids.

There are nine pyramids in total.
Three of them are the most famous. It is believed that the pyramids are about 5 thousand years old, the sphinx is about 3.5 thousand years old. These structures were known to the ancient Greeks, but for them, as for us, they were hoary antiquity. “Forty centuries look down on you from the heights of these pyramids,” Napoleon Bonaparte told his soldiers before the Battle of Giza, 1798. The height of the pyramids of Cheops is 138.75 m, Khafre (son of Cheops) - 136.4 m, Mikkerin (grandson) - 55.5 m. Visually, the pyramid of Khafre (in the center) seems higher, because it stands on a higher place... Without seeing them in reality, you can imagine something quite monumental, but from a distance the pyramids seem small, and up close, they are not as huge as many would like to see.

The Sphinx is located closer to the city, as if guarding the pyramids. In ancient times, the Nile had such a wide bed that the Sphinx stood right on the river bank. Around the pyramids of Khafre and Mikkerin there are several more small pyramids (very badly destroyed) - the tombs of their wives, children, concubines... Initially, the pyramids were lined with granite blocks and had heights several meters higher. But in the process centuries-old history These blocks, as well as some directly from the pyramids, were used to build Cairo. Many famous mosques were built from the granite casing of the pyramids. By the way, I will say that the casing made the pyramids absolutely smooth, and not compliant as they are now. The real names of the pharaohs who rested in the pyramids are Khufu, Khafre and Menkaur (Cheops, Khafre and Mikkerin, respectively). Moreover, Cheops and Khafre were not related, and Mikkerin is the son of Khafre. In the pyramid of Khafre the inscription "G. Belzoni. 1818." The discoverer wrote this on March 2, 1818. The dimensions of the burial chamber are 14.2m x 5m x 6.8m (length, width and height, respectively). The Sphinx's nose was shot off from a cannon, but not by Napoleonic soldiers (as some claim), but by Turkish Mamluks - Muslims do not like the display of human faces. The Arabs call the pyramids "Al-Ahram" ("pyramids") and the Sphinx - "Abu Hall" ("father of horror").
The Pyramid of Cheops.

The largest known pyramid is Cheops. He was the pharaoh of the 4th dynasty (2600 BC). The pyramid is tetrahedral, with a square base. The height of the pyramid is 147 m, the base has a side of 228 m. Stone blocks weighing 2.5 tons each were used to construct the pyramid. At the same time, the quality of surface treatment makes us doubt that we modern people, we understand life, it is impossible to insert a knife blade between the blocks. The pyramid is oriented with its entrance to the north. Inside the pyramid there are three burial chambers, which are rooms measuring 11 by 5 meters and about 6 m high. The pharaoh’s mummy was missing from the sarcophagus, as were the supposed objects and decorations. Perhaps it was plundered in ancient times. On the southern side of the pyramid is the so-called Solar Boat. On it, Cheops went to the other world, which, of course, could also carry a symbolic meaning. The boat was discovered disassembled during excavations in 1954. It is made of cedar without the use of nails.

Pyramid of Khafre

It is believed that the Pyramid of Khafre was built almost simultaneously with the Pyramid of Cheops. A difference of 40 years against the backdrop of thousands of years of history looks like an insignificant period of time.
The pyramid is a little smaller. Base 215 meters, height 145 meters. Slightly different ratios create the illusion that it is larger than the Cheops pyramid. The two great pyramids differ from each other in the preservation of the basalt cladding at the top of the Pyramid of Khafre. A complex of structures associated with the pyramid is being traced. Temples, road, pyramid. Khafre was mummified in the lower temple.

Pyramid of Mikerin

This pyramid, significantly different in size, completes the ensemble of the great pyramids. Its dimensions are as follows: height - 67 m, base 108 m. The pyramid contains a single burial chamber. The chamber was created in the rocky base of the pyramid. The relatively small size of the pyramid emphasizes the greatness of the first two.
How were the pyramids created? Many scientists believe they know how, others doubt it. In any case, it was a great work of a great people. The ancient quarries where the stone for the pyramids was mined are still visible. An ancient pier was discovered not far from the pyramids; stones were delivered by ship.
In the vicinity of the great pyramids there are several small pyramids of the wives of the pharaohs, the tombs of the Egyptian aristocracy.

Sphinx

The Sphinx is the largest solid sculpture in the world (after the explosion of Buddha statues by the Taliban in Afghanistan)... For five thousand years, the Sphinx has been meeting the sunrises, it faces the east, its lips are closed. The facial features are believed to correspond to the image of Pharaoh Khafre. This is a mysterious creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man, carved from the same stone. The length of the sphinx from the tip of its paws to its tail is 57.3 m, its height is 20 m. Nestled at the huge paws of the sphinx is a small temple, now completely destroyed. Quite well preserved. And if you also take into account that the Germans took the crown to their museum, and the French to the Louvre, and Napoleon actually fired cannons at it during the Egyptian campaign... Although it is restored from time to time, it does not feel like a remake. You cannot approach the statue directly - it stands on a high pedestal, and tourists walk around at paw level along a special parapet perimeter, so it turns out that there is an insurmountable deep ditch between tourists and the Sphinx. When a person stands especially at dawn between the paws of the Great Sphinx of Egypt and sees how rising Sun lights up his face, he is overcome with timidity and awe. At this moment you clearly feel how old this colossal statue is - almost as old as time itself. They say that it is much older than the 4500 years that Egyptologists give it; it is quite possible that it goes back to the last Ice Age, when, as is believed, a civilization capable of creating such monuments could not yet exist.
When a man stands at dawn between the paws of the Great Sphinx of Egypt and sees the rising sun illuminate his face, he is overcome with shyness and awe. At this moment you clearly feel how old this colossal statue is - almost as old as time itself. It is much older than the 4,500 years that Egyptologists give it; it is quite possible that it dates back to the last Ice Age, when, as is believed, a civilization capable of creating such monuments could not yet exist. The Sphinx is the greatest mystery of antiquity. It is still not known for certain who, why and when erected this grandiose structure.

Myths and legends of the Sphinx

This majestic monument is fraught with many secrets and mysteries; for thousands of years it has been shrouded in myths and legends, it has been worshiped and feared, it has seen the change of eras and civilizations, and only it, the Sphinx of Giza, has remained the imperishable and silent keeper of the secrets of the distant past.
1. He was once considered eternal god. He then fell into the trap of oblivion and fell into an enchanted sleep. What secret does this majestic guard keep? In the myths of the ancient Greeks, the Sphinx is a monster generated by Typhon and Echidna, with the face and breasts of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. The Sphinx was located on a mountain near the city of Thebes and asked everyone who passed by a riddle: “Which living creature walks on four legs in the morning, on two in the afternoon, and on three in the evening?” The Sphinx killed those who were unable to provide a solution. Oedipus solved the riddle - “Man in childhood, maturity and old age.” After this, the Sphinx threw herself off the cliff.
2. Another legend tells that this huge predator guards the peace of the pyramids day and night, and with the help of the “third eye” monitors the circulation of the planets, Sirius and the rising of the Sun, feeding on cosmic power. In exchange for this he had to make sacrifices.
3. Another legend says that a giant statue of a mysterious beast guards the “elixir of immortality.” According to legends, the founder of esoteric knowledge, Hermes Trismegistus, owned the secrets of making the “philosopher’s stone,” with which metal could be turned into gold. Also, the “philosopher’s stone” was the basis for the creation of the “elixir of immortality.” According to legend, Trismegistus was the son of an Egyptian god named Thoth, who built the first pyramid on the banks of the Nile and erected the Sphinx next to the pyramid complex in Giza, designed to protect the recipe for the “elixir of immortality”, which was hidden in its depths.
4. Initially, in myths, the Egyptian Sphinx retained the features of a lion with the head of a man. He wandered along the roads near Parnassus, devouring passers-by. In the myths of the ancient Greeks, the Sphinx is a monster born of Typhon and Echidna, with the body of a lion, the face and breasts of a woman, and the wings of a bird. Having settled on a mountain near the city of Thebes, the Sphinx asked everyone who passed by a riddle - “Which living creature walks on four legs in the morning, on two in the afternoon, and on three in the evening?” Those who failed to solve the riddle were killed by the Sphinx. Oedipus was able to give the answer - “Man in childhood, maturity and old age.” After which the Sphinx threw herself off the cliff.
5. The Arabs living in the area called the statue Abul Khol, which means “father of horror.” As philologists have established, the full name of the statue meant “the living image of Khafre.” Thus, the Sphinx was the embodiment of King Khafre with symbols of royal power and the body of the king of the desert. Consequently, in the understanding of the ancient Egyptians, the Sphinx in one person represented a god and a lion guarding its pyramid.
6. Many mystical teachings and magicians of all times have tried to find magical explanations for the purpose of the Sphinx. Here is what the classic of occultism Eliphas Levi wrote in his “History of Magic”: “Hermes Trismegistus formulated his symbol, called the Emerald Tablet: “What is below is like what is above, and what is above is like what is below, for actions of miracles of one essence." Light is Isis, or the moon, fire is Osiris, or the sun; they are the mother and father of the great Tellus, and she is the universal substance. Hermes Trismegistus states that these forces reached their absolute manifestation at the moment when the earth was created. Four manifestations of a single substance were represented by the Sphinx. His wings corresponded to air, his bull's body to earth, his woman's breasts to water, and his lion's paws to fire. This is the secret of the three pyramids with square bases and triangular faces guarded by the Sphinx. By erecting these monuments, Egypt tried to erect the Pillars of Hercules of universal science.

How old is the Sphinx?

1. For a long time, scientists considered the Sphinx to be the same age as the Great Pyramids, but there is one oddity here. The fact is that in the ancient papyri that have reached us and dating back to the era of the construction of the pyramids, not the slightest mention of the Sphinx was found. And, if hieroglyphs brought to us the names of the builders of the Great Pyramids, who created the Sphinx remains a mystery. We found the answer in the works of the ancient Roman scientist and writer Pliny the Elder. In his Natural History it is said that in his time the Sphinx Once again was cleared of the sands of the Western Desert, which literally swallowed it up. It is not known exactly how often the Sphinx was covered with sand, but it becomes clear why there were periods in history when there was no mention of the Sphinx. It’s just that the same Herodotus, describing the greatness of Ancient Egypt, could not tell us about the Sphinx, because he did not see it - it was buried under a many-meter layer of sand. Studying the sculpture, scientists came to the conclusion that the Sphinx was periodically hidden under a layer of sand, and from time to time it had to be dug up. In the last century, a stele was found in Egypt on which was carved a text compiled in the 15th century BC during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose IV. The text says that the pharaoh had a sign in a dream - if he was able to clear the Sphinx of sand, then his reign would be prosperous and long. It also says that the sculpture was dug up after almost a year. In our time, archaeologists have received information that the Sphinx was dug out of the sand during the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, then under the Arab rulers and Roman emperors. Even today, after strong sandstorms, the statue has to be cleaned, although there is much less sand now than before. The statue was finally cleared of sand in the mid-1920s.

2. Based on these facts and phenomena, scientists concluded that the Sphinx was erected much earlier than previously thought. But there are many different hypotheses about the time of construction of the statue. Therefore, Egyptologists of the world to this day have not come to a common opinion. Studies of significant traces of erosion indicated traces of a flood that once occurred in these places. And the estimated date of the event was named - 8000 BC, and repeated research carried out by the British pushed this date back to 12000 BC. In addition, it turned out that traces of erosion occur on the processed part of the rock on which the Sphinx is installed, which means that it stood there even before the flood. French archaeologists claim that the dating of the flood that occurred in Egypt coincides with the date of the destruction of Atlantis according to Plato... Other scientists are trying to calculate the time of creation of the Sphinx according to the Bible, believing that erosion could have been caused by global flood. Based on the description of the weather in Egypt (the dream of the pharaoh, unraveled by Joseph), it can be assumed that the Sphinx was erected around 2820-2620 BC. This hypothesis is indirectly confirmed by an Arab legend, which says that the pyramids were built to save the Egyptians from the Great Flood. And the Sphinx was erected in order to warn people about the impending disaster. Therefore, the Sphinx's gaze is wary, and its third eye is directed into Space.

3. The Roerichs and Helena Blavatsky believed that the Sphinx was built by the Atlanteans about 200 thousand years ago. And the famous philosopher Jorge A. Livraga believes that the descendants of the Atlanteans built the Great Pyramid, and a thousand years later - the Great Sphinx. According to N. N. Sychenov, “The construction of the Sphinx began 42.2 thousand years BC and the construction was completed 1200 years later.”

4. The famous American medium Edward Cayce claimed that “The Sphinx and the Pyramids of Cheops were built between 10490 and 10390 BC.” Boston University geology professor Robert Schoch, based on studies of traces of water erosion of the Sphinx, believes that the time of creation of the statue lies between 7000 and 5000 BC, because it was during this period that people walked over Egypt. heavy rains which could cause erosion.

5. John West believes that most of the erosion occurred during an earlier, rainy period - around 10,000 BC.
6. Other scientists divide the time of creation of the Sphinx and the time of construction of the pyramids.
However, many ancient legends and tales testify against this different nations: Greeks, Romans, Chaldeans, Arabs. These legends tell that a tunnel was dug underground and a hiding place was built. The tunnel served as a connection between the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx, which was used by the priests...

Sensational secrets of the Sphinx revealed during its renovation

Time has been kind to this one great monument ancient history, but people treated him much less respectfully. One Egyptian ruler ordered the Sphinx's nose to be taken off. At the beginning of the 18th century, the giant's face was fired from a cannon, and Napoleon's soldiers fired guns into his eyes. The British beat off the stone beard and took it to the British Museum.
Nowadays, the acrid smoke of Cairo factories and car exhaust are destroying the stones. In 1988, a huge block weighing 350 kilograms broke off from the Sphinx’s neck and fell. The emergency condition of the sculpture caused concern to UNESCO. Renovations began, sparking renewed interest in the mysteries of the Sphinx and the opportunity to re-examine the grandiose sculpture. The discoveries were not long in coming.

First sensation: Japanese archaeologists, led by Professor Yoshimura, using special instruments, first illuminated the massif of the Cheops pyramid, and then examined the stones of the Sphinx. The conclusion was amazing: the stones of the sculpture are older than the blocks of the pyramid.

Second sensation: there was a discovery under the left paw of a stone lion of a narrow tunnel leading towards the Cheops pyramid.

Third sensation: traces of erosion were discovered on the Sphinx large flow water that moved from north to south. It was not the flood of the Nile, but a biblical catastrophe that occurred around eight to twelve thousand years BC.

Fourth sensation: French archaeologists made an interesting remark: the dating of the Egyptian stream coincides with the date of the death of the legendary Atlantis!

Fifth sensation: The face of the Sphinx is not the face of Khafre.
It was believed that the Sphinx was built by Pharaoh Khafre 4.5 thousand years ago. For more than half of its life, the sphinx was buried up to its neck in sand. Since it was heavily damaged by erosion, the idea of greater antiquity of the sphinx arose: erosion from water, rather than from sand and wind. Geological research showed the same. 10 thousand years ago there were lakes in the Sahara. Schock and West presented their findings at the Geological Society of America's annual meeting. A furious debate began between geologists and Egyptologists. The front and sides are more susceptible to erosion. While the back part is smaller, which means it was most likely made later. The front is twice as old as the back. How old is the sphinx? At first glance, the face of the sphinx is absolutely similar to the face of Pharaoh Khafre, which seems to prove the time of its creation. But a detailed analysis of all the parameters showed that the face of the sphinx and the face of the pharaoh are not identical. Proportions and shapes do not match. And special studies were done that proved that the faces on the sculpture of Pharaoh Khafre in the Cairo Museum and the face of the Sphinx are different.

Conclusions:
The Sphinx has always been considered the keeper of knowledge, the guardian of the portal leading to the world of higher intelligence, a symbol of the strength of human nature... The personification of the unity and balance of the forces of nature of the earth with higher powers, living in the Universe. Everything came together in the Great Sphinx. The perfect symbol of initiation into eternal life. And the mystery of the origin of the Sphinx goes into time immemorial. What do we know about those times? Practically nothing, but the legends and myths that have survived to this day raise many questions and practically do not provide answers to them. However, it can be assumed that in the mists of time a highly developed civilization existed on our Earth, and its representatives, possessing developed science, could foresee the coming catastrophe and try to preserve their knowledge for future generations. One of the ancient legends says: “When the Sphinx speaks, life on Earth will go out of its usual circle.” But for now the Sphinx remains silent...
When was it built? When was it reconstructed? In honor of whom and by whom it was created... Most likely, there will never be exact answers to these questions... After all, the deeper science advances, the more questions arise...

Information and photos from the Internet.

It can be seen from afar, its power attracts the eye and many questions arise. To this day, the Great Sphinx remains one of the most ancient and mysterious statues. Its height is more than 20 meters. The width of the sculpture reaches 57 meters. It is surprising that the desert sands in the 17th century BC. swallowed up the Sphinx. The sculpture disappeared for several centuries. And only in the 5th century BC. Thutmose ordered it to be excavated. In 1925 there were last time excavations by the Egyptian Antiquities Service.

The Great Sphinx as a collective image

The creators of the Sphinx attached great importance astrology. Using her knowledge, and in particular, the stations of the Sun in the Zodiac: Taurus, Scorpio, Leo, Aquarius. In addition, when depicting the Sphinx, sculptors embodied in the sculpture the collective image of the pharaoh, Imhotep, and the gods Baboon and Horus. Therefore, the Sphinx was given the name “Living Image”.

Age of the Great Sphinx

There is information about when the Great Sphinx was created different versions. Some believe the statue is 200,000 years old. According to scientist N.N. Sochevanov, the Great Sphinx began to be built 44 thousand years BC. and finished after 1200 years. Many who study the age of the giant sculpture focus on the processes occurring in the limestone as a result of erosion. Dr. R. Schoch, professor of geology at Boston University, takes into account the degree of erosion of the rock and believes that the Sphinx was created around 5000-6000 BC, since it rained during this period.

Unfortunately, time has not been kind to the figure, and people treated her barbarously. The Sphinx's face is disfigured. In the 14th century, one of the sheikhs, in order to fulfill the covenant of Muhammad, who forbade depicting a human face, damaged the sculpture. The head of the Sphinx was used for target practice by the Mamelukes.

Now the place in Egypt where the monumental structure is located is a place for excursions. The majestic Great Sphinx evokes fear and wonder at the same time.

You can learn more about the history of Egypt and beyond at the Abdin Palace, which is now a museum complex.