Each civilization had its own sacred symbols that brought something special to culture and history. Egyptian Tombs Guardian Sphinx - Proof greatest strength country and people, their power. This is a monumental reminder of divine rulers, who gave the world an image eternal life... The majestic keeper of the desert instills fear in people to this day: his origin and existence is shrouded in mystery, mystical legends and milestones in history.
Sphinx description
The Sphinx is the majestic, tireless guardian of the Egyptian tombs. At his post he had to see many - they all received a riddle from him. Those who found a solution moved on, and those who did not have an answer faced great sorrow.
Sphinx riddle: “Tell me, who walks on four legs in the morning, on two in the afternoon, and on three in the evening? None of all beings on earth changes like him. When he walks on four legs, then he has less strength and moves more slowly than at other times? "
There are several variants of the origin of this mysterious creature. Each version was born in different corners planets.
Egyptian guards
The symbol of the greatness of the people is a statue erected in Giza, on the left bank of the Nile River, - a sphinx creature with the head of one of the pharaohs - Khafre - and a massive body of a lion. The Egyptian guard is not just a figure, it is a symbol. The lion's body contains the incommensurable power of the mythical animal, and top part speaks of a sharp mind and incredible memory.
In Egyptian mythology, creatures with the head of a ram or a falcon are mentioned. These are also guardian sphinxes. They were installed at the entrance to the temple in honor of the gods Horus and Amun. In Egyptology, this creature has varieties depending on the type of head, the presence of functional elements, and gender.
Historians claim that the true purpose of the Egyptian Sphinxes is to guard the treasures and body of the deceased pharaoh. Sometimes they were installed at the entrance to temples to scare off thieves. Only scanty descriptions of the life of this mythical creature have come down to us. We can only guess what role he was assigned in the life of the ancient Egyptians.
Predator from Ancient Greece
Egyptian mythological writings have not survived, but Greek legends have survived to this day. Some researchers suggest that the Greeks borrowed the image of the mysterious creature from the Egyptians, but the right to create the name belongs to the inhabitants of Hellas. There are those who think quite differently: Greece is the birthplace of the Sphinx, and Egypt borrowed it and modified it for itself.
Both creatures in different mythological texts have similarities only in bodies, their heads are different. The Egyptian Sphinx is a male, the Greek is depicted as a woman. She has an oxtail and large wings.
Opinions about the origin of the Greek Sphinx vary:
- Some scriptures say that the predator is a child of the union of Typhon and Echidna.
- Others claim this is the daughter of Orff and Chimera.
The character, according to legend, was sent as punishment to King Lai, because he stole the son of King Pelop and took him with him. The Sphinx guarded the road at the entrance to the city and she asked a riddle to each wanderer. If the answer was wrong, she ate the person. Only decision the predator received the riddle from Oedipus. The proud creature could not stand the defeat and threw himself on the rocks, this ends his life in the ancient Greek writings.
The hero of myths in modern texts
The watchful guard more than once flashed on the pages of works and everywhere he was associated with power and mysticism. To go across the road guarded by the sphinx, you can only correctly answer the riddle. J.K. Rowling used this image in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - vigilant servants who were entrusted by magicians with their magical values.
For some science fiction writers, the sphinx is a monster, with some subtypes of genetic mutations.
Sphinx statue in Giza
The monument with the face of Khafre above the tomb of the pharaoh is located on the left bank of the Nile, is part of the whole complex of plateau architecture Ancient egypt, a few kilometers from the main pyramid in the ensemble - Cheops.
The length of the statue is about 73 m, height 20. It can be seen even from Cairo, although it is located 30 km from Giza.
Monument egyptian sphinx- one of the most popular tourist places, so it is not difficult to get to the complex. It is easy to take a taxi to the plateau; the trip from the center will take no more than half an hour. Cost no more than $ 30. If you need to save money and have a lot of time, the bus will do. Some hotels provide a free shuttle service to the Great Sphinx Plateau.
History of the origin of the Egyptian Sphinx
In scientific texts, there is no exact description of why and who erected this statue, only guesswork. There is evidence that the structure is 4517 years old. Its creation dates back to 2500 BC. NS. Pharaoh Khafre is supposedly called the architect. The material of which the sphinx is composed coincides with the pyramid of the creator. The blocks are made of baked clay.
Researchers from Germany have suggested that the statue was erected in 7000 BC. NS. The hypothesis was put forward on the basis of test samples of material and erosional changes in clay blocks.
Egyptologists from France claim that the Sphinx statue has gone through several restorations.
The purpose
The ancient name of the Sphinx statue is "the rising sun", the inhabitants of ancient Egypt thought that it was a construction in honor of the greatness of the Nile. Many civilizations saw the divine principle in sculpture and a reference to the image of the Sun God - Ra.
According to some researchers, the sphinx is an assistant for the pharaohs in underworld and the guardian of the tombs from ruin. A composite image associated with several seasons at once: the wings are responsible for autumn, the paws indicate summer, the body is spring, and the head corresponds to winter.
Mysteries of the statue of the Egyptian Sphinx
For several millennia, Egyptologists have not been able to come to an agreement; they argue about the origin of such a large monument and its true purpose. The Sphinx is fraught with many mysteries, to which it is not yet possible to find an answer.
Is there a hall of annals
Edgar Cayce, an American architect, was the first to claim that there are underground passages under the Sphinx statue. His statement was confirmed by Japanese researchers, who, using X-rays, found a rectangular chamber 5 m in length under the lion's left paw. Edgar Cayce's hypothesis states that the Atlanteans decided to perpetuate the traces of their presence on earth in a special "hall of chronicles."
Archaeologists have put forward their theory. In 1980, when drilling 15 m deep, the presence of Aswan granite and traces of a memorial room was proved. There are no deposits of this mineral in this place of the country. It was brought there on purpose and inlaid with it in the “hall of chronicles”.
Where did the sphinx go
The ancient Greek philosopher and historian Herodotus, traveling through Egypt, made notes. Upon returning home, he made an accurate map of the location of the pyramids in the complex, indicating the age according to eyewitnesses and the exact number of sculptures. In his chronicles, he included the number of slaves involved and even detailed the food they were served.
Surprisingly, there is no mention of the Great Sphinx in his documents. Egyptologists suggest that during the research of Herodotus, the statue was completely buried under the sands. This happened to the sphinx several times: in two centuries it was dug out at least 3 times. In 1925, the statue was completely cleared of sand.
Why is he looking east
An interesting fact: on the chest of a large Egyptian sphinx there is an inscription "I look at your vanity." He is truly majestic and mysterious, wise and alert. There was a faint grin on his lips. It seems to many that the monument cannot in any way change the fate of a person, but the facts suggest otherwise.
One photographer allowed himself too much: he climbed on a statue to spectacular photos, but felt a push in the back and fell. When he woke up, he did not see the pictures on the camera, despite the fact that all this time he was alone, and the camera was a film.
The mystical guard has shown his capabilities more than once, so the Egyptians are sure that the statue keeps them calm and watches the Sunrise.
Where is the sphinx's nose and beard
There are several theories as to why the sphinx lacks a nose and beard:
- During the great Egyptian campaign of Bonaparte, they were repulsed by artillery shells. They refute this theory of the images of the Egyptian Sphinx, made earlier than this event - parts are no longer on them.
- The second theory claims that in the XIV century, Islamic extremists, obsessed with the idea of ridding the inhabitants of the idol, tried to disfigure it. The vandals were caught and executed in public right next to the statue.
- The third theory is based on erosional changes in sculpture due to the effects of wind and water. This option is accepted by researchers from Japan and France.
Restoration
Researchers have made repeated attempts to restore the statue of the Great Egyptian Sphinx and completely clear it of the sand. Ramses II was the first to excavate a folk symbol. Then the restoration was carried out by Italian Egyptologists in 1817 and 1925. In 2014, the statue was closed for cleaning and restoration for several months.
Few fascinating facts
In various historical documents, there are records that help to better know the life of the people of Ancient Egypt and get ground for thinking about the origin of the Great Sphinx:
- Excavations of the plateau around the statue revealed that the builders of this gigantic monument left the place of work at the end of the construction. There are remnants of things of mercenaries, tools and household items everywhere.
- During the construction of the statue of the sphinx, a high salary was paid - this is evidenced by the excavations of M. Lehner. He managed to figure out a rough menu for a worker.
- The statue was multicolored. Wind, water and sand tried to destroy the sphinx and pyramids on the plateau, mercilessly influencing them. But despite this, in some places on his chest and head traces of yellow and blue paint remained.
- The first mention of the Sphinx belongs to the ancient Greek scriptures. In the epic of Hellas, this is a female creature, cruel and sad, when the Egyptians transformed him - the statue has a male face with an almost neutral expression.
- This is an Androsphinx - it has no wings and is a man.
Despite the past millennia, the Sphinx is still majestic and monumental, full of mysteries and shrouded in myths. He fixes his gaze into the distance and calmly watches the sunrise. Why is this mythical creature The Egyptians made their main symbol - the mystery of antiquity, which cannot be solved. We are only left with assumptions.
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 have collected 10 little-known facts about the 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. In Giza, the sculpture of the Androsphinx actually stands as 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 Stele of Dreams dating from about 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 dug up a statue covered with sand over the centuries, which after that became known as Khorem-Akhet, which translates as "Mountains on the horizon". The medieval Egyptians called the Sphinx "balkhib" and "bilhow".
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 Of the ancient kingdom), i.e. the age of the statue dates back to around 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 prompted a number of archaeologists to believe that it was Khefren who ordered the construction of a majestic monument with his own face.
Other scholars believe that the statue is much older than the pyramid. They argue that the face and head of the statue bear traces of clear water damage and theorize that the Great Sphinx already existed during the era when the region faced extensive flooding (6 millennium BC).
4. Whoever built the Sphinx, he ran away from it at breakneck speed after the end of the construction
American archaeologist Mark Lehner and Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass discovered large stone blocks, toolboxes and even petrified dinners under the sand. This clearly indicates that the workers were in such a hurry to get away that they did not even bring their tools with them.
5. The laborers who built the statue were well fed
Most scientists think that the people who built the Sphinx were slaves. However, their diet suggests otherwise. As a result of excavations led by Mark Lehner, it was found that the workers regularly dined on beef, lamb and goat meat.
6. The Sphinx was once covered in paint
Although the Sphinx is now gray-sandy in 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 body of the Sphinx.
7. The sculpture was buried under the sand for a long time
The Great Sphinx of Giza has fallen prey to the quicksands of the Egyptian desert several times during its long existence. The first known restoration of a sphinx almost completely buried under the sand took place 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 forepaws were deep beneath the surface of the desert. The entire Sphinx was excavated in the 1920s.
8.The Sphinx lost its headdress in the 1920s
During the last recovery, the Great Sphinx lost part of its famous headdress, and its head and neck were seriously damaged. The Egyptian government hired a team of engineers to restore the statue in 1931. But soft limestone was used during this restoration, and in 1988 a 320-kilogram portion of a shoulder fell off, nearly killing a German reporter. After that, the Egyptian government resumed restoration work.
9. After the construction of the Sphinx for a long time there was a cult that venerated it
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
The Sphinx's modern reputation as a cruel creature originated in Greek mythology, not Egyptian. In Greek myths, the Sphinx is mentioned in connection with a meeting with Oedipus, to whom he asked a seemingly insoluble 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 absence of a nose in the Great Sphinx has given rise to all kinds of myths and theories. One of the most widespread legends says that Napoleon Bonaparte ordered to beat off the nose of the statue in a fit of pride. However, early sketches of the Sphinx show that the statue lost its nose even before the birth of the French emperor.
12. The Sphinx was once bearded
Today, the remains of the Great Sphinx's beard, which were removed from the statue due to severe erosion, are stored in British Museum and in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, established in Cairo in 1858. However, the French archaeologist Vasile Dobrev argues that the bearded statue was not originally, and that the beard was added later. Dobrev argues his hypothesis that removing the beard, if it was a component of the statue from the very beginning, would damage the chin of the statue.
13. Great Sphinx - the oldest 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 considered to date from the reign of Khafre, the smaller sphinxes depicting his half-brother Jedefre and sister Netefere II are older.
14. The Sphinx is 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 led to the emergence of a number of theories about the supernatural understanding of the ancient Egyptians 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, pyramids and the Nile River with the stars of the constellations Leo and Orion.
The Great Sphinx, located on the Giza plateau, is the oldest and most grandiose sculpture ever created by man. Its dimensions are impressive: the length is 72 m, the height is about 20 m, the nose was as tall as a person, and the face was 5 m high.
According to many studies, the Egyptian Sphinx even hides more riddles than the Great Pyramids. Nobody knows for certain when and for what purpose this giant sculpture was built.
The Sphinx is located on west bank Nile's face to the sunrise. His gaze is fixed on that point of the horizon, where in the days of spring and autumn equinox the sun rises. A huge statue, made of monolithic limestone, a fragment of the base of the Giza plateau, is the body of a lion with a human head.
1. The Disappearing Sphinx
It is believed that the Sphinx was erected during the construction of the pyramid of Khafre. 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. NS. the pyramids of Giza were visited by Herodotus, who described in detail all the details of their construction. He wrote down “everything that he saw and heard in Egypt,” but did not say a word about the Sphinx.
Before Herodotus, Hecateus of Miletus visited Egypt, after him - Strabo. Their notes are detailed, but there is no mention of the Sphinx there either. Could the Greeks have missed 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", who mentions that in his time (1st century AD) the Sphinx was once again cleared of the sands deposited from the western part of the desert. Indeed, the Sphinx was regularly “freed” from sand deposits until the 20th century.
The purpose of the creation of the Great Sphinx is also not known for certain. Modern science believes that he had a religious significance and kept the peace of the dead pharaohs. It is possible that the colossus performed some function that has not yet been clarified. This is indicated by both its exact eastern orientation and the parameters encoded in proportions.
2. Ancient pyramids
The restoration work, which began to be carried out in connection with the emergency state of the Sphinx, began to suggest to scientists that the Sphinx is possibly older than previously thought. To check this, Japanese archaeologists led by Professor Sakuji Yoshimura, using sonar, first enlightened the Cheops pyramid, and then In a similar way examined the sculpture. Their conclusion was striking - 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 the Nile bed in ancient times passed in a different place and washed the rock from which the Sphinx was hewn.
The hydrologists' guesses are even bolder: "Erosion is more likely traces not of the Nile, but of a flood - a mighty flood of water." Scientists came to the conclusion that the water flow was from north to south, and the approximate date of the catastrophe is 8 thousand years BC. NS.
British scientists, repeating the hydrological studies of the rock from which the Sphinx is made, pushed the date of the flood to 12 thousand years BC. NS. This is generally consistent with the dating of the Flood, which, according to most scientists, occurred around 8-10 thousand BC. NS.
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3. What is the Sphinx sick with?
The Arab sages, struck by the majesty of the Sphinx, said that the giant is timeless. But over the past millennia, the monument has pretty much gotten, 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 sculpture's nose, and the British stole a stone beard from the giant and took him to the British Museum.
In 1988, a huge block of stone broke away from the Sphinx and fell with a crash. They weighed her and were horrified - 350 kg. This fact has 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 for the destruction of the ancient structure.
For many millennia, the Sphinx was repeatedly buried under the sand. Sometime around 1400 BC. NS. Pharaoh Thutmose IV, after a wonderful dream, ordered the excavation of the Sphinx, erecting a stele in honor of this event between the forepaws of the lion. However, then only the legs and the front of the statue were removed from the sand. Later, the giant sculpture was cleared under the Romans and Arabs.
As a result comprehensive survey Scientists have discovered hidden and extremely dangerous cracks in the head of the Sphinx, in addition, they have established that external cracks sealed with poor-quality cement are also dangerous - this poses a threat of rapid erosion. The paws of the Sphinx were in an equally depressing state.
According to experts, the Sphinx, first of all, is harmed by human life: exhaust gases from automobile engines and caustic smoke from Cairo factories penetrate into the pores of the statue, which gradually destroys it. Scientists say the Sphinx is seriously ill.
For restoration ancient monument hundreds of millions of dollars are needed. 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 strong belief that the face of the Pharaoh of the IV dynasty Khafre is captured 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 has been repeatedly altered.
The well-known expert on the monuments of Giza, Dr. I. Edwards, is convinced that in the face of the Sphinx the Pharaoh Khafren himself is seen. “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 it comes about a sculpture carved from black diorite, which is kept in the Cairo Museum - it is on her that the appearance of the Sphinx is verified.
To confirm or deny the identification of the Sphinx with Khefren, a group of independent researchers involved the famous New York policeman Frank Domingo, who created portraits to identify suspects. After a few months of work, Domingo concluded: “These two works of art depict two different persons... The frontal proportions - and especially the angles and frontal protrusions when viewed from the side - convince me that the Sphinx is not Khefren. "
The ancient Egyptian name of the statue has not survived, the word "Sphinx" is Greek and is associated with the verb "choke". The Arabs called the Sphinx "Abu el-Hoy" - "the father of horror." There is an assumption that the ancient Egyptians called the sphinxes "seshep-ankh" - "the image of Jehovah (Living)", that is, the Sphinx was the embodiment of God on earth.
5. Mother of fear
Egyptian archaeologist Rudwan Ash-Shamaa believes that there is a female couple at the Sphinx and she is hiding 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, Ash-Shamaa relies on the way of thinking of the ancient Egyptians, who firmly followed the principle of symmetry. In his eyes, the lonely figure of the Sphinx looks very strange.
The surface of the place where, according to the scientist's assumption, 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,” Ash-Shamaa is convinced.
The archaeologist makes several arguments to support his theory. Ash-Shamaa recalls that between the front paws of the Sphinx is a granite stele, which depicts two statues; there is also a limestone tablet that says that one of the statues was struck by lightning and destroyed.
Now the Great Sphinx is badly damaged - its face is disfigured, the royal ureus disappeared in the form of a cobra raised on its forehead, a festive dress that fell from head to shoulders was 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 the knowledge remained "undiscovered until the Heaven gives birth to beings who will be worthy of this gift."
Some researchers are still convinced of the existence of a "secret room" today. They recall how Edgar Cayce predicted that one day in Egypt under right paw The Sphinx will find a room called the "Hall of Testimonies" or "Hall of Chronicles." The information stored in the "secret room" will tell humanity about a highly developed civilization that existed millions of years ago.
In 1989, a group of Japanese scientists, using a radar method, discovered a narrow tunnel under the left paw of the Sphinx, extending 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 the 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. local authorities... Since that time, the Egyptian government has officially prohibited the conduct of 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 Napoleonic troops in Egypt. Now his 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. Some of its fragments are kept in Cairo, and some are in the British Museum. TO XIX century only the head and paws of the Sphinx were described.
Great sphinx on the western bank of the Nile in Giza - the oldest surviving monumental sculpture on Earth. It was 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, is given a portrait resemblance to the pharaoh Khefren (c. 2575-2465 BC), whose burial pyramid is located nearby. The statue is 72 meters long and 20 meters high; there was once a small sanctuary between the forepaws.
Purpose and name
Statue of the Nile and the Rising Sun. Almost all ancient Eastern civilizations saw in a lion a symbol of a solar deity. Since ancient times, it was customary to depict the pharaoh in the form of a lion destroying his enemies. In the light of these data, it is permissible to consider the sphinx as the guardian of eternal peace of the pharaohs buried around it. The surrounding temples were originally dedicated to the sun god Ra, and only in the period of the New Kingdom the sculpture began to be identified with the Choir (more precisely, with the Khoremahet), as a result of which Amenhotep II dedicated a special temple to him northeast of the Sphinx.
The ancient Egyptian name for the Great Sphinx remains unknown. The word "sphinx" is Greek and literally means "strangler", which is a reference to famous myth about the riddle of the Sphinx. The opinion that this word came to Greece from ancient Egyptian is unfounded.
Time of creation
Circumstances and exact time the construction of the sphinx remains a mystery. The opinion of ancient authors, accepted in modern literature, that its builder was Khefren (Khafra), is confirmed only by the fact that during the construction of the temple, stone blocks of the same size were used for the statue as in the construction of the neighboring pyramid. In addition, not far from the Sphinx, archaeologists found a diorite image of Khafra in the sand.
There are also other opinions regarding the customer of the Sphinx. An inventory stele discovered in Giza by Mariet in 1857 and, in all likelihood, created shortly before the Persian conquest, claims that the dilapidated statue was dug up and cleaned of sand by Khafre's father, Pharaoh Cheops (Khufu). Most scholars tend to dismiss this evidence as late and unreliable; for the reliability of the information provided in the stele from researchers old school only Gaston Maspero spoke. Prominent modern Egyptologist Rainer Stadelmann is of the opinion that artistic characteristics the statue should be attributed to the construction activities of Khufu. In 2004, the French scientist Vasile Dobrev suggested that the statue depicts Khufu and was erected by his son Djedefra.
Even more confusing the question of the customer of the statue is the fact that the face of the statue has Negroid features, which is at odds with other surviving images of Khafra and his relatives. Forensic experts who used a computer to compare the face of the Sphinx with the signed statues of Khafra concluded that they could not represent the same person.
Since the 1950s. in popular literature, the dating of the Sphinx to the period of the Old Kingdom began to be questioned. It was claimed that Bottom part sphinx is classic example erosion caused by prolonged exposure of a stone to water. Last time appropriate level precipitation was observed in Egypt at the turn of the IV and III millennia, which, according to the supporters of this theory, indicates the creation of the statue in the Pre-Dynastic period or even earlier. In the scientific literature, the features of sculpture erosion are explained by other reasons - secondary fracturing, the action of acid rain, and low quality limestone.
The relatively small size of the head prompted the Boston geologist Robert Schoch to suggest that the statue originally had a lion's face, from which one of the pharaohs ordered to carve a mysteriously smiling human face in his own image and likeness. This hypothesis did not find acceptance in the scientific community, as well as Graham Hancock's hypothesis about the correlation three pyramids with stars in the constellation Orion, which was allegedly observed in the 11th millennium BC. NS. (see en: Orion Correlation Theory).
Descriptions
The Roman historian Pliny described the Great Sphinx as a monster. The medieval Arabs in The Thousand and One Nights and other texts also referred to him as "the father of horror."
In modern times, the sculpture was first depicted by the Italian architect Sebastiano Serlio, who published his work on the monuments of ancient architecture in Antwerp in 1546 - his sphinx with a smiling a woman's face was equipped with a bust and a hairdo corresponding to the time.
State
During its existence, the Sphinx was buried up to its shoulders in the sand. Attempts to unearth it were already undertaken in antiquity by Thutmose IV and Ramses II. The first was able to free only the front paws from the sand, between which he ordered to put a granite stele with the following inscription:
The king's son Thutmose, upon his arrival, sat down in the shadow of this mighty deity during an afternoon walk. When Ra reached the summit [of the sky], he was overcome by a dream, and he saw how this great god addressed him with a speech, as if the father was telling his son: “Look at me, take a closer look, O my son Thutmose, I am your father Harmahis, and I will grant you dominion over my land and power over all living ... Behold my true appearance in order to protect my impeccable limbs. The sand of the desert on which I lie has covered me. Save me and fulfill all that is in my heart. "
The Sphinx was also fortified with additional blocks by the ancient Greeks and Romans, in particular the legs and walls of the niche.
The Italians succeeded in clearing the sand from the entire chest of the Sphinx in 1817, and it was completely freed from millennial sand deposits in 1925.
In 2014, the sphinx underwent a four-month restoration, after which it became available to tourists.
Loss
Sphinx's face in profile.
The statue lacks a 1.5 meter wide nose. Its absence can be explained both by natural destruction of the stone (centuries-old effect of wind and moisture), and by human impact. There is a legend that this detail of the statue was knocked off by a cannonball during the Napoleonic battle with the Turks at the Pyramids (1798); according to other versions, the place of Napoleon is taken by the British or the Mamelukes. The falsity of this opinion is indicated by the drawings of the Danish traveler Norden, who saw the noseless sphinx already in 1737.
The medieval Cairo historian al-Maqrizi wrote that in 1378 a Sufi fanatic, finding the fellahs bringing gifts to the Sphinx in the hope of replenishing their harvest, was filled with anger and knocked off the nose of the “idol”, for which he was torn to pieces by the crowd. From the story of al-Maqrizi, we can conclude that for local residents The Sphinx was a kind of talisman, the ruler of the Nile, on which, as they believed, depended on the flood level of the great river and, accordingly, the fertility of their fields.
The Sphinx has survived not only without a nose, but also without a fake ceremonial beard, fragments of which can be seen in the British and Cairo museums. The timing of the Sphinx's beard is controversial. Some authors attribute its installation to the New Kingdom. According to others, the beard was made together with the head, because the technical complexity of the high-altitude work on the installation of the beard exceeded the capabilities of the builders of that time.
In works of art
- "Prisoner of the Pharaohs" (1924) - a story by Howard Lovecraft, built on the assumption of the millionth age of the Egyptian Sphinx, originally depicting a supposedly terrible monster. Under Pharaoh Khafren, the features of the monster were allegedly knocked off the face of the Sphinx and replaced by the features of the pharaoh.
Of the Seven Wonders of the World the ancient world only the pyramids of Giza resisted the vicissitudes of time. "Fifty centuries are looking at you from the top of these monuments!" - exclaimed Napoleon; "A joke on history" - one of the visitors objected. The Great Pyramid of Cheops has generated more scientific and amateur speculation than any other monument on earth. For millions of people, the pyramids at Giza embody antiquity and mystery. Overwhelmed with expectations, you may find reality to be frustrating.
From a distance, they look like small triangles, and as you get closer, they look more like time-worn mountains, the gigantic mass of which can seem strangely two-dimensional when you look at them from below. The pyramids are not in the middle of a lifeless desert, as it might seem if you look at a postcard with their image, they are located directly on the outskirts of the city of Giza. During the day, crowds of barkers and tourists dispel any sense of mysticism that the surrounding sounds and light create after dark. You can feel the greatness of the pyramids at sunset and at dawn of the day or late at night.
As the plans of the territory show, the orientation of the pyramids is not accidental. Their entrances are oriented along the Pole Star (or rather, according to its position 4500 years ago), the inner burial chambers are facing west, in the direction of the Land of the Dead, and the outer funeral temples are directed eastward towards the rising sun. It is also said that the three pyramids symbolize the three stars of Orion's belt. The roads leading to the so-called "temples of the valley" and various secondary pyramids and tombs of the mastaba are in much worse condition.
The Supreme Council of Antiquities is renovating the entire area, which continues to surprise. In particular, a possibly secret chamber was recently discovered in the Great Pyramid, which, according to some experts, may contain the same amazing treasures as in the tomb of Tutankhamun. A previously unknown small pyramid was also discovered near the southeastern corner of the Cheops pyramid with the oldest pyramidion (keystone) ever found and tunnels under the seats for spectators opposite the Sphinx, the age and purpose of which are still unknown.
- Visiting the pyramids at Giza
The pyramids can be reached directly from the eleven-kilometer Sharia al-Ahram (Avenue of the Pyramids), built by Khedive Ismail for the wife of Napoleon III, Empress Eugenia. It's quite easy to get there, however, due to heavy traffic the trip may seem like a long one. Taxi drivers often ask for more than £ 20, although £ 15 for a one-way trip from the city is quite reasonable. The cheapest way is to take bus no. 355 or 357 (£ 2) or regular city bus no. 900 (25 piastres).
Buses leave from the back of Ramses Station or from. You can also take minibus No. 183 from Midan Ataba (75 piastres) or by minibus from Ramses or Abdel Munim Riyadh (75 piastres, drivers who can take you to the pyramids shout "Al-Ahram, Al-Ahram!"). Bus number 30 from Midan Ramesses also reaches almost the pyramids. If you want to visit the pyramids of Giza in one day and also get to, then the easiest way is to go on an organized excursion.
The Tourist Office is located opposite the Mena House (8: 00-17: 00 daily). You can get to the territory of the pyramids in certain time(daily: in winter 8: 00-16: 00, in summer 8: 00-17: 00); the ticket price (£ 40, students £ 20) includes admission to the grounds, the Sphinx and the Khafre Valley temple, but truth be told, tickets are not checked very diligently. Separate tickets must be purchased in order to enter the Great Pyramid of Cheops (100 pounds), the Solar Boat Museum (35 pounds), the Pyramid of Khafre (20 pounds) and the Pyramid of Mikerin.
If you are going to look at these separately and at other times, it can be more expensive (it all depends on your bargaining skills!). Beware of crooks posing as controllers and "special guides" who tell you something like: "The pyramid of Cheops is very old"! Ignore them or, if necessary, threaten to call the tourist police. Also, ignore the barkers with camels and horses who will assure you that their stables are "state".
Problems of this kind should soon disappear with the implementation of the "Giza Plateau Conservation Project", within the framework of which it is planned to create an Imax cinema, cultural centers is also planned to be made available more objects. At the same time, the plateau will be cut off from the village of Nazlat al-Samman, which will save tourists from barkers and crooks.
Expect to spend half a day here, so it is best to arrive early in the morning before the onset of the heat and above all before the main crowd arrives wishing to visit the pyramids ( tourist buses start arriving at 10:30). Or you can arrive by the end of the afternoon - by 17:00 most of the tour groups are already leaving, and new stream those wishing to see the local night show "Light and Shadow" have not yet arrived. There are three hour-long shows every night, accompanied by some pretty silly melodramatic commentary in different languages.
For a schedule that changes every season, read Egypt Today magazine. The cost of a seat is 60 pounds and another 35 pounds for a video camera. The Arabic version costs 11 pounds, although foreigners are not allowed to buy tickets for it. Hundreds of Egyptians enjoy the show free of charge from fairly vantage points, such as behind a Muslim cemetery, trying not to take up seats on the terrace overlooking the Sphinx (because wheelchair access is possible). Bring a sweater as it is cold at night - even in summer! Behind the spectator seats are a series of stables offering horse and camel rentals, which are usually no better than those offered by the barkers around the pyramids of the Bedouin Nagama tribe.
They usually charge £ 50 for a short camel ride. Barkers who offer rides for £ 10 an hour should beware - they have a habit of taking tourists deep into the desert and then announcing that £ 10 was just for the trip here, and the return trip would be £ 50 an hour. Since the territory itself is quite small and can be walked around, horse riding is more of a separate attraction, and not an opportunity to save time, and on top of that, disputes with these people can ruin your trip. But if you want to ride a horse or a camel, you should contact a well-known operator, such as AA or KG.
In Baedeker's time, a compulsory point for visitors was to climb the Great Pyramid, with two Bedouins holding the tourist's hands, and the third nudging from below. Climbing the pyramids is now prohibited and, of course, very dangerous, although attempts are still being made. It is completely safe to enter the pyramids, but people suffering from claustrophobia or asthma should forget about it. It is quite difficult to go through all three inner mines of the Great Pyramid - all the next day your feet will ache.
Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)
The oldest and largest of the pyramids at Giza belongs to the Pharaoh of the 4th dynasty Khufu, better known as Cheops, who probably ruled between 2589-2566 BC. The ancient Egyptians called it "The place of Khufu's glory." The pyramid was originally 140 meters high and the base side was 230 meters long, but its upper blocks were removed and the height decreased by three meters. The pyramid is composed of approximately 2,300,000 blocks with an average weight of 2.5 tons (although some weigh almost 15 tons!). This gigantic mass ensures its stability, as most of the pressure is transferred inward, towards the center, or down to the rocky base underneath.
Until recently, it was believed that there are only three chambers in the pyramid: one at the base and two in the superstructure. Experts believe that the project changed twice: the underground chamber was left in favor of the middle one, which was then preferred to the upper one. The chambers were ransacked long before archaeologists reached them; the only remaining item was Khufu's sarcophagus. However, in April 1993, a group of scientists with the help of a remotely controlled robot accidentally discovered a door with handles, which supposedly hides the fourth chamber, and where the robbers did not visit. There may be a mummy and treasures of Cheops himself.
Chapter Supreme Council antiquities - Dr. Zawi Havas - claims that there is no camera here, that the “door” is a device for smoothing the inner surface of the mine. "Ventilation" channels 20-25 centimeters wide. At the same time, the channels of the Tsar's Chamber, known since the 17th century, are through, they are open both from below and from above (on the faces of the pyramid), while the lower ends of the channels of the Tsarina's Chamber are separated from the wall surface by about 13 centimeters, they were discovered at tapping in 1872.
The upper ends of these channels do not reach the surface. The end of the southern channel is closed by stone doors, discovered in 1993 by a remotely controlled robot "Upuaut II". In 2002, with the help of a new modification of the robot, the door was drilled, but behind it was a small cavity and another door. What lies next is still unknown, but the truth will not be revealed until the completion of the research.
- Inside the Great Pyramid
To maintain the necessary humidity inside the pyramid, the number of visitors who can enter the pyramid at the same time is limited to 150 in the morning and 150 in the evening. Therefore, it is better to buy tickets (100 pounds, students 50 pounds, filming is not allowed) in advance. In the morning, the tour groups tend to buy them all up before anyone else arrives; It is usually easier to buy tickets for a visit in the afternoon, especially if you can be at the box office when they first go on sale - at 13.00.
You enter the pyramid through the entrance, which was made by the treasure-hunting Caliph Mamun in 820; it is slightly below the original entrance on the north side (now blocked). After going down (bent over), you will reach the junction of the ascending and descending corridors. The latter leads to an unfinished chamber under the pyramid, it is better not to go there or leave it for last.
Everyone is heading up the ascending corridor (the height of the corridor is 1.6 meters). As the medieval Arab chroniclers write, the robbers who made their way into the pyramid, walking along this corridor, soon stumbled upon an "idol of spotted granite" crowned with a serpent, which "grabbed and choked anyone who approached," but today's visitors are simply hampered by the angle of inclination of the passage itself ( 1: 2), which goes 36 meters to the next connection.
To the right of it is a mine, which, according to ancient authors, is a well connected to the Nile. Today it is known that it leads to an underground chamber, it is believed that it served for the exit of workers. Directly in front of you is a horizontal passageway 35 meters long and 1.75 meters high, leading to a chamber of poorly finished limestone with a pointed roof, which the Arabs called the "Queen's Chamber."
Petrie believed that this was a serdab, or place of storage of the statue of the pharaoh, and eccentric Davidson saw in it a symbol of the highest futility of Judaism. In any case, there is no evidence that the queen was ever buried here. Holes were made in the north and south walls in 1872 in order to find the ventilation shafts of the chamber. A robot with a sensor was passed through one of them and a "secret chamber" was found at the end of a passage 65 meters long, only twenty centimeters high and the same width. The channel is directed to the Dog Star Sirius (symbolizing the goddess Isis).
Most of the visitors go to the Great Gallery, the most beautiful part of the pyramid. It is made of Mukattama limestone and is so perfect that you cannot put a knife blade between the blocks; the 47 meter shaft tapers to an 8.5 meter high arched roof (Davidson believed that its length in "pyramid inches" corresponds to the number of years between the Crucifixion and the outbreak of the First World War). The slots in the walls probably held the beams that were used to lift the sarcophagus or granite blocks designed to close the holes along the steep ascending passage (which now has wooden steps).
Although the Great Gallery is not now inhabited by the giant bats that the travelers of the nineteenth century told about, it is quite hot and stuffy in it, which creates some discomfort, so you will be happy to reach the horizontal chamber-hall at its upper end, where slots are made for insertion plug blocks designed to close the entrance to the alleged burial chamber.
The pharaoh's chamber is located 95 meters from the top of the pyramid and half that distance from the outer walls. Constructed from red granite blocks, the rectangular chamber is large enough to accommodate a double-decker bus. Its dimensions (5.2 x 10.8 x 5.8 meters) have caused a lot of abstract calculations and strange prophecies. By order of Hitler, a copy of the chamber was built under the stadium in which the Fuhrer consulted with himself before the Nazi meetings.
At one end of the chamber is a huge sarcophagus without a lid, made of Aswan granite, on which traces of saws and drills with diamond teeth remain. On the north and south wall, at knee level, you will see two air mines leading to the outside world. The mines are oriented towards the stars of the Belt of Orion and Alpha Dragon (representing Osiris and the hippopotamus goddess Rehr, respectively).
There are five unloading chambers above the ceiling, which take the weight of the pyramid away from the burial chamber. Each of them consists of 43 granite monoliths from 40 to 70 tons. These chambers could only be reached by the stairs from the Great Gallery, and then along the aisle where Colonel Weisz found the name Khufu written in red (the only inscription found inside the pyramids of Giza), but most of the visitors usually do not come here. On your way back, be sure to check out the 100-meter downward corridor that leads to the crudely hewn, unfinished chamber under the pyramid. There's nothing fancy there, but the nerve-racking descent is worthy of Indiana Jones.
- Little known tombs
To the east of the Great Pyramid, one can recognize the foundations of the memorial temple of Khufu and several blocks of the road that once connected it to the temple in the valley (now buried under the village of Nazlat al-Samman). Nearby are the three ruined pyramids of the Queens, each with a small chapel.
The northern and southern pyramids belong to Merites and Hensutsen, respectively the main wife (and sister) of Khufu and the alleged mother of Khafre. The middle one may belong to the mother of Rejedef, the third ruler of the dynasty. Between them and the Great Pyramid, the remains of a fourth minor pyramid, including its keystone, have recently been discovered, but the purpose of this pyramid is still unknown.
In the northeast of the pyramid of Queen Merites is the mine where the sarcophagus of Queen Heteferes, wife of Pharaoh III of the Sneferu dynasty, was found, placed here after the plundering of the original burial in Dashur. To the east of it is the tomb of Kara and his son Idu, with life-size statues of the dead and many reliefs.
To the east of the pyramid of Queen Hensutsen are the tombs of the son of Cheops Khufu-Zaef and the wife of Khafren (also daughter of Heteferes) Meresanh. It is the best-preserved of all the tombs on the Giza plateau, with statues in niches and reliefs that show scenes of everyday life, with much of the color preserved. To get into these tombs, go to the watchman's house near the Heteferes mine, of course, the watchman will appreciate the baksheesh for the work done.
To the west of the Great Pyramid lie dozens of 4th and 5th Dynasties mastabas, where archaeologists discovered a 4,600-year-old mummified princess whose devastated body was covered in a thin layer of plaster - a previously unknown method of mummification. There are many tombs here that were closed to the public until 1995, since they were discovered in the nineteenth century.
In general, they are less interesting than those located on the east side of the Great Pyramid, but the tomb of Neferbauptah, almost parallel to the west side of the Khafre pyramid, in the fifth block on the right and in the second row on the north side contains the surviving remains of a dinosaur. If you would like to visit any of these tombs, please contact the caretakers' office to the north. Be careful near deep mines - they may not have obstacles.
- Solar Boat Museum
South of the Great Pyramid, across the street from another group of mastabs, is a humidity controlled pavilion (daily: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm winter, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm summer, £ 35, students £ 20). It contains a 43-meter boat, found in one of five ditches dug around the Khufu pyramid (another boat was discovered using X-rays and video cameras, but currently remains unexcavated).
When the limestone blocks of the ditch roof were removed during excavations in 1954, a faint smell of cedar rose. After that, the restorer Hagg Ahmed Youssef spent 14 years restoring this graceful vessel from 1,200 pieces of wood, which originally held together the sycamore nails and the rope of half grass.
Archaeologists call these ships "solar boats" (or barges), but their purpose remains unclear. Of the many hypotheses, one can mention, for example, the following: they are intended to carry the pharaoh through the underworld (as shown in the tombs of the 17th-9th dynasties in Thebes) or accompany the sun god on his daily journey across the sky.
The middle, or Second pyramid seems to be higher than the Khufu pyramid, because it is located at a higher place and its top is better preserved, and the sides are steeper. The pyramid was built by Khafrom (known to posterity as Khafren) - the son of Khufu; its base was originally 214.8 meters long, and its approximate weight is estimated at 4,883,000 tons. As with the Khufu pyramid, the original burial chamber, carved into the rock, was never completed, and an upper chamber was subsequently built.
Classical writers such as Pliny believed that the pyramid had no entrance, but when Belzoni found and opened the sealed portal on its north side in 1818, he found that Arab grave robbers had already somehow entered the area about a thousand years ago. They were not frightened by the legends about the idol "with evil sparkling eyes", which is supposed to kill those who have penetrated inside. In March 1993, several tourists were injured by an explosion in the Khafre pyramid, which was probably caused by a bomb.
Inside the pyramid (£ 20, £ 10 students, unlimited visitors, filming prohibited), you can follow one of two entrance corridors leading down and then up into a long horizontal passage that leads to Khafre's burial chamber, where Belzoni celebrated his discovery, writing his name on the wall in an old English Gothic script (this circus strongman filled with seething energy, who became an explorer, later found the tomb of Seti I in the Valley of the Kings and died looking for the source of the Niger River).
The sarcophagus of Khafre, who ruled in 2558-2533 BC, is mounted in the granite floor of the burial chamber. The square cavity near the south wall probably indicates the location of the lidded box where the pharaoh's entrails were located.
- Burial complex of Khafre and the Sphinx
The burial complex of the pyramid of Khafre is the best preserved and is a typical example of construction from the times of the Old Kingdom. When Pharaoh died, his body was transported across the Nile to a temple in a valley near the river, where the priests embalmed him. After the completion of this process, mourners gathered here to purify themselves, before accompanying his mummy on the way to the funeral temple, where further rituals were performed prior to burial in the pyramid. After that, the priests ensured the life of his "ka" in the funeral temple - strictly certain days they brought food and fumigated the mummy with incense.
The funeral temple of Khafre consists of a hall with columns, a central courtyard, storage rooms with niches and a sanctuary. Much of the outer granite cladding has been looted over the centuries, and the interior is likely not accessible. Among the remaining blocks there is a monster 13.4 meters long and weighing 163 thousand kilograms. Near the temple are objects that look like boat ditches, although further excavations have not found anything other than pottery fragments. From here you can trace the base of the road that goes 400 meters down the hill to his temple in the valley, near the Sphinx.
The temple in the valley was covered with sand before it was discovered by Mariette in 1852, which explains its reasonably good preservation. Built of limestone and faced with finished Aswan granite, the temple faces east and opens onto the embankment. Behind the narrow anterior chamber you will see a T-shaped hall, gigantic architraves of which are supported by square pillars, in front of which are the diorite statues of Khafre. Contrary to popular theory, some scholars believe that the mummification took place in Memphis or in the funeral temple of Khafre, and this building served for the "Opening the mouth" ceremony, during which "ka" entered the body of the deceased.
This legendary monument, accessed through a temple in the valley, is carved from overburden of soft limestone that is believed to have remained here after the surrounding harder stone was used to build the Great Pyramid. However, since the base stone was too soft to work directly on it, it was overlaid with a harder stone before finishing. Traditional archeology claims that the idea of creating a figure with a lion's body and human head belongs to Khefren.
The head is often identified with the head of Khephren (surmounted by a royal beard and ureus), although it may represent some kind of guardian deity. It is said that thousands of years after the construction of the great monument, Thutmose IV had a dream that if he cleansed the sand that swallowed the Sphinx, it would make him a ruler.
The prophecy came true, as it is said on the stele, which he placed between the paws of the statue. All these claims remained valid until 1991, when two American geologists stated that the Sphinx was at least 2,600 years older than it was supposed to be: its base stone is badly worn out and washed out by water, it may have been created during the Nabtian pluvial period (3000-1200 BC). The director of the High Council of Antiquities, Zawi Hawas, rejects this argument, citing the Getty Institute's analysis of the founding of the Sphinx. The analysis concluded that the erosion was caused by the action of mineral salts in the plateau and / or wind.
The controversy delighted the lone Egyptologist John West, who had long proclaimed that Egyptian civilization was the heir to an older, lost culture - the mythical Atlantis. The name "Sphinx" was indeed given by the ancient Greeks after the legendary creature who asked riddles for travelers passing by and killed those who answered incorrectly. The Arabs called him Abu el-Khol (awe-inspiring, or terrible). During the training firing of the Mamluks and Napoleonic troops, the Sphinx lost most beard, which is now in, and during the Second World War it was covered with sand for protection.
Early modern renovations did more harm than good, as porous limestone “breathes” in contrast to the cement used to fill cracks. The deterioration of the Sphinx's condition is affected by vapors of harmful chemicals from Wastewater and the bonfires of the nearby village of Nazlat el-Samman. In a new restoration project (1989-1998), ten thousand limestone blocks were carved by hand to restore the animal's legs, feet and thighs. The missing nose and beard were not intentionally replaced.
There are three tunnels inside the Sphinx, one under the head, one in the tail, and one on the north side. Their purpose is unknown, and none of them lead anywhere. Other tunnels have been dug near the Sphinx, but again no one knows who built them or what they were intended for. One speculation is that they were dug by the ancient Egyptians in later times in an attempt to find buried treasures. During the performances "Light and Shadow", the Sphinx is assigned the role of storyteller.
Situated on a gentle slope that turns into a hilly desert, the smallest of the pyramids of Giza speaks of diminishing power and devotion. Started by Khafren's successor Menkaur (whom the Greeks called Mikerinus), it was completed with unprecedented haste by his son Shepsescaph, who apparently had less power than his predecessors and was dependent on the priests.
Herodotus tells the legend that the oracle gave Mikerin only six years of life, therefore, in order to deceive fate, he had fun around the clock, doubling his annual number of impressions. Another story tells that the pyramid was actually built by Rodophis, a Thracian courtier who demanded from each visitor the price of one block (it is estimated that the structure consists of 200 thousand blocks).
Since the lower part of the pyramid is faced with Aswan granite, it is sometimes called the Red Pyramid (this name is also applied to one of them). The relative shortage of facing blocks stems from the activities of the twelfth century sultan, whose courtiers persuaded him to try to destroy the pyramid, and after eight months this project was prudently stopped.
Medieval Arab chroniclers often attributed all the pyramids of Giza to one ruler who boasted: “I, Surid, the king, built these pyramids in sixty-one years. Let the one who comes after me try to destroy them for six hundred. It is easier to destroy than to build. I have dressed them in silk, let him try to cover them with mats. "
The interior of the pyramid is unusual: the unfinished chamber is in the superstructure, and the burial chamber is underground. Here Weiss discovered a basalt sarcophagus, later lost at sea on the way to, as well as human remains, which he believed belonged to Menkaur. Now they are considered a replacement for the times of the XXVI dynasty and are in the British Museum.
The complex also includes three secondary pyramids, a relatively complete burial temple and a road to the temple in the valley (at present, it is filled up). To the northwest of the last temple is the sarcophagus-shaped tomb of Queen Hentkaves, an intriguing figure that appears to have been a bridge linking the transition from Dynasty IV to V. It is believed that after the death of Shepseskaf, the last pharaoh of the IV dynasty, whose wife was Hentkaves, the queen may have married a priest of the sun god and gave birth to several kings who were buried in Sakkara or (where she also built a pyramid).
The best view of the pyramids is from a point south of the Pyramid of Mikerin. Most tourists stop (along with the horse and camel drivers and trinket sellers) along the tarmac road 400 meters west of the pyramid. This place is especially popular at the end of the day when the sun is in the right direction... In the morning, however, it is best to take photos from the southeast, although there is often haze in the early morning. Best view of all pyramids close to each other opens from the ridge south of the pyramid of Mikerin.
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