The Great Sphinx, one of Egypt’s most enigmatic monuments, is an imposing sculpture with an anthropomorphic head and lion body, located near the Pyramids of Giza.
Sphinxes and pyramids of Egypt
The enigmatic sphinx has a height of about 20 meters and is just over 70 meters long. His lion’s body and human head represented for the ancient Egyptians the union between intelligence and strength.
A wonderful mystery
The sphinx is one of the great mysteries of history and archaeologists’ theories about the date of construction, the origin or function of this colossal sculpture are almost endless.
The opinion that is most popular is the Sphinx at 2,500 BC. placing it as part of the Chefren funeral complex with the specific goal of guarding the tomb.
There is also a lot of speculation about the disappearance of the sphinx’s nose, visibly worn: often the fault was attributed to Napoleon, however it is an unsubstantiated thesis, since drawings have been found depicting the profile of the Sphinx already devoid of the nose and dating back to a period before the birth of the French Emperor.
The Sphinx today
Nowadays the sphinx does not retain any of the vibrant colors it sported in the past, when the body and head were bright red and the sumptuous Egyptian headdress was blue and white stripes.
The head of the sphinx is less deteriorated than the body, thanks to the hardness of the stone with which it was made, although the body was fortunate to remain buried by the sand for many years, a factor that certainly helped to avoid greater damage, due to natural erosion.
One of the emblems of Egypt
The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the most emblematic monuments in the country and one of the main points of interest of the country: not surprisingly, the imposing figure is one of the favorite subjects of the souvenir photos of tourists!
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