What material is the Great Sphinx of Egypt made of? The meaning of the Great Sphinx in Egyptian mythology.

Another proof was presented to us by the Japanese scientist Sakuji Yoshimura in 1988. He was able to determine that the stone from which the Sphinx was carved was older than the blocks of the pyramids. He used echolocation. Nobody took him seriously. Indeed, it is impossible to determine the age of a rock by echolocation.

The only serious evidence of the “theory of the antiquity of the Sphinx” is the “Inventory Stele”. This monument was found in 1857 by Auguste Mariet, the founder of the Cairo Museum (pictured left).

On this stele there is an inscription that Pharaoh Cheops (Khufu) found the Sphinx statue already buried in the sand. But this stele was created during the 26th dynasty, that is, 2000 years after the life of Cheops. Don't trust this source too much.

One thing we can say for sure is that the Sphinx has the head and face of a pharaoh. This is evidenced by the nemes (or claft) headdress (see photo) and the decorative element uraeus (see photo) on the forehead of the sculpture. These attributes could only be worn by the pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt. If the statue's nose had been preserved, we would have been closer to the answer.

By the way, where is the nose?

The dominant version in the public consciousness is that the nose was knocked down by the French in 1798-1800. Napoleon then conquered Egypt, and his gunners practiced shooting at the Great Sphinx.

This is not even a version, but a “fable”. In 1757, traveler Frederik Louis Norden from Denmark published sketches he made in Giza, and the nose was no longer there. At the time of publication, Napoleon had not even been born. You can see the sketch in the photo on the right; there really is no nose.

The reasons for the accusations against Napoleon are clear. The attitude towards him in Europe was very negative, he was often called a “monster”. As soon as there was a reason to accuse someone of damaging the historical heritage of mankind, of course, he was chosen as the “scapegoat”.

As soon as the version about Napoleon began to be actively refuted, a second, similar version arose. It says that the Mamluks fired cannons at the Great Sphinx. We cannot explain why public opinion is so drawn to hypotheses involving guns? It’s worth asking sociologists and psychoanalysts about this. This version also has not received confirmation.

A proven version of the loss of the nose was expressed in the work of the Arab historian al-Makrizi. He writes that in 1378 the nose of the statue was knocked off by a religious fanatic. He was outraged that the inhabitants of the Nile Valley worshiped the statue and brought gifts to it. We even know the name of this iconoclast - Muhammad Saim al-Dakhr.

Nowadays, scientists have conducted research in the area of ​​the Sphinx's nose and found traces of a chisel, that is, the nose was broken off with this very tool. There are two such marks in total - one chisel was driven under the nostril, and the second from above.

These traces are small and a tourist cannot notice them. However, you can try to imagine how this fanatic could do it. Apparently, he was lowered down on a rope. The Sphinx lost his nose, and Saim al-Dakhr lost his life; he was torn to pieces by the crowd.

From this story we can conclude that the Sphinx was still an object of cult and worship by the Egyptians in the 14th century, although almost 750 years had already passed since the beginning of Arab rule.

There is another version of the statue’s loss of its nose – natural causes. Erosion destroys the statue and even part of its head falls off. It was installed back during the last restoration. And this statue had many restorations.

On the western bank of the Nile, on the Giza plateau near Cairo, next to the Pyramid of Khafre, there is one of the most famous and, perhaps, the most mysterious historical monuments of Ancient Egypt - the Great Sphinx.

What is the Great Sphinx

The Great, or Great, Sphinx is the oldest monumental sculpture on the planet and the largest of the sculptures of Egypt. The statue is carved from a monolithic rock and depicts a reclining lion with a human head. The length of the monument is 73 meters, the height is about 20.

The name of the statue is Greek and means “strangler,” reminiscent of the mythical Theban sphinx, who killed travelers who did not solve his riddle. The Arabs called the giant lion “Father of Terror,” and the Egyptians themselves called it “shepes ankh,” “image of the living.”

The Great Sphinx was highly revered in Egypt. A sanctuary was built between his front paws, on the altar of which the pharaohs laid their gifts. Some authors conveyed a legend about an unknown god who fell asleep in the “sands of oblivion” and remained forever in the desert.

The image of the sphinx is a traditional motif in ancient Egyptian art. The lion was considered a royal animal, dedicated to the sun god Ra, therefore only the pharaoh was always depicted as a sphinx.

Since ancient times, the Great Sphinx was considered an image of Pharaoh Khafre (Khefre), since it is located next to his pyramid and seems to be guarding it. Perhaps the giant was really called upon to keep the peace of the deceased monarchs, but the identification of the Sphinx with Khafre is erroneous. The main arguments in favor of the parallel with Khafre were the images of the pharaoh found at the statue, but there was a funeral temple of the pharaoh nearby, and the finds could be associated with it.

In addition, research by anthropologists has revealed the Negroid type of face of the stone giant. Numerous inscribed sculptural images available to scientists do not bear any African features.

Riddles of the Sphinx

Who created the legendary monument and when? For the first time, Herodotus raised doubts about the correctness of the generally accepted point of view. Having described the pyramids in detail, the historian did not mention a word about the Great Sphinx. Pliny the Elder brought clarity 500 years later, talking about the cleaning of the monument from sand deposits. Probably, in the era of Herodotus, the Sphinx was hidden under dunes. How many times during the history of its existence this could have happened, one can only guess.

In written documents there is not a single mention of the construction of such a grandiose sculpture, although we know many names of the authors of much less majestic structures. The first mention of the Sphinx dates back to the era of the New Kingdom. Thutmose IV (XIV century BC), not being the heir to the throne, allegedly fell asleep next to the stone giant and received in a dream a command from the god Horus to clear and repair the statue. In return, God promised to make him Pharaoh. Thutmose immediately ordered the liberation of the monument from sand to begin. The work was completed a year later. In honor of this event, a stele with an appropriate inscription was erected near the statue.

This was the first known restoration of the monument. Subsequently, the statue was freed from sand deposits more than once - under the Ptolemies, during the time of Roman and Arab rule.

Thus, historians cannot present a substantiated version of the origin of the Sphinx, which gives room for the creativity of other specialists. Thus, hydrologists noticed that the lower part of the statue shows signs of erosion from prolonged exposure to water. High humidity, at which the Nile could flood the base of the monument, characterized the climate of Egypt in the 4th millennium BC. e. There is no such destruction on the limestone from which the pyramids are built. This was considered proof that the Sphinx was older than the pyramids.

Romantic-minded researchers considered the erosion to be the result of the biblical Flood - the catastrophic flood of the Nile 12 thousand years ago. Some even started talking about the Ice Age. The hypothesis, however, has been disputed. The destruction was explained by the effects of rain and the poor quality of the stone.

Astronomers contributed by putting forward the theory of a single ensemble of pyramids and the Sphinx. By building the complex, the Egyptians allegedly immortalized the time of their arrival in the country. The three pyramids reflect the alignment of the stars of Orion's Belt, which personified Osiris, and the Sphinx looks at the point of sunrise on the day of the vernal equinox that year. This combination of astronomical factors dates back to the 11th millennium BC.

There are other theories, including traditional aliens and representatives of proto-civilizations. The apologists of these theories, as always, do not provide clear evidence.

The Egyptian colossus is fraught with many other mysteries. For example, there are no assumptions about which of the rulers he depicts, why an underground passage was dug from the Sphinx towards the Pyramid of Cheops, etc.

Current state

The final clearing of sand was carried out in 1925. The statue has survived to this day in good condition. Perhaps the centuries-old sand cover saved the Sphinx from weathering and temperature changes.

Nature spared the monument, but not the people. The giant's face is badly damaged - his nose is broken off. At one time, the damage was attributed to Napoleon’s artillerymen, who shot the statue from cannons. However, the Arab historian al-Makrizi reported in the 14th century that the Sphinx had no nose. According to his story, the face was damaged by a crowd of fanatics at the instigation of a certain preacher, since Islam prohibits depicting a person. This statement is questionable, since the Sphinx was revered by the local population. It was believed that it caused the life-giving floods of the Nile.













There are other assumptions. The damage is explained by natural factors, as well as the revenge of one of the pharaohs, who wanted to destroy the memory of the monarch, whom the Sphinx portrays. According to the third version, the Arabs recaptured the nose when they conquered the country. Some Arabian tribes had a belief that if you knock off the nose of a hostile god, he will not be able to take revenge.

In ancient times, the Sphinx had a false beard, an attribute of the pharaohs, but now only fragments remain of it.

In 2014, after the restoration of the statue, tourists opened access to it, and now you can come up and take a close look at the legendary giant, whose history contains many more questions than answers.

The Sphinx statue in Egypt near the pyramids at Giza is the most mysterious and ancient in the world, so it constantly attracts the attention of scientists from all over the globe. Various hypotheses constantly flare up around this ancient architectural structure and conflicting conclusions arise. The structure itself is carved from several blocks of limestone and partially covered with stonework from the same material. If you compare the dimensions of the Sphinx (length 72 m, height 20 m, width between the paws 11 m), you will be struck by the scale of its construction.

The main riddles of the Sphinx

Age of the Sphinx

The most important mystery of the Egyptian Sphinx remains its creation date or the era when it was built. The main hypothesis until now was that the Sphinx was built together with the Pyramid of Cheops and was its contemporary. But modern research has shown that the Sphinx was built much earlier than all the pyramids of Egypt. A study of the erosion of the limestone from which the Sphinx is built shows that it has survived a large number of natural water disasters. In this regard, many British scientists come to the conclusion that the Sphinx existed during the Flood, which is at least 10,000 years BC. Recent studies of Japanese scientists with echolocation once again confirm the opinions of British colleagues, and indicate that the limestone of the Sphinx was processed approximately 12 thousand years BC.

Authors of the creation of the Sphinx

Based on their latest research by scientists on the statue of the Egyptian Sphinx, it is logical to conclude that this structure was not built by the ancient Egyptians. The question arises: “Who built the Sphinx?” At the moment, scientists do not have definite evidence of who was the author of the construction of the Sphinx. The opinions of scientists are divided; some researchers suggest that the builders of this structure were the Atlanteans, others are inclined to believe that the Sphinx was built by peoples unknown to science, and others suggest that the Sphinx was built by an extraterrestrial civilization. One thing is certain - scientists have yet to find the answer to this riddle.

Purpose of the Sphinx

For a long time, based on the version that the Sphinx is a contemporary of the pyramids at Giza, it gave rise to numerous guesses about its purpose. The main version was that the Sphinx is the main one guarding the tombs of the pharaohs and their peace in the afterlife. Another version says that the statue personifies the four seasons: the statue’s paws are summer, the face is winter, invisible wings are autumn, and the lion’s body is spring.

All assumptions of Egyptologists regarding this riddle of the Sphinx can be refuted at any time if the scientific world recognizes the fact that the statue of the Sphinx is much older than the Egyptian pyramids and was built by a civilization that existed much earlier than the ancient Egyptian one.

Image of the Sphinx

Until now, many Egyptologists were inclined to believe that the face of the Sphinx was a copy of Pharaoh Hebren (2574-2465 BC), but this version had many opponents who refuted this fact, tending to believe that the face of the Sphinx belongs to to a representative of the Negroid race and does not look like the surviving images of Hebren. In addition, this version can be refuted by modern research by Japanese scientists who have come to the conclusion that the Sphinx is much older than the Egyptian pyramids. At the same time, Japanese scientists themselves, during their research, discovered a room under the left paw of the Sphinx, which is the entrance to the tunnel leading towards the pyramid of Pharaoh Hebren. Unfortunately, many questions could be answered by studying the found room and tunnel, but the Egyptian authorities refused to allow researchers to further study the statue. At the moment, the found room is one of the most pressing mysteries of the Sphinx.

The largest statue in Egypt is the Sphinx. Legends of Egypt. History of the Sphinx.

Each civilization has its own symbols, which are considered integral parts of the people, their culture and history. The Sphinx of Ancient Egypt is an immortal proof of the power, strength and greatness of the country, a silent reminder of the divine origin of its rulers, who have sunk into the centuries, but left on earth the image of eternal life. The national symbol of Egypt is considered one of the greatest architectural monuments of the past, which still inspires involuntary fear with its impressiveness, an aura of secrets, mystical legends and centuries-old history.

Monument in numbers

The Egyptian Sphinx is known to each and every inhabitant on earth. The monument is carved from a monolithic rock, has the body of a lion and the head of a man (according to some sources - a pharaoh). The length of the statue is 73 m, height - 20 m. The symbol of the power of royal power is located on the Giza plateau on the western coast of the Nile River and is surrounded by a wide and fairly deep ditch. The Sphinx's thoughtful gaze is directed to the east, towards the point in the heavens where the Sun rises. The monument was covered by sand many times and was restored more than once. The statue was completely cleared of sand only in 1925, striking the imagination of the inhabitants of the planet with its scale and size.

History of the statue: facts versus legends

In Egypt, the Sphinx is considered the most mysterious and mystical monument. Its history has attracted great interest and special attention from historians, writers, directors and researchers for many years. Everyone who has had the chance to touch eternity, which the statue represents, offers their own version of its origin. Local residents call the stone landmark the “father of horror” due to the fact that the Sphinx is the keeper of many mysterious legends and a favorite place for tourists - lovers of mysteries and fantasy. According to researchers, the history of the Sphinx goes back more than 13 centuries. Presumably, it was built in order to record an astronomical phenomenon - the reunion of three planets.

Origin myth

There is still no reliable information about what this statue symbolizes, why it was built and when. The lack of history is replaced by legends that are passed down orally and told to tourists. The fact that the Sphinx is the oldest and largest monument in Egypt gives rise to mysterious and absurd stories about it. There is an assumption that the statue guards the tombstones of the greatest pharaohs - the pyramids of Cheops, Mikerin and Khafre. Another legend says that the stone statue symbolizes the personality of Pharaoh Khafre, the third - that it is a statue of the god Horus (god of the sky, half-man, half-falcon), watching the ascent of his father, the Sun God Ra.

Legends

In ancient Greek mythology, the Sphinx is mentioned as an ugly monster. According to the Greeks, the legends of Ancient Egypt about this monster sound like this: a creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man was born by Echidna and Typhon (a half-snake woman and a giant with a hundred dragon heads). It had the face and breasts of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. The monster lived not far from Thebes, lay in wait for people and asked them a strange question: “Which living creature moves on four legs in the morning, on two during the day, and on three in the evening?” None of the wanderers trembling with fear could give the Sphinx an intelligible answer. After which the monster sentenced them to death. However, the day came when the wise Oedipus was able to solve his riddle. “This is a person in childhood, maturity and old age,” he answered. After this, the crushed monster rushed from the top of the mountain and crashed against the rocks.

According to the second version of the legend, in Egypt the Sphinx was once a God. One day, the heavenly ruler fell into an insidious trap of the sands, called the “cage of oblivion,” and fell asleep in an eternal sleep.

Real facts

Despite the mysterious overtones of the legends, the real story is no less mystical and mysterious. According to the initial opinion of scientists, the Sphinx was built at the same time as the pyramids. However, in the ancient papyri, from which information about the construction of the pyramids was gleaned, there is not a single mention of a stone statue. The names of the architects and builders who created the grandiose tombs for the pharaohs are known, but the name of the person who gave the world the Sphinx of Egypt still remains unknown.

True, several centuries after the creation of the pyramids, the first facts about the statue appeared. The Egyptians call her “shepes ankh” - “living image”. Scientists were unable to give the world any more information or scientific explanation of these words. But at the same time, the cult image of the mysterious Sphinx - a winged maiden-monster - is mentioned in Greek mythology, numerous fairy tales and legends. The hero of these tales, depending on the author, periodically changes his appearance, appearing in some versions as a half-man, half-lion, and in others as a winged lioness.

The story of ancient Egypt about the Sphinx

Another puzzle for scientists was the chronicle of Herodotus, who in 445 BC. described in great detail the process of building the pyramids. He told the world interesting stories about how the structures were erected, over what period of time and how many slaves were involved in their construction. The narrative of the “father of history” even touched upon such nuances as the feeding of slaves. But, oddly enough, Herodotus never mentioned the stone Sphinx in his work. The fact of the construction of the monument was also not discovered in any of the subsequent records.

The work of the Roman writer Pliny the Elder, “Natural History,” helped shed light on the mystery of the Sphinx. In his notes, he talks about the next cleansing of sand from the monument. Based on this, it becomes clear why Herodotus did not leave a description of the Sphinx to the world - the monument at that time was buried under a layer of sand. So how many times has he found himself trapped in the sand?

First "restoration"

Judging by the inscription left on the stone stele between the monster’s paws, Pharaoh Thutmose I spent a year liberating the monument. Ancient writings say that, as a prince, Thutmose fell asleep at the foot of the Sphinx and had a dream in which the god Harmakis appeared to him. He predicted the prince's ascension to the throne of Egypt and ordered the release of the statue from the sand trap. After some time, Thutmose successfully became pharaoh and remembered his promise to the deity. He ordered not only to dig up the giant, but also to restore it. Thus, the first revival of the Egyptian legend occurred in the 15th century. BC. It was then that the world learned about the grandiose structure and unique cult monument of Egypt.

It is known for certain that after the revival of the Sphinx by Pharaoh Thutmose, it was once again dug up during the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty, under the Roman emperors who captured Ancient Egypt, and the Arab rulers. In our time, it was again liberated from the sands in 1925. To this day, the statue has to be cleaned after sandstorms, as it is an important tourist site.

Why is the monument missing a nose?

Despite the antiquity of the sculpture, it has practically been preserved in its original form, embodying the Sphinx. Egypt (photo of the monument is presented above) managed to preserve its architectural masterpiece, but failed to protect it from the barbarity of people. The statue does not currently have a nose. Scientists suggest that one of the pharaohs, for a reason unknown to science, ordered the nose to be taken off the statue. According to other sources, the monument was damaged by Napoleon's army by firing a cannon at its face. The British chopped off the monster’s beard and transported it to their museum.

However, the later discovered notes of the historian Al-Makrizi dated 1378 say that the stone statue no longer had a nose. According to him, one of the Arabs, wanting to atone for religious sins (the Koran prohibited the depiction of human faces), broke off the giant’s nose. In response to such an atrocity and desecration of the Sphinx, the sands began to take revenge on the people, advancing on the lands of Giza.

As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that in Egypt the Sphinx lost its nose as a result of strong winds and floods. Although this assumption has not yet found any real confirmation.

The Stunning Secrets of the Sphinx

In 1988, as a result of exposure to acrid factory smoke, a significant part of the stone block (350 kg) broke off from the monument. UNESCO, concerned about the appearance and condition of the tourist and cultural site, resumed repairs, thereby opening the way for new research. As a result of a careful study of the stone blocks of the pyramid of Cheops and the Sphinx by Japanese archaeologists, a hypothesis was put forward that the monument was built much earlier than the great tomb of the pharaoh. The finding was a stunning discovery for historians, who had assumed that the pyramid, Sphinx and other funerary structures were contemporary. The second, no less surprising discovery was a long narrow tunnel discovered under the left paw of the predator, connected to the Cheops pyramid.

After Japanese archaeologists, hydrologists took up the most ancient monument. They found traces of erosion on his body from a large water flow that moved from north to south. After a series of studies, hydrologists came to the conclusion that the stone lion was a silent witness to the Nile flood - a biblical catastrophe that occurred about 8-12 thousand years ago. American researcher John Anthony West explained the signs of water erosion on the lion's body and their absence on the head as evidence that the Sphinx existed during the Ice Age and dates back to any period before 15 thousand BC. e. According to French archaeologists, the history of Ancient Egypt can boast of the oldest monument that existed even at the time of the destruction of Atlantis.

Thus, the stone statue tells us about the existence of the greatest civilization, which managed to erect such a majestic structure, which became an immortal image of the Past.

Ancient Egyptians' worship of the Sphinx

The pharaohs of Egypt regularly made pilgrimages to the foot of the giant, which symbolized the great past of their country. They made sacrifices on the altar, which was located between his paws, burned incense, receiving from the giant a silent blessing for the kingdom and throne. The Sphinx was for them not only the embodiment of the Sun God, but also a sacred image that granted them hereditary and legal power from their ancestors. He personified powerful Egypt, the history of the country was reflected in his majestic appearance, embodying each image of the new pharaoh and turning modernity into a component of eternity. Ancient writings glorified the Sphinx as a great creator god. His image reunited the past, present and future.

Astronomical explanation of the stone sculpture

According to the official version, the Sphinx would have been built in 2500 BC. e. by order of Pharaoh Khafre during the reign of the Fourth Ruling Dynasty of Pharaohs. The huge lion is located among other majestic structures on the stone plateau of Giza - three pyramids. Astronomical studies have shown that the location of the statue was chosen not by blind inspiration, but in accordance with the point of intersection of the path of the celestial bodies. It served as an equatorial point indicating the exact location on the horizon of the sunrise site on the day of the vernal equinox. According to astronomers, the Sphinx was built 10.5 thousand years ago.

It is noteworthy that the pyramids of Giza are located on the ground in exactly the same order as the three stars of Orion's Belt in the sky that year. According to legend, the Sphinx and the pyramids recorded the position of the stars, the astronomical time, which the ancient Egyptians called first. Since the celestial personification of the god Osiris, who ruled at that time, was Orion, man-made structures were built to depict the stars of his belt in order to perpetuate and record the time of his power.

The Great Sphinx as a tourist attraction

Currently, a giant lion with a human head attracts millions of tourists eager to see with their own eyes the legendary stone sculpture, shrouded in the darkness of centuries-old history and many mystical legends. The interest of all mankind in it is due to the fact that the secret of the creation of the statue remained unsolved, buried under the sands. It's hard to imagine how many secrets the Sphinx holds. Egypt (photos of the monument and pyramids can be seen on any tourist portal) can be proud of its great history, outstanding people, grandiose monuments, the truth about which their creators took with them to the kingdom of Anubis, the god of death. The huge stone Sphinx is great and impressive, the history of which remains unsolved and full of secrets. The statue’s calm gaze is still directed into the distance and its appearance is still imperturbable. For how many centuries has he been a silent witness to human suffering, the vanity of rulers, the sorrows and troubles that befell the Egyptian land? How many secrets does the Great Sphinx keep? Unfortunately, no answers have been found to all these questions over the years.

What is sick with the Sphinx?

Arab sages, amazed by the majesty of the Sphinx, said that the giant is timeless. But over the past millennia, the monument has suffered a fair amount, and, first of all, man is to blame for this.

At first, the Mamluks practiced shooting accuracy at the Sphinx; their initiative was supported by Napoleonic soldiers. One of the rulers of Egypt ordered the sculpture’s nose to be broken off, and the British stole the giant’s stone beard and took it to the British Museum.

In 1988, a huge block of stone broke off from the Sphinx and fell with a roar. They weighed her and were horrified - 350 kg. This fact has caused UNESCO the most serious concern. It was decided to gather a council of representatives from a variety of specialties to find out the reasons for the destruction of the ancient structure.

As a result of a comprehensive examination, scientists discovered hidden and extremely dangerous cracks in the head of the Sphinx; in addition, they found that external cracks sealed with low-quality cement are also dangerous - this creates a threat of rapid erosion. The Sphinx's paws were in no less deplorable condition.

According to experts, the Sphinx is primarily harmed by human activity: exhaust gases from automobile engines and the acrid smoke of Cairo factories penetrate into the pores of the statue, which gradually destroys it. Scientists say that the Sphinx is seriously ill.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are needed to restore the ancient monument. There is no such money. In the meantime, the Egyptian authorities are restoring the sculpture on their own.

Mother of Fear

Egyptian archaeologist Rudwan Al-Shamaa believes that the Sphinx has a female couple and she is hidden under a layer of sand. The Great Sphinx is often called the "Father of Fear". According to the archaeologist, if there is a “Father of Fear,” then there must also 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 opinion, 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,” Al-Shamaa is convinced.

The archaeologist gives several arguments in support of his theory. Ash-Shamaa recalls that between the front paws of the Sphinx there is a granite stele on which two statues are depicted; There is also a limestone tablet that says that one of the statues was struck by lightning and destroyed.

Chamber of Secrets.

In one of the ancient Egyptian treatises on behalf of the goddess Isis, it is reported that the god Thoth placed “sacred books” that contain “the secrets of Osiris” in a secret place, and then cast a spell on this place so that knowledge would remain “undiscovered until Heaven will not give birth to creatures who will be worthy of this gift.”

Some researchers are still confident in the existence of a “secret room”. They recall how Edgar Cayce predicted that one day in Egypt, under the right paw of the Sphinx, a room called the “Hall of Evidence” or “Hall of Chronicles” would be found. 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 a cavity of impressive size 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 American geophysicist Thomas Dobecki showed that under the paws of the Sphinx there is a large rectangular chamber. But in 1993, its work was suddenly suspended by local authorities. Since that time, the Egyptian government has officially prohibited geological or seismological research around the Sphinx.

Older than civilization

First, in 1991, a geology professor from Boston conducted an analysis of the erosion of the surface of the Sphinx and concluded that the age of the Sphinx must be at least 9,500 thousand years old, that is, the Sphinx is at least 5,000 years older than scientists thought! Secondly, Robert Bauval, using modern computer modeling technologies, discovered that about 12,500 years ago (11th century BC), in the early morning, the constellation Leo was clearly visible right above the site where the Sphinx was built. He logically assumed that the sphinx, which closely resembles a Lion, was built on this site as a symbol of this event. Well, the third nail in the coffin of the views of official science was hammered by police artist Frank Domingo, who drew identikit photographs. He stated that the Sphinx has nothing in common with the face of Pharaoh Khafre. So now we could safely say that the Sphinx was built long before any civilization known to science.

Huge voids under the sphinx

Of course, all these discoveries and statements could have been hidden under a thick layer of dust in scientific offices, but then, as luck would have it, Japanese researchers came to Egypt. It was 1989, then a group of scientists from Waseda, led by Professor Sakuji Yoshimura, using modern electromagnetic radar instruments, discovered tunnels and rooms directly under the sphinx. Immediately after their discovery, the Egyptian authorities intervened in the research, and Yoshimura's group was deported from Egypt for life. The same discovery was repeated in the same year by Thomas Dobecki, an American geophysicist. True, he only managed to explore a small area under the right paw of the sphinx, after which he was also promptly expelled from Egypt.

Three very strange events

In 1993, a robot was sent into a small tunnel (20x20 cm) that led from the burial chamber of the Cheops pyramid, which found inside this same tunnel a wooden door with brass handles, into which it safely rested. Next, for 10 years, scientists developed a new robot with the goal of opening the door. And in 2003 they launched it into the same tunnel. It must be admitted that he successfully opened the door, and behind it the already narrow tunnel began to narrow even more. The robot could not drive further, but in the distance it saw another door. A new robot, with the purpose of opening the second “flap”, was launched in 2013. After which tourist access to the pyramids was finally closed, and all research results were classified. Since then there has been no official news.

Secret city

But there are many unofficial ones, one of which is actively lobbied and promoted by the American Cayce Foundation (the same one, by the way, that allegedly predicted the discovery of a certain secret room under the Sphinx). According to their version, in 2013 they finally drove through the second door of the tunnel, after which a stone slab with hieroglyphs rose from the ground between the front paws of the sphinx with hieroglyphs that told about the room under the sphinx and a certain Hall of Evidence. As a result of excavations, the Egyptians found themselves in this very first room, which turned out to be a kind of hallway. From there, the researchers went down to the tier below and found themselves in a round hall from which three tunnels led to the Great Pyramid. But then there are some very strange data. Allegedly, in one of the tunnels the road was blocked by an energy field unknown to science, which three certain great people were able to remove. After which a 12-story building was discovered, going underground. The dimensions of this structure are truly grandiose and more reminiscent of a city than a building - 10 kilometers wide and 13 kilometers long. In addition, the Casey Foundation claims that the Egyptians were hiding a certain Rod of Thoth - an archaeological artifact of world significance, which supposedly possesses the power of technologies unknown to mankind.

More questions than answers

Of course, at first glance, the theory of Cayce's followers seems complete nonsense. And everything would have been so if the Egyptian government had not partially confirmed the discovery of a certain underground city. It is clear that there was no information from official authorities about certain energy force fields. Also, the Egyptian authorities did not recognize the fact that they did get into the city, therefore, what was found there is also unknown. But the fact of recognition of the discovery of an underground city remains. So the Sphinx asks people a new riddle, and we can only make every effort to solve it.

It can be seen from afar, its power attracts the eye and many questions arise. To this day, the Great Sphinx remains one of the most ancient and mysterious statues. Its height is more than 20 meters. The width of the sculpture reaches 57 meters. It is surprising that the desert sands in the 17th century BC. swallowed up the Sphinx. The sculpture disappeared for several centuries. And only in the 5th century BC. Thutmose ordered it to be excavated. The last excavations were carried out by the Egyptian Antiquities Service in 1925.

The Great Sphinx as a collective image

The creators of the Sphinx attached great importance to astrology. Using her knowledge, and in particular, the stations of the Sun in the Zodiac: Taurus, Scorpio, Leo, Aquarius. In addition, when depicting the Sphinx, sculptors embodied in the sculpture the collective image of the pharaoh, Imhotep, and the gods Baboon and Horus. Therefore, the Sphinx was given the name “Living Image”.

Age of the Great Sphinx

There are different versions about when the Great Sphinx was created. Some believe the statue is 200,000 years old. According to scientist N.N. Sochevanov, the Great Sphinx began to be built 44 thousand years BC. and finished after 1200 years. Many who study the age of the giant sculpture focus on the processes occurring in the limestone as a result of erosion. Dr. R. Schoch, professor of geology at Boston University, takes into account the degree of erosion of the rock and believes that the Sphinx was created around 5000-6000 BC, since it rained during this period.

Unfortunately, time has not been kind to the figure, and people treated her barbarously. The Sphinx's face is disfigured. In the 14th century, one of the sheikhs, in order to fulfill the covenant of Muhammad, who forbade depicting a human face, damaged the sculpture. The head of the Sphinx was used for target practice by the Mamelukes.

Now the place in Egypt where the monumental structure is located is a place for excursions. The majestic Great Sphinx evokes fear and wonder at the same time.

You can learn more about the history of Egypt and beyond at the Abdin Palace, which is now a museum complex.

Great Sphinx on the map of Cairo

It can be seen from afar, its power attracts the eye and many questions arise. To this day, the Great Sphinx remains one of the most ancient and mysterious statues. Its height is more than 20 meters. The width of the sculpture reaches 57 meters. It is surprising that the desert sands in the 17th century BC. swallowed up the Sphinx. The sculpture disappeared for several centuries. And only in the 5th century BC. Thutmose ordered it to be excavated. ..." />



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