The guardian of the Egyptian desert throws new mysteries to scientists century after century
This majestic structure rises above the desert, exciting the imagination of people for many centuries. The sculpture's 20-meter height allows you to admire the Sphinx from a respectful distance. Tourists visiting Egypt cannot resist the temptation to look at it with their own eyes - for this you just need to drive a little from Cairo to the western bank of the Nile, on the Giza plateau, to the famous pyramids. But maybe it’s not even him, but she?.. After all, as scientists say, the word "sphinx" is translated as "strangler."
In the entire history of human civilization, it has not been possible to obtain at least some reliable facts about the origin and purpose of the grandiose sculpture. The Sphinx only adds riddles and questions.
When was it built?
Until recently, it was generally believed that the statue was created during the reign of Pharaoh Hevren. This version was supported by the facts that, firstly, historians find the portrait resemblance of the Sphinx's face to the face of Hevren, and secondly, it was at that time (2.5 thousand years BC) that the ancient Egyptian civilization reached its highest peak, which means that they would not have been able to create such a statue either earlier or later.
However, a closer examination of the statue cast doubt on such statements. Hydrologists found serious damage at the base of the Sphinx that could only be caused by prolonged exposure to water - but not because of the Nile, which is in the distance. According to the conclusions of scientists, a major natural disaster that caused a colossal flood that eroded the base of the statue occurred … in the X-VIII millennium BC! That is, during the time of the Biblical Flood.
The Sphinx is visible from afar. pixabay.com
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Whose face is he?
Whom did an unknown ancient sculptor depict as the Sphinx? Pharaoh Hevren? For a long time it was believed that it was. But … Where did the distinct Negroid features come from then? Indeed, according to the surviving images of Hevren, there was nothing like it.
One of the theories says that the Sphinx "combined" the faces of several pharaohs, as well as the features of the sun god - Horus, and a baboon, which was a sacred animal of the ancient god of wisdom Thoth, Some experts believe that in the beginning the Sphinx had an ordinary lion's face, and only later did one of the most ambitious pharaohs order his own face to be carved in its place.
Is he moving?
Periodically, the multi-ton statue leaves its post and goes into the desert. This is what an ancient legend says. What is it based on?
In 445 BC, Herodotus visited Egypt. He described his journey in detail, talked about the pyramids, but never mentioned a word about the Sphinx created much earlier … That is, it turns out, he did not see it? Did the Sphinx go somewhere?
Most likely, at that time, it was completely covered with sand. The desert does this trick from time to time, and the Egyptians had to dig up the giant sculpture more than once. They dug up one head, then a head together with paws … In the XIV century. BC. the ruler of the Egyptians, Pharaoh Thutmose IV, managed to free the entire sculpture from the sand. Over the past two hundred years, it has been removed from the sand three times, the last time in 1925.
The Sphinx's profile is not perfect - he has no nose
Is there a secret room inside?
Once the equipment of Japanese researchers clearly showed that inside, in the depths of the Sphinx, namely, under one of its paws, there is a rectangular void. A tunnel leads into it, starting at a depth of two meters, and further the passage continues from this room at an inclination towards the pyramid of Hevren. At this, the studies were interrupted - the Egyptians forbade them to continue, fearing that the Japanese would harm the statue.
Why doesn't the statue have a nose?
To deprive the Sphinx of the nose was ordered by one of the Arab sheikhs in the XIV century - he decided that there was nothing for the statue to violate the precepts of Muhammad, who forbade the depiction of a human face. The Mameluk barbarians used the Sphinx's head as a target, practicing their shooting skills on it. Once upon a time, the Sphinx was also bearded. Scientists decided to carefully remove the remnants of the beard, damaged by erosion, in order to preserve them. Today these remains are in the British Museum.
By the way: The Ancient Sphinx is recognized as the most gigantic sculpture on Earth carved out of solid rock: its length is 72 meters, and its height is 20 meters.
The Sphinx used to have a beard
Whom does he guard?
There are many versions on this topic.
The Sphinx guards the peace of the ancient tombs of the pharaohs - the pyramids. But he is much older than the most ancient of the pyramids … And he did not save them - the treasures have long been plundered.
The Sphinx protects the treasury of ancient knowledge hidden in its depths, underground … Underground rooms do exist, they were discovered by modern acoustic equipment. Only now it is not possible to reach them.
Or maybe the Sphinx is a living being? There is a belief that in the days of the most terrible wars, protesting against the barbaric actions of people, the Sphinx leaves its pedestal and goes into the desert, burying itself in the sand. Another legend claims that the creators of the Sphinx, having barely finished the work, were forced to flee from it at breakneck speed - so that they threw away tools, food and things.
There is also a version that the Sphinx guards the entrance to the bomb shelter, created by the ancient Egyptians. Under the pyramids there is a whole underground city with squares, streets, houses. It contains everything that mankind managed to preserve after numerous disasters that befell the Earth: wonderful crystals that can heal from any disease; drawings of jet aircraft invented in antiquity; historical tomes dating back more than 10 millennia.
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