The Great Sphinx
Situated about six miles West of Cairo lies The Great Sphinx at Giza;
the oldest monumental stone sculpture in the world. At its highest point of 21
meters and length of 74 meters, not even Mt Rushmore (at a mere 18m) can
compete. The mouth, with its enigmatic smile, caused by erosion and ancient
vandalism rather than design, is 2.3 meters across. The nose is 1.7 meters on an
immense face at 4.2 meters in breadth. The body is the shape of a lion and wears
a headress upon its head. It is said that the gigantic monument was a sculpture
created for and of King Chepren over 4,500 years ago. If that is the case, it would
be the oldest known portrait. The Sphinx faces East, toward the Nile Valley. The
placement of the figure is said to be derived from the zodiacal sign of Leo, since it
was during its summer month that the Nile began to flood. It is lined up and has
the perfect ‘reflection’ of the constellation. “Sphinx” comes from the Greek word
‘Sphingein’ which means to struggle. Although it is unknown what the Great
Sphinx was originally called by the Egyptians, it is referred to circa 1500 BCE
as Hor-em-akht – Horous in the Horizon, Bw-How (Place of Horus) and also as
Ra-horakhty (Ra of Two Horizons).
In the middle of the paws of the Great Sphinx, is where the Dream Stela is
placed. The story on the Stela is about how Prince Tuthmosis was hunting one
day and fell asleep in the paws of the Sphinx (when most of the Sphinx was
covered in blown sand).In his dream the Sphinx spoke to him, promising the
throne of Egypt in return for clearing the sand from its body. Tuthmosis cleared
the sand and so the Sphinx made him King of Egypt. It is thought that, given the
evidence of the stela, Prince Tuthmosis was the younger brother whose el der
brother – the heir to the throne – died before he could inherit the throne (the
Dream Stela may also show a hint of the power struggle that was going on between
the princes for the ultimate power of kingship).
Both the nose and the beard of the Sphinx are missing. There are many
theories for why they are no longer attached. One is that, very simply, they have
fallen off because of old age and erosion. Napoleon’s artillerymen have also been
blamed for using the face of the Sphinx for target practice. That, or because white
supremacy caused Napoleon himself to blow off the nose because it reminded him too much of a Black’s majesty. Some believe this theory isn’t true because
cannons and military machines were not created at the time. Also, it is said that
the nose was gone long before Napoleon arrived in Giza. People also believe that
either the British troops (in World War 1), German troops (in World War 2),
Arab conquerors (in 693), An Islamic cleric (in 1378) the Turkish or the Mamelukes could have shot or knocked off its nose. No one knows for sure but its
what makes The Great Sphinx such a great study piece.
Although the head of the Sphinx is badly battered in some places, traces of
the original paint can still be seen near one ear. Originally it is believed that the
Sphinx was painted and was quite colourful. Recently, the Sphinx has undergone a
major restoration effort, done solely by. However, to restore it have often caused
more harm than good. Over 6 years, more than 2,000 limestone blocks were added
to the body of the sphinx and chemicals were injected. This treatment did not
work. It just flaked away along with parts of the original rock. In 1988 the left
shoulder crumbled and blocks fell off. The top of one of the paws was purposely
left unfinished, which demonstrates the difference between the original rock and
the quality of the restoration. Egyptians and Supreme Council of Antiquities are
now working together to find different ways of restoring the Sphinx to last for
centuries to come.
It is said that during the flooding of the Nile, the Great Sphinx was used as
a water pump. There are several doorways to underground tunnels and passages.
People think that the underground chambers were used to hide the materials used
to construct the Pyramids. Today, the Sphinx is important for tourist attraction.
Egypt itself is riddled with poverty so without the Sphinx and The Pyramids, they
would probably have more shortages than they can afford. There is no definite
reason for why the Sphinx was created, but its one of the most notorious and
baffling mysteries that may never be solved…ever.