| The Great Sphinx is a national symbol of Egypt, both ancient and modern. It is an antiquity whose image has stirred the imagination of poets, scholars, adventureres and tourists for centuries. It was the first colossal piece of sculpture in ancient Egypt, it measures 57 m long d 20 m hight, it is the image of the king who unites human nature with divine and leoine power. The sphinx represents deity with the body of a lion and human head. Arabs call it "Abu Hol-the father of terror". The royal head on the lions body symbolizes power and might controlled by the intelligence of the pharoh. The head dress was a particular way of folding the scarf that was exclussive to Egytian kings. The sphinx does not have a nose there are many theories, some think that Napoleon's soldiers destroyed it, some say that an Arab historian el Makrizi in AD 1436 damaged it to show people it was just a stone statue, and not a sacred object. In 150-137 B.C a thousand years after its construction, the desert sand covered the Sphinx. Then Tuthmosis 1V the great-great grand father of Tutankhamen cleared the sand from the statue. During the period of Ramesses 2nd (1300 B.C) The statue was again covered with sand. Marcus Aurelius (160 A.D) carried out new restoration work, the sands again took over the statue except for the head. Than a famous Arab historian Al-Makrizi who lived in the 11th century was interested in the sphinx and said there were secret cavitys in the monument which hid a cup that had belonged to Solomon the son of David. In 1789 scientists of Napoleonic expeditions excavated the monument. |
