The Sphinx(Greek)

The Sphinx is a creature of ancient folklore.The Greeks,the Egyptians and the people of the far east have recounted stories of the sphinx in their history.In some places the sphinx has the body of a lion and the head of a man and in other the body of a lion and the head of a falcon or a ram.The sphinx is also believed to have the tail of a serpent and wings.
The word SPHINX originates from Greece where it means "an imaginary evil monster",but Ancient Greece used the term Sphinx to describe the monstrous statues with the body of a lion bearing the head of a human that they had seen during their visits to Egypt.In Egypt the Sphinxes nearly always had the head of a human and the body of a lion.

The Sphinxes were usually made to honor a king or a queen .In Egyptians art the pharaohs are depicted as lions conquering their enemies.,soon the Sphinx became a symbol of royal protection.In the great temple of Karnak,statues of Sphinxes line in the entrance to the temple.There are also Sphinxes in Egypt that represents a few of their gods,like Horus(the god of sky) and the sun god Ra,who was considered to be the protector of pharaoh himself.

The most famous Egyptian Sphinx is the Sphinx of Giza.In Egypt it is called the Great Sphinx.It is indeed a huge structure.The Great Sphinx stretches 73mts long and is about 20mts high.The Great Sphinx of Giza was built about 4500 years ago and the head & body are carved out of a single rock.The paws were made from smaller rocks.The excess material was used to build several great pyramids nearby.
The Great Sphinx wears a royal headdress and lie close to the pyramid of king Khafre.Archaeologists believe that is actually a portrait of the king himself.The Great Sphinx has been eroded and nearly buried by sand on several occasions.The king Thutmose IV of Egypt cleared the sand that threatened to bury the Sphinx in 1400 BC.The king had dreamed that the Egyptian God Horus had asked him to clear it away.Very recently workers have removed the sand in 1818,1886,1926 and 1938.
The Great Sphinx of Giza has survived not only the tormenting weather but also the onslaught of humans.A part of the head was broken indicating that at sometime the Great Sphinx could have been used for target practice.The stone of the Sphinx has withered and grown weak but scientists and archaeologists began preserving the crumbling stone by treating it with special chemicals in the 1970's.
Today,the Sphinx is a great tourist attraction,thrilling tourists from all over the world,reminding people of the days gone by the richness of a great culture.
So,friends surely i will definitely visit Egypt and you guys???