The Sphinx "Abu-Elhoul"
The Sphinx "Abu-Elhoul"
The Sphinx "Abu-Elhoul"
An integral and very famous, part of Khafra's funeral complex
is the great Sphinx, the gigantic crouching lion with a human
countenance that many believe reproduces the facial features
of the King.
The Sphinx located, located southeast of the great pyramid of
Khufu, is 20m tall and 57m long, the head, wearing the typical
names, is 6m high.
Some 4500 years ago the monument was modeled out of a
natural knoll of limestone at Giza, containing rock of three
different types. Over the centuries erosion by send and wind
have disfigured the powerful body and enigmatic face.
To legitimize his ascent the throne, the 18th Dynasty king
Tuthmosis IV recounted how the Sphinx appeared to him in a
dream and asked him to dig out the sand that covered it
almost completely,"Tuthmosis, may son, I'm your father Khepri- Ra-Atum, if you free
me from the sand that oppresses me I will make you king and
you will wear on your head the white crown and the red crown.
"Tuthmosis did as he was told, and also built retaining walls to
halt the advance of the sand.
To recall the event, he placed a pink granite stele, about 4m in
height, between the paws of the sphinx.
The Greek term "Sphinx" derives from the ancient Egyptian
sheps-ankh "the living image". In the new Kingdom, the great
Sphinx was associated with Harmakis "Hours at the Horizon", For
the Arabs it was "Abu-Elhoul" the father of terror.
In its extraordinary monumentality and mystery, the Sphinx, "half
mountain and half crouching beast" as it was defined by Pierre
Loti, is a sculpture unique in all of Egyptian art.
The Sphinx Temple.
In front of the Sphinx, slightly to the right, are the remains of a
small temple in limestone and pink Aswan granite, with two
entrances and a courtyard with an interior colonnade of large
rectangular pillars and an alter for offerings at the center.
Its structure is similar to that of the valley temple of kung
Khafra, which stands alongside it. This temple may have been
used for ceremonies on the occasion of the jubilee of the Kingor it might actually have been dedicated to the great Sphinx.
Unfortunately, in the temple itself there is no trace of
decorative detail and no texts have yet provided us with any
information about it.
