THE SPHINX

Of all the monuments throughout Egypt, the Sphinx remains the most mysterious and controversial.

It stands silent, directly in front of the Great pyramid complex at Giza, perhaps as a guardian to its' secrets. It was carved out of a natural bedrock of limestone and depicts the head of a Pharoah and the body of a lion. It stands 65 feet high, its' body is 240 feet long and it is 38 feet wide across it shoulders.

It is an accepted theory by most Egyptologists that it depicts a self portrait of the Pharoah Khafre and was actually erected by him during his rein in the Old Kingdom. However, this theory is soley based on one statue of Khafre. It was carved from a single piece of black Diorite and now rests in the Cairo Museum.

Modern computer technology in which the exact dimensions and shapes of both the Sphinx head and the Khafre portrait showed them to be out of proportion to each other, however other studies show them to be alike.

This is just one of the many theories, mysteries and legends linked the Sphinx origins.

The Sphinx has spent a great deal of its life mostly hidden under layers of sand and there are numerous records of it being uncovered and restored throughout Egypts' long history.

One of the most famous acounts is from Thutmose IV.

It is said, according to a stela erected between the front paws of the Sphinx, that during a hunting expedition, while Thutmose was still a young prince, he came to rest beside the great statue. While lying there, he fell asleep and had a dream. In the dream, the SPhinx spoke to him and complained about its' body being buried in the sands, and althought Thutmose was not at this point the next heir, the Sphinx promised that if he would uncover his body and restore it to its' former glory, he would indeed become the Pharoah of Egypt.

The rest of the story is worn away, however Thutmose did accomplish what the Sphinx asked and did rule Egypt!

There have also been a number of legends indicating that the Sphinx is a relic of a vanished civilization and somewhere within its body lies the written records with all the answers to its' mystery.

Suprisingly, three tunnels have actually been discovered, one behind its' head, one inside its' tail, and one on the northern side of its' body.

But as of yet, nothing has been discovered inside them.

Perhaps the answers do ly within and will someday be discovered. Until then, the Sphinx will remain one of the mysterious wonders of the Egyptian world...

The Pyramids at Giza

Today, there still stands one of the original "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World" The Great Pyramid.

Until the building of a 512 spire cathedral in Germany, during the 13th century, the pyramid of Khufu was still considered the tallest structure in the world.

By most accounts, although there is some debate, The Pharaoh, Khufu is credited with building one of the most complex and mysterious monuments in the world. He became Pharoah around 2551 and if he did indeed build it, he would have had to begin construction almost immediatley after his ascension to the throne. This is because he only ruled for 23 years and taking into consideration the amount of stones used in its' contruction, over 274 would have had to been put in place each day in order to complete it before his death. There are many theories still going on as to how or even if he built this great structure and about its' actual purpose. But, all theories aside, one thing that can not be debated is that the Great Pyramid is a complex engineering marvel.

First of all, the pyramid is perfectly oriented to the four cardinal points of the compass, measuring 755 feet on each side. Originally it was 481 feet high, but today it is actually 31 feet shorter because in medieval times, the Arabs stole the top, along with the white tura limestone that once covered its' face. It contains over 2,300,000 stone blocks most of which weigh an average of 2 and a half tons.

Inside the pyramid there are three chambers. First, an unfinished burial chamber measuring about 28 by 46 feet which was cut into the bedrock and is reached by a passage that begins at the north face and descends 374 feet. Then, one hundred and thirty one feet above this chamber is one that measures 20 by 16 feet and has a ceiling over 20 feet high. The third chamber is built 32 feet above the second one. This last chamber measures 34 by 17 feet and has a 19 foot ceiling. To reach this chamber, you have to go through a passageway which is about 154 feet long and is a continuation of the passage that goes to the second chamber. This last chammber is called the Grand Gallery.

Although there are no decorations, or other clues as to the purpose of the pyramid, there is a huge sarcophagus inside the third chamber, which to many egyptologists, suggests its' use was intended for burial of the Pharoah. There are also 2 "air shafts" that lead from the third chamber to the south and north faces of the pyramid. The northern passage correlates exactly towards the north star, which leads some to speculate the chambers hold signifigant religious beliefs of the ancients. These shafts may have been for the departed Kings' ka or soul to ascend towards the heavens to the afterlife.

There has been much mystery surrounding the pyramid even in ancient times. In King Tutankhamuns' day, the pyramid was already over 1,000 years old and its true origins debated over as it is today. Some also believe that there are still hidden chambers yet to be discovered which may hold the key to its' meaning. Many have tried to find these secret chambers using everything from dynamite to xrays to robots. Something was found however in 1993 by a robotics engineer named Rudolph Gantenbrink. He sent a small robot into one of the air shafts in the Queens' chamber and with cameras attached to it guided it through the shaft. After about 65 meters, the robot came to a halt in front of a small door. But it was never discovered what lies behind the door. Perhaps an entrance? maybe a statue of a God, maybe nothing. But obviously the door was built for a reason. There will need further exploration in the future to know for sure and perhaps one day we will know the Secrets of the Pyramids..