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What really happened to the nose of the Sphinx? A very popular story is when the Sphinx served as a training target for Napoleon's troops in 1798. One of the interventions was to prepare her for her nose. According to the Arab historian, she lost her nose but was already 4 century earlier. It is said that the older Muslim was outraged by the local peasants bringing the sacrifices of the Holy Land in hopes of good harvest. He decided to prepare for her nose. For his vandalism he was hanged, and before the fertile fields he swallowed the sand.

In 1580 English writer Richard Hakluyt traveled through Egypt. When he first saw the platform in Giza, he said, “There is a head close to the pyramids. The head is from the shoulders down in the sand and looks like marble. His nose is offended. " This implies that as early as 1580 the head was damaged (no nose), and that Napoleon and his troops could not be the perpetrators.

In 1817, an Italian adventurer, Captain Giovanni Caviglia, hired 160 men to try for the first time in modern history to dig out the Big Sphinx. His intention was to find secret passages beneath a colossal statue. These corridors have been discovered until today. Currently three tunnels are known whose purpose is not officially known.

The following photo was taken in 1867 and shows how the Sphinx looked more than the last thousand years - buried along its shoulders by sand.

"There is a Sphinx in the foreground of the pyramid. It is more admirable than pyramids. It is an impressive place full of calm and silence belonging to the local deity in this area, "writes Plinyus Elder, Roman writer and statesman at 1. century AD.

The Sphinx was partially digested in 1878. Between the front paws, we see the upper part of the plate, which he had allegedly placed Thutmose IV here. as a sacrifice of Sfinza for promising to become a king when he takes her out of the sand.

In 1889, the Chicago White Stockings and All-Americas baseball teams enjoyed a world-class exhibition to support sport. During their presence in Egypt, the teams took the opportunity to climb the Sphinx and make a portrait with her. Unfortunately, besides posturing at a statue, someone thought they could compete in the one who shook the eye of the Sphinx.

Pay attention to the muzzle above the left front paw. In the foreground between the paws there is a pedestal on which a statue previously appeared.

In 1920, the Sphinx underwent a major renovation, when many scars were repaired. It was definitely dug out of the sand in the second half of 1930. In 1945, its head was supported by a temporary wall and sandbags. The reason was said to protect the Sphinx from damage during the war.

Sphinx between 1850 and 1910:

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