Egypt holds a special place in my life, and I always think of it with the warmest feelings! I’m sure many of you think of the Pyramids, which I’ve talked about before, and my promise to dedicate some time to the Father of Terror, also known as the Sphinx.
Walking under the scorching sun in the Pyramid area and trying to avoid all the street vendors, I thought emotionally there was nothing left to raise the temperature around me, until I saw the huge mysterious statue surrounded by countless myths and legends! The only thought that crossed my mind at that moment was: “Wow, it’s even more impressive in person than in the photos!” Somehow, you’re left dumbfounded by the encounter, because there’s some kind of energy, some presence here that may even startle you at first.
Your senses can’t fully grasp what’s happening in front of you, and you yourself aren’t sure if you’re part of a movie or if you’re truly seeing the Sphinx before you! And no matter how many emotions and feelings arise from this encounter, I want to tell you that after hearing information from our local guide and later reading the many books I came across, even more questions, doubts, speculations, and who knows what else about the Father of Horror arose.
So, in the following lines, I will try to share the most interesting things I was able to gather about this incredible place.
The Sphinx is a mystical creature found in almost every mythology. In ancient Egypt, it was depicted as a sculpture lying on the ground, usually with a man’s head and a lion’s body and paws. It symbolized the king of Egypt – the pharaoh, as an embodiment of the Sun God. Over the millennia, thousands of sphinxes were likely built, but today we all know of just one – the Sphinx of Giza, which hides numerous secrets and mysteries, even linked to the Great Pyramid of Khufu.
Are you curious to find out what secrets and mysteries surround it?
It is believed that the Sphinx was built during the construction of Khafre’s Pyramids. Interestingly, there are no records about it in the ancient papyri that discuss the construction of the pyramids. It is known that the ancient Egyptians meticulously documented all expenses related to the construction of their cult structures, but no documents regarding the Sphinx have been discovered. Much has been written about the pyramids by Herodotus, yet he never once mentions the Sphinx! How is it that he failed to notice a sculpture 20 meters high and 57 meters wide?
The first references to the Sphinx date back to around the 1st century AD, when it was noted that it was cleared again from the sands blown by the winds in the western part of the desert. Indeed, the Sphinx has been “freed” from sand deposits multiple times, up until the 20th century.
The Arab sages, struck by the grandeur of the Sphinx, said that the titan was timeless. However, over the millennia, the monument has suffered significantly, and it’s not nature, but humans who are mostly to blame. First, the Mamluks (a military caste in medieval Egypt) practiced shooting at the Sphinx, and later, their descendants became Napoleon’s soldiers. One of the rulers of Egypt ordered the nose of the sculpture to be removed, and the British stole its beard, placing it in the British Museum. Relatively recently, in 1988, a huge stone fragment, weighing over 300 kilograms, broke off from the Sphinx’s face! The paws of the Sphinx also ended up in a tragic state.
According to most scientists, the biggest threat to the Sphinx is human activity itself, as harmful car emissions and smog from industrial zones in Cairo accumulate in the pores of the rock, which will eventually, one day, “finish off” the sculpture.
Among most Egyptologists, there is a belief that the face of the Sphinx is that of Pharaoh Khafre. Although their claims sound convincing, there is no evidence linking the sculpture to the pharaoh. Furthermore, the head itself has clearly been modified multiple times.
Some Egyptian archaeologists believe the Sphinx has a female twin, buried deep beneath the sand. The Great Sphinx is often called the “Father of Fear”, and according to archaeologists, if there is a “father of fear,” there is likely a “mother of fear” as well. In their reasoning, archaeologists rely on the ancient Egyptians’ belief in symmetry, as they firmly followed the principle of balance. According to this idea, the lone figure of the Sphinx looks quite strange.
Despite all the scientific explanations and logical evidence, there are still many questions and mysteries surrounding the Sphinx. One example is that in Egyptian art, deities are always depicted with the body of a human and the head of an animal, and never the other way around. In this regard, the Sphinx is an inexplicable exception, as it has the body of a lion and the head of a human.
This is why some experts argue that the origin of the Sphinx is linked to the lost Atlantis. Whether this is true remains to be proven, if, of course, we ever receive evidence that Atlantis actually existed.
There are countless stories, myths, and legends associated with the Sphinx that you can hear from local tour guides, as well as read online or in the many books written about it.
There is no doubt, however – the Sphinx surpasses any other monument in terms of impressiveness, mystery, and mysticism! And this is definitely the place where you’ll see tourists making all sorts of funny poses and faces while taking pictures and posing 🙂 Even I found myself wondering in what funny way I should stand to get the most amusing photo! As for the origin of both the Pyramids and the Sphinx, there are far more theories than facts. And what mysteries surround them, and whether they have already been uncovered, is something we can only speculate about.
Useful Information for Visiting the Sphinx:
I highly recommend attending the evening light show, and you can find tickets for the show here:
If you are traveling independently in Egypt, I recommend looking for organized tours to the Sphinx. Even if you are on an organized excursion, it will still be much cheaper to use the services of a local agency that offers tours to the Sphinx. Typically, these tours also include a visit to the pyramids.
Here are the options for this:
- If you are staying in Cairo, I recommend checking out the tours here:
- If you are staying in Hurghada, you can explore the tour options here:
