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The Great Sphinx of Giza

The Great Sphinx in Giza

The Giza plateau is filled with relics of ancient Egypt, but few have shared the Reverence and Mysterious origins of the Mighty Sphinx, diving into the interesting details about this historical monument.

History

A Sphinx, also known as a sphynx, is a mythical animal with a lion's body and a human head. The Great.

The Sphinx is a masculine figure with a pharaoh's hat. The sphinx was a spiritual protector in ancient Egypt,
and statues of the animals were frequently found in tombs and temple complexes. Some additional sphinxes depict the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, including a colossal alabaster sphinx at the Ramesside Temple in Memphis, Egypt, and a granite sphinx at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

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In Greek mythology, the sphinx also possessed wings and a serpent's tail; according to legend, it eats any
Travellers who are unable to solve its riddle. The Great Sphinx's most popular and generally accepted hypothesis contends that Pharaoh Khafre was the one who ordered its construction. The Great Pyramid, the oldest and biggest of the three pyramids at Giza, is said to have been erected by Khafre's father, Pharaoh Khufu, according to hieroglyphic
writing. Although Khafre's pyramid is 10 feet shorter than the Great Pyramid, it is flanked by a more intricate complex that contains the Great Sphinx and other sculptures. Khafre built his pyramid close to his father's when he became pharaoh. Red pigment remnants on the Sphinx's face imply that the statue may have been painted. Some researchers speculate that the Great Sphinx and temple complex may have served a heavenly function, namely to resurrect the soul of the pharaoh (Khafre) by channelling the power of the sun and other gods, given the arrangement of the pyramids and the Sphinx.

 

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The Sphinx

Khafre

There are several lines of evidence linking Pharaoh Khafre and his temple complex to the Great Sphinx.

In the Valley Temple, the ruins of a structure next to the Great Sphinx, French archaeologist Auguste Mariette discovered the remains of a causeway that connects the Valley Temple to a mortuary temple next to Khafre's pyramid. This is significant because the head and face of the Sphinx are strikingly similar to a life-size statue of Khafre that Mariette discovered there.

The Giza Plateau

Outstanding Sphinx Restoration

Eventually, the Great Sphinx was forgotten once more. Its face deteriorated with time, and its body experienced erosion. Despite some claims to the contrary, the nose of the statue may have vanished long before the arrival of Napoleon's forces in Egypt in 1798, according to 18th-century engravings. It is more likely that a Sufi Muslim protesting idolatry deliberately smashed the nose in the 15th century. The holy beard and a piece of the royal cobra insignia from the Sphinx's headpiece have both broken off; the sacred beard is currently on exhibit in the British Museum. 
 

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Great Sphinx of Giza

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