5 CHAPTER ONE The Great Sphinx on the Giza Plateau has been surrounded by questions since its discovery SECRETS OF THE SPHINX The sands of the Sahara Desert hold many secrets of civilizations past In Egypt sand almost buried an ancient wonder the Great Sphinx of Giza a giant statue with the face of a king and the body of a lion The Sphinx stands guard over three great pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo Egypt in an area known as the Giza Plateau The Sphinx and the pyramids have survived thousands of
The Sphinx’s Name The original name of the Sphinx is unknown Later generations of Egyptians called it Hor-em-akhet which translates in English to Horus in the Horizon It was likely named the Great Sphinx approximately 2,000 years after it was built The word sphinx comes from ancient Greece It was part of Greek mythology used for a creature with a lion’s body and woman’s head The sphinx of Greek mythology was known to be a riddler A sphinx became a symbol of hidden meaning 6 years But several times the body of the Sphinx has been found buried in sand Mystery surrounds this sculpture and many questions about it remain unanswered Why was it built How old is it And is anything hidden deep inside For centuries only the Sphinx’s head could be seen Blowing desert sands had buried the sculpture’s body Still kings emperors explorers and tourists traveled to see the ancient wonder Some carved messages on the Sphinx One ancient Greek message suggests gods made the Sphinx Medieval Arab scholars called the Sphinx the
A group of people along with their donkeys and camels gather in front of the Sphinx in the early 1900s Father of Terror Some believed it protected the land and crops nearby Later tourists sat on camels beside it or even stood on the Sphinx itself posing for photographs It took major excavations to reveal the full Sphinx The head and body of the Sphinx remain above ground today showing its incredible length of 240 feet 73 m From its outstretched front paws to its curled tail it is slightly shorter than a football field The full height to the top of the Sphinx’s head is 66 feet 20 m 7
