The Sphinx of Giza It is a huge sculpture that represents a being from Egyptian mythology.
If you look closely at her you can see that she is missing a certain appendage from her face… Do you see it? Bravo, you got it! The sphinx has no nose!
I imagine that now you are wondering how it is possible and most important of all: where is the nose of the Sphinx of Giza? Below I will tell you some interesting facts about her story and what could have happened to her face.
How old is the Sphinx of Giza?
The Sphinx of Giza is located very close to the Nile River, in Egypt, a few kilometers from its capital, Cairo.
It is not known for sure when it was sculpted. According to many experts it was a few 4500 yearsduring the period of greatest splendor of the Ancient Egypt. As it is very close to the pyramid that Pharaoh Khafre ordered to be built, they think that it was he who also decided to build the sphinx so that it would be something like a great guardian of his pyramid.
Other historians believe that the sphinx is much older than the three most famous and important Egyptian pyramids: Khufu, Khafre and Mycerin. In fact, they calculate that it could be an old lady who is now about 10,000 years old.
What is the Great Sphinx like?
You can see that it is made up of two very different parts: one head humanwhich represents intelligence, and body of a lying lionsymbol of strength and royalty.
Its position does not seem coincidental: it is placed facing East, which is where the sun rises every morning.
The Sphinx of Giza was carved into a large rock. It is 20 meters high, which is about the height of a 6-story building, and each ear is as tall as a ten-year-old child! Incredible true?
How it was built in stone limestone, the wind, water, humidity and sand wore it down little by little over the centuries. That is why today we see that many of its parts have no form and others have been lost. Later, the wind caused the desert sand to bury it.
For centuries only his head could be seen, but at the end of the 19th century it was completely unearthed and his body was exposed. Although today it is difficult to imagine it any other way, it is very likely that at the beginning it was painted in bright colors such as red, blue and yellow.
Currently, many parts of this gigantic sculpture continue to crumble due to erosion, so it needs continuous restoration work to prevent it from collapsing.
But… Where is his nose?
For a time it was said to have been destroyed by cannon fire from the French Emperor’s army. Napoleonbut it was proven that it was a false popular legend.
How was that story proven not to be true? Well, because the drawings that an explorer made of the sphinx before Napoleon was born were found and in them the sphinx already appears without a nose! This rules out Napoleon and his army as guilty of the destruction. The reality is that today it is not known where it is or how it disappeared.
The beard of the sphinx also fell off, but a part was found during archaeological excavations and is now preserved in the British Museum, London.
As you can see, there are many unsolved mysteries surrounding this great work. It is not known who ordered it to be built, nor who was responsible for the works, nor when it was done… As if this were not enough, in recent decades it has been discovered that, hidden inside, there are underground passages and intriguing secret chambers. .
What will be in them? Perhaps great treasures, surprising objects, or documents from the past that may one day come to light and give us more clues about all these exciting enigmas that are lost in the mists of time.
Did you find the topic interesting? If your answer is yes, I propose a very entertaining activity. Install the app Google Earth on your computer and look for the pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Egypt. You will be able to take a surprising aerial tour of the area that I assure you you will love.
Do you want to know the secrets and curiosities of other great Works of Art in El Arte in your backpack? Click here