The Great Sphinx; built by Djedefre or Khafre? Plus intrigue, murder, mystery and more pyramids.
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When one thinks of famous historical monuments to visit in the world, the Sphinx will always be near the top of the list, especially when a visit to the Sphinx will take in the stunning pyramids nearby. At 245 feet long (75.5 metres) and 65 feet tall (20metres), it is a very large statue although it is somewhat belittled by the pyramids behind it. Khafre’s pyramid at first sight looks taller than Khufu’s Great Pyramid but this is an optical illusion, mainly because it was built on higher land.
What is there to see at Giza?
The Sphinx
Although visitors cannot go up to the Sphinx and touch it, they can get pretty close and get a good view. In the above photo, the strata of the rock can clearly be seen, suggesting that it it is made of natural rock and has been carved. The initial work was the excavation of a horse shoe ditch and leaving the centre core from which the Sphinx was then carved.There are blocks of stone too but these were a later addition. At the back of the Sphinx, amongst the scaffolding, is the tail. Unfortunately, there are no cartouches on the Sphinx and so there is a mystery as to who ordered it to be created. (see later paragraphs)
Above; a close up of the head which shows that it is wearing a “Nemes”, a striped hood, regularly worn by pharaohs as a sign of their status. Egyptologists have found traces of red paint on its cheeks, as well as traces of blue and yellow for its Nemes. Some believe the whole sphinx was quite a colourful statue and may well have had painted wings on its sides. The evidence for this are on some stele depictions and it is argued that they would represent a likeness to the God, Horus, the falcon. However, when the wind started to blow the sand, it acted like sand paper and sadly, eroded the paint.
Some egyptologists have suggested that the head was originally that of a lion and only later, was it re-carved to a human head and nemes.
Above; the pink arrow points to the “Dream Stele” aka the “Sphinx Stele”. It is a rectangular block made of granite, which, like most stele, has rounded corners at the top. This one is 12 ft tall ( or 3.6 metres) and weighs 15 tons. It was created by Tuthmosis IV, son of Amenhotep II of the 18th dynasty and was erected in 1401 BC. At the time the body was covered up to its neck in sand and so most of it had not been seen for generations. Its story goes that, in a dream, prince Tuthmosis, who was not Amenhotep’s eldest son, saw the Sphinx and made a bargain. The Sphinx offered to make Tuthmosis, Amenhotep II’s successor, if Tuthmosis cleared all the sand away and revealed its body once more. Tuthmosis would become the king of both Upper and Lower Egypt and be able to wear both the red and white crowns. Tuthmosis honoured his part of the deal and duly became Tuthmosis IV. One interpretation of his actions was that he seized the throne either murdering his elder brothers or by his plotting that led to their disgrace, thus paving his way to the throne. This was followed by obliterating their names on other stele to enable all memories of them to be eventually forgotten over time. However, in 2012, a doctor at Imperial College, London, said that several pharaohs of the 18th dynasty had early deaths, eg Akhenaten, Tutankhamen and Tutmosis IV himself. This has led to the theory that his elder brothers also died early and left the way open for him to take the crown. The doctor went on to suggest that the cause was “familial temporal epilepsy” and that this could also explain Tuthmosis’ dream. Some Egyptologists have gone on to say that Tuthmosis was also responsible for placing bricks on the side s of the Sphinx to protect its most damaged areas.
We do not know what the Egyptians called the Sphinx because the word Sphinx is Greek. This word in greek meant “to strangle” and came from the story of a monster that strangled and then ate anyone who failed to answer her riddle! She had the body of a lion with wings and a woman’s head. The story ends when Oedipus managed to solve the riddle and so the sphinx killed herself. The Greek myth of their sphinx was written 2000 years after the creation of the Egyptian Sphinx and so did not influence the Egyptians in any way. Interestingly, the word sphincter, today, is used to describe a circular band of muscle that tightens and loosens around openings in the body such as above and below the stomach to control the passage of food. Egyptologists believe that the Egyptian Sphinx was benevolent but was also symbolic.
At one stage lions inhabited lands as far north as Syria and so would be familiar to some Egyptians. The lion was the king of the animal kingdom and so an obvious symbol for pharaohs to use. It could be seen as the guardian of the Giza Necropolis but with a human head, it would have the intelligence of a human. However, this was not just any old human, the head is a pharaoh’s head wearing the Nemes, one of the symbols of office. The problem then arises as to which pharaoh it was? ( to be explored later).
Above.; a mini sphinx in the Cairo museum.
Above; Four examples of the the goddess Sekmet from the British Museum in London. The statues are opposite to the sphinx, with a lion’s head on a human body. Sekmet’s name meant “mighty one” and she was very aggressive. In one myth, she almost obliterated humankind. She was associated with destruction and the terrible disease, the plague. On the good side, she did have the power to heal people.
Above; Sekmet on the right, from the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens.
2. The mystery of the Sphinx’s damaged nose.
A popular myth is that Napoleon was responsible for blowing off the nose of the Sphinx with a cannon ball. This was definitely not the case and was definitely out of character for Napoleon because he had a big appreciation for history and monuments. Furthermore, in 1737, 60 years before Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt, artist, Frederick Luis Norden, sketched the Sphinx without is nose! An alternative candidate is Muhammad Sa’im al Dar, a Sufi Muslim, who vandalised the Shinx’s nose in 1378 AD having become very angry finding Egyptian peasants making offerings to the Sphinx to boost their harvest. On the other hand it could simply be erosion caused by blown sand, over hundreds of years, to a part of the Sphinx that sticks out and is therefore, very vulnerable to naturally caused damage.
Professor Bob Briers also states that there was a ceremonial beard added to the Sphinx at some point in its history but that it too got damaged and is in two pieces, one in a Cairo museum’s office and the other, in the British Museum, London but not on show to the public.
3. Who built the Sphinx?
Here is another fascinating mystery. When Khufu was alive, ie the pharaoh who built the great pyramid, his heir was his eldest son Kawab. However, the next king was in fact his half brother, Djedefre. This raises the question, how did this come about? George Reisner a trail blazing early archaeologist (1867-1942) came to the conclusion that Djedfre had murdered Kawab whilst Khufu was still alive! William Shakespeare would have loved this story. Eisner put together some fascinating interpretations of evidence to back up his conclusion that today have been refuted. Firstly, Djedefre’s pyramid was not built at Giza along with his father’s but was constructed at Abu Rawash 5 miles (8 km) to the north. Eisner explains this by stating that Djedefre must have been a usurper and therefore his family relationships were not good. Secondly, in Djedefre’s pyramid have been found statues of him that have been mutilated, with their heads damaged, especially their noses, so that Djedefre could not breathe when he got to the afterlife! His cartouches (name) on the statues has been chiselled out, again destroying his chances in the afterlife because no-one would recognise him! Eisner accounts for this by inventing a popular movement of the Egyptian people that loathed the memory of Djedefre and so revolted. In the process, they vandalised his statues. Added to this, his pyramid was also vandalised but today this is put down to the Romans pillaging it for building stone. Lastly, Eisner suggests that Djedfre’s reign was short because he was a usurper and had the same treatment doled out to him. He was murdered by the next king, Khafre. To reaffirm his relations with his relatives, Khafre built his pyramid at Giza, next to Khufu’s but out of respect, his was slightly smaller in height.
Today’s egyptologists do not agree with Eisner’s explanations and give Kawab and Djedefre, natural deaths. However, some believe Djedefre built the Sphinx and point to small sphinx, that was found in his Abu Rawash tomb, as a link to the Sphinx at Giza. They suggest that the idea and imagery of a sphinx began in his reign. Some, even go so far as to state that the head of the Sphinx is modelled on Khufu, pointing out that some features are similar to the features of a 3 inch (75 cm) ivory statue of Khufu. Added to that, they state that votive gifts left behind between the paws of the Sphinx mention Khufu. Lastly, they maintain that Khafre had to alter the route of the causeway leading from his pyramid to his valley temple because the Sphinx was in the way.
Others argue that the Sphinx was built by Khafre, stating that in the process of building his causeway, they came across the large block of rock and decided to use it for a sculpture ie the Sphinx. Professor Mark Lehner has suggested that they took some of the rock that was removed to make the head and neck of the Sphinx and used it to make his valley temple. To prove this theory he was able to match samples of rock from the Sphinx and the valley temple. Most egyptologists now believe it was Khafre who built the Sphinx and designed its head on his own to project his influence. By building 2 large monuments, the Sphinx and his pyramid, he ensured that his name would live on and that he would get to the afterlife. To ensure his dynasty, Khafre had at least 12 sons and 3 daughters. To ensure that there was plenty of royal blood in his children, Khafre married Queen Meresankh III, who was the granddaughter of King Khufu, daughter of Khufu’s son, Kawab and Khufu’s daughter, Queen Hetepheres II. Khafre also being a son of Khufu was, therefore, Queen Meresankh III’s uncle.
4. Khafre’s pyramid
Above and below; Khafre’s magnificent pyramid. Designed to show off his power and statue, it is the second biggest pyramid in the world, after Khufu’s. It is steeper than Khufu’s, rising at an angle of 53 °13’ compared to Khufu’s at 51°50’ but it is 10 feet lower, with Khufu’s originally being 481 feet. This was his “resurrection machine” that would ensure he reaches the afterlife and becomes immortal. At first sight, it appears taller than Khufu’s because it is sitting on bedrock which is 33 feet (10 metres) higher. At the bottom of the pyramid but not in the photographs, is a mortuary temple, where offerings were made to Khafre’s Ka, (his body double, part of his soul). From there, is a causeway which has a valley temple at the end which was used to prepare his body for the journey to the afterlife, ie mummification.
As you look up the pyramid, the stones become smaller, being only 20 inches (50cm) thick at the top. The blocks at the bottom are huge and are believed to weigh over 2 tonnes. The top third of the pyramid still shows its casing stones, which originally would have covered the whole of the pyramid when it was built. Unfortunately, at the very top, the actual point, the “pyramidion”, like that of Khufu’s pyramid, is missing. Oddly, the pyramid has two entrances to the passageways that lead to the burial chamber, one nearly 40 feet (11.54metres) up one side and the other one, at ground level.
5. Menkaure’s pyramid.
Menkaure was the fifth king of the fourth dynasty. His reign was from 2532- 2503 BC, with the pyramid, obviously, being constructed in that period.
Above and below; Menkaure’s pyramid, the smallest of the pharaohs’ pyramids at the Giza necropolis. Originally, it was 215 feet (65.5 m ) but is now slightly lower at 200 feet ((61 m) with a base of 356 feet (108.5m). It has an incline of 51°20’ which is marginally lower than Khufu’s pyramid and 2° less than Khafre’s. Its limited size may have been due to the strain on resources caused by having to build the preceding two enormous pyramids. Like the other pyramids, the bottom layers or courses, are made of red granite and the upper layers are made of white Tura limestone, coming from the other side of the Nile. The layer of granite was proportionately larger in this pyramid making the pyramid stand out, despite it being smaller.
Above; On the right of Menkaure’s pyramid are some of the “subsidiary pyramids” for people such as his queens, who may also have been his half sisters. However, Professor Mark Lehner has argued that one of them is Menkaure’s “ka” pyramid, Menkaure’s physical double made out of stone which is where part of his soul resides. It was thought that the afterlife could be achieved even if his body was destroyed because his Ka is an exact copy of his body.
In 1196 AD, Saladin’s son (ie Saladin of the “Crusades fame), attempted to demolish the Menkaure’s pyramid before destroying the others. Eight months later, despite a huge effort, they had only managed to remove a few stones and create a large gash in the photos above. Despite using various tools, they could only shift a couple of stones a day if they were lucky. Unfortunately for them, when the heavy stones hit the ground, they buried themselves in the sand and so presented another problem to overcome.
6. Overview
Below a rough map of the complex with help from www.walkmyworld.com
Essential information
Safety.
In all the places we went there were numerous police officers and soldiers carrying guns. The Egyptians are great hosts and are desperate to build up tourism and as a consequence are going out of their way to ensure the safety of the growing numbers of tourists. Most of the places we went to had airport style baggage checks with few queues.
Getting there.
Take a taxi to the entrance (Uber is great in Cairo and no negotiating prices) or negotiate for half a day to take you inside the complex.
For the best advice and how not to be conned as a foreign tourist click on the following link, my son’s website.
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