Giza Tombs

The earliest private burials at Giza were laid out in rows or streets of mastaba tombs divided geographically to the east and west of the Great Pyramid (generally called the Eastern Field and the Western Field). They are the tombs of high officials and minor royalty of the Old Kingdom who were rich or privileged enough to be buried close to the pharaoh’s royal tomb. There are also cemeteries grouped around the other Giza pyramids and to the south of Khafre’s causeway. The term ‘Central Field’ is given to the old quarry area between Khafre’s Pyramid and his Valley Temple and the Sphinx with Khafre’s causeway as its northern border. The Southern Field is as the name suggests, at the southern limit of the Giza necropolis where the ground rises steeply above the Giza Plateau and this has not yet been very well explored.

On an archaeological map of Giza, the necropolis is further divided into separate areas within each location, usually offshoots of the main cemeteries and mostly relating to their excavation. Cemetery GIS is immediately to the south of the Great Pyramid, and another necropolis called the Quarry Cemetery is to the west of Khafre’s pyramid. These are part of the East and Central Fields, though with a more remote location they are often treated separately. A third smaller group of tombs around Menkaure’s pyramid is generally known as the Menkaure Cemetery.

There was no standard numbering system used at Giza, each early excavator tending to use his own numerical system. The necropolis was first investigated by Lepsius, who gave each of the tombs he investigated a number and these were the numbers used by Maspero and Mariette when they re-investigated the tombs at the end of the 19th century. In the 1920s excavations were begun by the Boston-Harvard Mission, directed by George Reisner, who developed a more consistent classification system. Reisner’s system is the one we use today and can be recognised by the letter G, followed by four digits. The rows of tombs are usually arranged into blocks within a particular part of a cemetery (numbers generally proceed from west to east) and a few of the larger monuments may have more than one number, for example, the tomb of Queen Meresankh is numbered G7530-7540. Dr Reisner’s classification provides a rough skeleton when searching for specific tombs.

There are currently thought to be over 6000 tombs on the Giza Plateau and around 50 have been open to the public for some time. In recent years there have been a number of newly restored tombs which are now open to the public for the first time. There are currently around 50 tombs at Giza into which visitors are allowed, but it is an impossible task to find out which ones these are, and needless to say I have not yet managed to visit them all. Some of them are open all of the time, while others may be closed for archaeological work sometimes. Many are ‘unofficially’ open, which means that if you can find a guard with a key, for a little backsheesh they will open them for you. On these pages, at least to begin with, I can only include a selection of these fascinating structures – tombs which are newly opened, easily accessible or of particular interest and if I miss out your favourites I apologise in advance.

Photography is no longer allowed inside any of the tombs.

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Giza Eastern Cemetery

The Eastern cemetery at Giza, contains large stone mastaba tombs belonging mostly to members of Khufu’s family, his sons and daughters and some of his most important officials. This group of tombs is located immediately to the east of Khufu’s queens’ pyramids and arranged roughly into seven rows. The largest mastaba in the Eastern Field belongs to Prince Ankh-haf (G7510) which is in the north-east corner, while at the other end of the row, near her pyramid, is the burial shaft of Queen Hetepheres (G7000x) where her wonderful funerary treasures were discovered by Reisner.

The tomb of Qar (G7101)
The large multi-roomed mastaba of Qar can be found on the edge of the Eastern Cemetery, east of the pyramid of Hetepheres I (G7000) and close to her tomb shaft.The limestone superstructure of the mastaba has now almost completely disappeared and the remaining chambers are below ground. This official, also known as Meryrenefer, or Kar, was ‘Overseer of the Pyramid Towns of Khufu and Menkaure’, ‘Inspector of wab-priests of the Pyramid of Khafre’ and ‘Tenant of the Pyramid of Pepy I’, probably during the Dynasty VI reign of Pepy I or II. His wife Gefi, a ‘Prophetess of Hathor’, is known from tomb inscriptions. It is generally assumed that Qar is the father of Idu but there are suggestions that the truth could in fact be the oppsosite.

The entrance to the tomb is down a flight of steps which lead into a passage which in turn opens up into a hall with pillars supporting an architrave, richly worked in incised hieroglyphs. On the faces of the pillars the tomb-owner is shown in various stages of his life. The wall to the right of the entrance depicts the funerary rites, with Qar seated at a table to receive offerings. He is shown in a similar manner with his wife on the western wall, with offering lists and illustrations of the funeral procession – the purification tent and embalming-house are the focus of the ceremonies. On the southern wall of the open court, a niche contains statues of the deceased and his family, including his young son. Carved in high relief the row of six life-like standing statues is cut from the rock. Four of them have identical wigs and short narrow kilts, while the fifth is a naked young boy with a shaved head. The sixth and full-sized statue also had a shaved head or short wig and wears a longer flared and pleated kilt. The worn inscription above the statues gives another of Qar’s titles ‘Overseer of all the Works’. There is another statue of Qar seated in a niche on the eastern wall, where there are more offerings.

An offering chamber is entered from the western wall and here there are more offering scenes and texts. In the doorway there are more reliefs of the deceased. The false door of Qar is set into the western wall of the offering chamber with offerings and offering-bringers to either side. The tomb of Qar is thought to be an excellent example of later Old Kingdom art.

Tomb of Idu (G7102)

Idu (or Idut) is thought to have been the father (or son?) of Qar, and his smaller mastaba is adjacent to the previous one. He also held the title of ‘Tenant of the Pyramid of Pepy I’ as well as ‘Overseer of Scribes of the mrt (royal documents?)’, ‘Inspector of wab-priests of the Pyramids of Khufu and Khafre’ during the reign of Pepy I. The relationship mentioned in his tomb with Meryrenefer (Qar) and Gefi is uncertain.

A staircase descends to a large vestibule and to a passage into the single long rectangular offering chapel. On either side of the doorway are depictions of mourners at Idu’s house, the purification tent and the funeral procession. On the long western wall there are five large niches containing statues of Idu plus a smaller one on the left of his son (?) Qar, with their names and titles in beautifully carved hieroglyphs. At the end of the western wall there is a scene depicting men and cattle returning from the marshes. Idu is shown seated on a palanquin on the northern wall, watching scenes of activities including children’s games, dancers and musicians and the preparation of food and drink. In the centre of the east wall is a false door stela, painted to simulate granite. In the bottom half of the false door Idu’s statue eerily rises out of the ground to receive his offerings and in a panel above, the deceased and his wife are shown sitting opposite each other at an offering table. Near the floor an offering bench is placed in front of this wall, which depicts offerings to be given to the tomb owner and his wife.

Tomb of Queen Meresankh III (G7530-7540)

The large and beautiful double-mastaba of Queen Meresankh III is situated just to the south of the huge tomb of Prince Ankh-haf (G7510). She is named as a ‘Daughter of the King’, the daughter of Kawab (a son of Khufu) and her mother was Hetepheres II. She was married to Khafre (Dynasty IV) who was in fact her half-brother.

The entrance stairway leads down into the large main chamber of the tomb, which contains two square pillars and its walls are decorated with many beautiful and colourful reliefs of daily life in the Old Kingdom. Texts near the doorway give her name and titles with the date of her death and funeral. On the left hand side of the doorway, two sculptors whose names are given as Re’hay and Inkaf (identified by Reisner but now almost illegible), carve and paint statues of the Queen, while below other men are shown carving the funerary sarcophagus and false door. Goldworkers are also shown smelting gold and making a palanquin. On the southern wall, three niches contain six statues of men who are not identified but are thought to be scribes or priests. An incomplete false door stela on the western wall shows Meresankh seated at a table.

The walls of this chamber show many interesting scenes of various industries – fowling, mat-making, furniture-making and agricultural and hunting scenes. Meresankh is shown with her mother Hetepheres gathering lotus flowers and catching birds. On the pillars of the main hall, the deceased Meresankh is depicted facing into the tomb and dressed in an elegant white robe. Her two sons, Niussere (later pharaoh) and Duaenre stand at her feet. The northern wall is a rock-cut extension to the large chamber which contains a group of ten statues varying in size. They are unidentified but are thought to represent the deceased four times, her mother three times and three daughters.

The second chamber is smaller than the first and has two large openings leading into it. The left-hand wall is decorated with funerary scenes, offering lists and scribes bringing accounts of the estate. The small portion of wall between the doorways shows scenes of agriculture, and on the northern wall, food and wine is being prepared for the banquet, while musicians, singers and dancers entertain Meresankh who sits above holding a lotus flower and watching over the proceedings. These reliefs are unpainted. Two more niches on the western wall contain statues, probably of Meresankh and her mother with a false door between them.

In 1927, in the second chamber, Reisner found a large burial shaft whose chamber contained Meresankh’s black granite sarcophagus complete with the mummy of the queen (now in Cairo Museum). The sarcophagus has a palace-façade decoration and was presented to Meresankh by her mother Hetepheres.

Tomb of Nefermaat (G7060)

This tomb belongs to a group of recently restored and newly opened tombs immediately to the south of Khufu’s queens’ pyramids. Nefermaat is named as ‘King’s Son’, ‘Hereditary Prince’, ‘Vizier of Khafre’ and ‘Overlord of Nekheb’ during the Dynasty IV reigns of Khufu and Khafre. His mother is named as Nefertkau (probably tomb G7050).

The mastaba of this important official and member of the royal family, today consists mainly of the tomb-chapel, which is decorated with the usual agricultural and offering scenes of the period. Nefermaat is depicted in one scene with his wife before scribes and men bringing animals and birds (including cranes) and in another he sits at the banquet with his dog under his chair, being entertained by musicians and clappers. Unfortunately his wife’s name is lost in the reliefs, but he is shown in another scene with his son, Senefrkaef, whose tomb (G7070) is adjacent. At the rear of the chamber is a false door of Nefermaat.

Tomb of Senefrukaef (G7070) 

Senerfrukaef was the son of Nefermaat, and he was ‘Treasurer of the King of Lower Egypt’ and ‘Herdsman of Apis’ during late Dynasty IV to early Dynasty V. His mastaba now consists of the tomb-chapel, decorated with scenes of the owner and his family. On the lintel of the doorway there is an offering text and genealogy of Senefrukaef’s family and he is depicted in reliefs in the chapel with his sons. The deceased also has a false door. An uninscribed limestone sarcophagus was found in the burial shaft, which is now in Cairo Museum.

Tomb of Seshemnefer IV

Near the south-east corner of the pyramid of Khufu is the mastaba of Seshemnefer IV, which has been newly restored by the Egyptian Antiquities Organisation, with a new roof, and thorough cleaning of the reliefs.

Seshemnefer IV was obviously a favoured official, ‘Overseer of the Two Seats of the House of Life’, and ‘Guardian of the King’s Secrets’, during Dynasty VI. One of the largest tombs at Giza, Seshemnefer’s porticoed tomb has an impressive façade with two columns. At either side of the portico, life-sized seated statues of the deceased official watch out over the Giza Plateau. The vestibule leads to an inner and outer hall and an offering chamber. Scenes within the tomb include reliefs of the deceased, daily life in the Old Kingdom and the usual funerary scenes. There is a sloping burial shaft into which the intrepid visitor is sometimes allowed.

Entrance

The tombs of the Eastern cemetery are often open or may be opened on request. Photography is no longer allowed inside any of the tombs.

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Giza Western Cemetery

The cemetery to the west of the Great Pyramid is the largest of the Old Kingdom cemeteries at Giza and contains the mortuary chapels of many high-status officials of Dynasty IV. The western necropolis, which can be divided roughly into three separate areas, is dominated by the massive mastaba G2000, which was undecorated but appears to have been built for a person of very high rank during the reigns of Khufu or Khafre. The western cemetery is formed by long streets of mastabas built in blocks and intersected by other streets like modern city blocks.

The Tomb of Duaenre (G5110)

Duaenre’s tomb is one of the Giza tombs newly restored and opened to visitors. He was a son of the pharaoh Khafre and his mother was Meresankh III, whose tomb (G7530-7540) can be seen in the eastern cemetery. Duaenre held the office of ‘Vizier of Menkaure’ during the king’s Dynasty IV reign.

The tomb has an entrance on the eastern side which leads through a passage into the offering chapel. Remains of carved scenes of the deceased can be seen in the doorway, with his attendants carrying offerings behind him. Scenes on the walls of the chapel mostly represent offerings, with men bringing various animals, including gazelle, ibex and a goose as well as the usual illustrations of butchers. Another group of men carry other funerary goods and vessels, including a covered altar. On the western wall there are two false doors and on the southern wall is an opening into a serdab (statue chamber).

When Duaenre’s tomb was investigated by Shiaparelli around 1838, he found a burial shaft which contained an uninscribed red granite sarcophagus and lid, now in Turin Museum.

Tomb of Iymery (G6020)

The G6000 complex of tombs in the Western Cemetery is based on a block of four large mastabas in which were buried Shepseskafankh and his descendants, who served the royal family of Dynasty V for a hundred years. The central tomb of the block is that of Shepseskafankh (G 6040) which contained several burials. To the south, his son Iymery built his own family mastaba  and to the east of this his son-in-law Iti (G 6030) built another. Later Iymery’s son Neferbauptah (G 6010) constructed his own tomb. These mastabas are all very large and emphasise the importance of this family. 

When Lepsius entered Iymery’s tomb at the south-western corner of the western cemetery, he named it the ‘Tomb of Trades’ because of its colourful painted reliefs depicting many industrial scenes, including carpenters, goldsmiths, jewellers and sculptors at work. The tomb was popular with travellers in the 19th century, who carved their names on its walls. Iymery was the son of Shepseskafankh and Nikauhathor, probably during the reign of Niuserre of Dynasty V. His titles include ‘Prophet of Khufu’, ‘Steward of the Great Estate’ and ‘Scribe of the Archives’.

The entrance to this large tomb is again on the eastern side, with steps leading down into a vestibule which is decorated with many beautiful and important scenes of craftsmen at work. In this chamber Iymery is seen with his father Shepseskafankh, and other family members, including his son Neferbauptah (tomb G6010). On the west wall scenes of food production are shown, which include the brewing of beer in all its stages. An entrance passage here leads to a long recatangular hall, which has on the left-hand wall, three openings into a long serdab chamber, interspersed with well-preserved agricultural and fowling scenes and the funeral banquet, with male musicians entertaining the guests while Iymery is seated in his chair. Fishing and fowling in the marshes is also shown on the opposite wall and many other agricultural pursuits show such themes as tilling the earth and the birth of a calf. In a smaller chamber at the end of the long hall there are more offering scenes with musicians and dancers below and on its western wall is a false door of Iymery. To the north of this tomb is the entrance to a narrow decorated corridor chapel with two offering niches, dedicated to the ‘King’s Aquaintance’, Ity (G6030) who had married Iymery’s sister Wesertka. Iymery’s tomb has been recently restored and re-opened.

Tomb of Neferbauptah (G6010)

The tomb of Neferbauptah, the eldest of six sons of Iymery (G6020), has also undergone recent restoration and is open to visitors for the first time since discovery in the 1930s. The official’s titles were ‘Steward of the Great Estate’, ‘Prophet of Khufu, Sahure, Neferirkare and Niuserre’ during middle to late Dynasty V.

This large tomb comprises of five chambers plus a serdab on its southern side. The eastern entrance opens into a large courtyard containing two square pillars and the burial shaft but many of the scenes in this room are incomplete. An entrance to the south leads into another chamber with pillars and agricultural scenes on the walls. The third room to the south, is square in shape, again with two pillars and has three openings into the serdab chamber. Reliefs of the tomb-owner and his relatives can be seen around the doorway into a smaller chamber on the western wall. This small rectangular offering-chapel has the most important scenes in the tomb where the reliefs depict men bringing animals, including desert animals and cattle, led by the deceased’s eldest son, Neferseshemptah. Neferbauptah is shown with is wife receiving these offerings. Texts record the agricultural products and amounts of crops. On the end wall the tomb-owner is seated and receives a lotus flower and other offerings, according to the prescribed lists. The western wall contains two false doors with offering lists and vignettes of the deceased seated at a table with funerary priests and offering-bringers before him. The tomb also contains a life-size statue of the deceased carved into the wall.

Tomb of Iasen (G2196)

Iasen, ‘Tenant of the Royal House’ and ‘Overseer of Priests’ during Dynasty V or VI, was the owner of a small rock-cut tomb at the western side of the western cemetery. The tomb’s entrance leads into a long narrow vestibule with a false door stela. The main part of the tomb-chapel consists of a large rectangular room with a niche on the western wall containing a standing statue of Iasen, wearing a stiff triangular kilt, typical of the period. Reliefs in this chamber depict many scenes of offerings and preparation (including cooking scenes) for the funerary banquet. Musicians entertain the deceased, while men fill wine jars in the scene below. There are many colourful scenes of daily life and agriculture in this tomb. A small unfinished room is cut into the rock on the southern side of the chapel.

Tomb of Senedjemib-inty (G2370)

Several mastaba tombs dating to late Dynasty V and are grouped together in a modern courtyard at the north-west corner of the Great Pyramid. When investigated by Reisner’s team during the first half of the 20th century they were found to be in a poor state of preservation, but four of the tombs have recently been restored with the addition of protective ceilings, new wooden floors and lighting and the reconstruction of missing pillars and damaged wall reliefs. They are now open to visitors.

Senedjemib, whose ‘good name’ was Inty, was ‘Chief Justice and Vizier’, ‘King’s Architect and Builder in the Two Houses’ during the reign of Djedkare-Isesi of Dynasty V. His tomb chapel, fronted by a portico, consists of four other 

chambers, the last of which was a pillared hall containing the sloping burial shaft, where the inscribed granite sarcophagus of the tomb-owner was found. Unpainted reliefs in the tomb show many important scenes of daily life in the Old Kingdom, including industrial, agricultural and nautical scenes and priests performing the funeral rites. The deceased is portrayed in the pillared hall with his wife Thefi and his son, Senedjemib-mehu.

Tomb of Khnum-inty (G2374)

Khnum-inty, whose tomb is close to that of his father Senedjemib-inty, was a royal scribe and ‘Overseer of the Granary and of all the King’s Work’, probably during the reign of King Teti of early Dynasty VI. Blocks were found in the tomb-chapel bearing the name of Teti’s pyramid and a bowl bearing Teti’s cartouche was found in the burial shaft. The tomb-chapel contains the usual offering scenes and illustrates the funeral procession. There is also a large ornate but unfinished false door with an offering table before it.

Tomb of Akhetmehu (G2375)

Akhetmehu’s titles were ‘Judge and Elder of the Hall’ and ‘Overseer of the House of Weapons’ during the time of Merenre I or Pepy II. His tomb-chapel contains scenes of daily life and religious rites during the Old Kingdom as well as an impressive false door behind inscribed pillars supported by an architrave. A burial shaft contained a box-sealing of the ‘Inspector of Embalmers’ with the Horus name of Merenre or Pepy II.

Tomb of Senedjemib-mehu (G2378)

Senedjemib, whose ‘good name’ was Mehu (or Mehi) was ‘Chief Justice and Vizier’ and ‘King’s Architect and Builder in the Two Houses’ during the reign of Unas of Dynasty V. He was another son of Senedjemib-inty and Thefi and brother of Khnum-inty. His wife is named as Khentkawes, a ‘King’s Daughter’ and ‘Prophetess of Hathor’. His eldest son was also called Senedjemib and two other children were Mehi and Khentkawes.

This tomb comprised a forecourt leading into a hall where many scenes are carved relating to the daily activities of the deceased and his family. There are remains of many industrial and agricultural scenes, and in the inner hall, reliefs of funerary rites and offerings. An unfinished false door of the deceased is located at the rear of the inner hall.

Entrance

Tombs in the Western field are often opened on request by the guards. Photography is no longer allowed inside any of the tombs.

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Giza Central Field

Giza Central Field covers the area roughly between the pyramid causeways of Khafre and Menkaure. The area can be explored by beginning behind Khafre’s’s Valley Temple, although parts of it are often fenced off when excavations are being carried out. At this eastern end the tombs seem to be a jumble of rocks, some still buried by sand and others partly uncovered.

There are many doorways with inscriptions of the tomb-owners and even rock-cut statues. In the middle of this part of the cemetery there is a ‘Street of Priests’ which leads up to a large rock-cut tomb with a courtyard. To the north and adjacent to the rock-cut tomb, there is another very large mastaba that was the last resting place of an individual named Ra-wer, which was excavated by Selim Hassan. During the excavations Hasan found around 100 statues from the three phases of the construction of the tomb. Many smaller mastaba tombs can be seen to the south when walking down Khafre’s causeway towards the Sphinx and some of these have been recently investigated and restored by the SCA.

The southern edge of the Central Field is dominated by the huge tomb of Khentkawes I which was once believed to be the mastaba of the Dynasty IV king Shepseskaf. Around her mastaba there are many shafts and rock-cut tombs. Another group of mastabas on the western edge of the Central Field just below Khafre’s Pyramid have also been restored and opened to the public in rescent years. These include the tombs of Iwn-min and Debehen.

The Mastaba of Khentkawes (LG100)

Queen Khentkawes is a mysterious and enigmatic figure. Her tomb was investigated in the 1930s and her title was read as either the ‘Mother of Two Dual Kings’ or ‘Dual King and Mother of Dual King’. Many scholars interpret this to mean that she may have reigned in her own right or more probably as a regent for one of her sons in the unstable time at the end of Dynasty IV.

be wearing the royal regalia of a king, the beard, flail and uraeus, but her name is mysteriously not written in a cartouche. There are many theories about where she fits into the Dynasty IV royal family. Perhaps a daughter of Menkaure, it is most likely that she was the wife of Shepseskaf or the wife (or mother) of Userkaf and posssibly the mother of Sahure and Neferirkare of early Dynasty V. Facts about this period of history are very ambiguous.

The mystery deepened in the 1970 when Czech archaeologists working at Abusir discovered a pyramid of Queen Khentkawes, which was at first thought to be the same lady, as she held the same titles as the former Queen and was also depicted in royal regalia. However, it was found that Khentkawes namesake was the wife of Neferirkare, mother of Neferefre and the two Khentkawes’ were found to be a generation apart. The Abusir queen is now known as Khentkawes II. Meanwhile the confusion continues.

The tomb of Khentkawes which towers high over Giza Central Field was cut from a huge piece of native rock left behind by the surrounding quarrying, rather like the sphinx. The stratigraphy can be see clearly from the western side. The tomb entrance is on the south-east corner but the internal structures were badly damaged in antiquity. A sloping passage descends into the rock and the underground chambers consist of  an antechamber, store-rooms and a granite-lined vaulted burial chamber. The tomb was topped with a superstructure of stone blocks and the whole was encased in white Tura limestone which must have given it the appearance of a step pyramid. A boat pit, another common feature of royal tombs and pyramids from Early Dynastic times onwards, was discovered near the south-west corner of the tomb.

Khentkawes may have shared Menkaure’s causeway and valley temple, as her own has not been found and her structures seem to be merged with those of Menkaure. To the east of her tomb there was an L-shaped settlement of houses dating to Dynasty V and VI, probably inhabited by priests and servants of Khentkawes or Menkaure’s funarary cult. This is marked on maps as ‘Pyramid City’. The mastaba of Khentkawes was the last royal tomb to be built at Giza and this influential lady was undoubtedly a link between the kings of Dynasty IV and Dynasty V.

The Giza Pyramids blog from AERA in March 2009 reported the find of a curious structure in the Queen Khentkawes Complex. Beneath a road or ramp in the comlex, excavators have uncovered a square mudbrick platform that was first recorded in the 1930s by Selim Hassan who described it as a Wabet (purification tent). It is now suggested that the plinth may be some kind of administrative platform. More information and picture on AERA.

Tomb of Debehen

The tomb of Debhen is a newly restored tomb to the south of Khafre’s causeway. His titles were ‘Lector Priest’ and ‘Overseer of the Divine Places of the Great Palace’ during the Dynasty IV reign of Menkaure.

He seems to have been a favourite of the king who gave this official permission to construct a tomb near his own pyramid as a gift, including white limestone from the royal Tura quarries across the river – an honour which is recorded in the tomb. The tomb is beautifully decorated with interesting unpainted reliefs of daily life, many animals and also a depiction of a dwarf.

Tomb of Iwn-min

The tomb of Iwn-min (Iun-min, Yun-min) is close to that of Debhen, to the south of Khafre’s causeway. Iwn-min was the ‘Vizier’, ‘Judge’ and eldest son of Menkaure of Dynasty IV. The walls of his tomb-chapel containing two chambers have no reliefs but the doorway of the inner chamber is elaborately decorated and unique in style.

Entrance

The tomb of Khentkawes is not open to the public but it may be possible to view the outside structure. The tombs of Debehen and Iwn-min have been restored and opened in recent years. Photography is no longer allowed inside any of the Giza tombs.

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The Sphinx

The famous gigantic statue of the Great Sphinx rises from the Giza plateau adjacent to and directly north of Khafre’s valley temple and causeway. This monument – almost the national emblem of Egypt, has aroused the imagination of travellers, scholars, poets and writers for centuries, but today still retains the mysteries which have puzzled adventurers for millennia. Fashioned from an outcrop of limestone left behind from the quarrying of stone for the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx crouches in a rectangular ditch bounded by Khafre’s causeway to the south, a modern road to the north and the Old Kingdom ‘Sphinx Temple’ to the east. A small reconstructed New Kingdom religious structure, probably dating from Amenhotep II, lies to the north-east.

The colossal statue takes the form of a crouching lion with a human head, thought to be carved with the features of Khafre, though this is the subject of some debate. Sphinxes are typical elements of Egyptian statuary, but the unique architecture of the Great Sphinx has long fired the imaginations of ‘fantasy archaeologists’ who assert that the sculpture is the work of a civilisation far more ancient than the builders of the pyramids. While the enigmatic history of the Sphinx is undeniable, recent intensive excavations and restorations have revealed no secret subterranean chambers or evidence of vanished civilisations – to the disappointment of many, who now claim a conspiracy on the part of the Egyptian government to keep this information from the world.

The body of the Sphinx, almost 60m long and 20m high, was carved from alternate soft and hard layers of sediments of marly limestone laid down during the formation of the Giza plateau in the geological Eocene period. The harder layers were quarried, blocks extracted for Old Kingdom building projects and it is now possible to identify the stone used in each of the nearby structures, providing evidence of the sequence of quarrying. The walls of Khafre’s valley temple were probably composed of massive blocks from the upper part of the Sphinx’s body, while some of the limestone blocks of the Sphinx Temple came from an area around the Sphinx’s chest.

The head of the Sphinx represents an Egyptian ruler wearing a nemes head-dress and once had a uraeus-serpent on it’s forehead and a royal beard (fragments exist now in museums). The human head is small in proportion to the lion’s body and it is suggested that the body may have been elongated to take into account a natural fissure in the rock which would have prevented the workmen from completing the carving of the rear quarters.

The Sphinx has been deteriorating for many centuries – a thousand years after it was carved, as far back as Dynasty XVIII, the body of the statue was covered by the desert sands. Between the Sphinx’s front paws the ‘Dream Stela’ tells the story of how the young Prince Tuthmose (later Tuthmose IV) was resting there during a gazelle hunt in the desert when he had a prophetic dream. In the dream the Sphinx spoke to the prince, foretelling his accession to the throne of Upper and Lower Egypt and asking for its body to be freed from the sand. When he became pharaoh many years later, Tuthmose remembered the dream and apparently had the statue cleared of sand, setting up a commemorative stela in a small open-air chapel between its paws.

Evidence from remains of mudbrick walls surrounding the Sphinx, bearing the name of Tuthmose IV suggests that this pharaoh did indeed undertake the first restoration, also perhaps repairing some of the blocks which had become dislodged. From this time there is evidence of more interest in the Sphinx, which had became the focus of a cult revival from the reign of Amenhotep II, under the name of Horemakhet (Horus of the Horizon). Others are documented as attempting restorations – especially Rameses II and his son, the restorer of monuments, Prince Khaemwaset. It was cleared of sand and perhaps also restored during the Saite Period, according to the ‘Inventory Stela’ which was found to the east of the Great Pyramid. During the first two centuries AD the Sphinx became a popular tourist attraction for the Romans and was cleared by Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Septimus Severus before being once more covered by sand for many centuries.

When Napoleon Bonaparte arrived in Egypt in 1798 he was very impressed by the statue of the Sphinx, though by this time it was again covered by sand. His ‘savants’ or scientists excavated the monument, discovering the Dream Stela in the process. In 1816 Giovanni Battista Caviglia carried out a more thorough investigation, discovering fragments of the Sphinx’s false royal beard (now in the British Museum). Although Mariette, Maspero and others had investigated the Sphinx, the next phase of conservation was carried out in the 1920s by the French archaeologist Emile Baraize, who uncovered the temple beneath the creature’s forepaws and restored a crack on the top of the Sphinx’s head among other things.

Sporadic restorations by the Egyptian Antiquities Organisation were carried out between 1955 and 1989, when the most recent conservation work began. Egyptian archaeologists under the direction of Zahi Hawass, with the help of foreign expertise, have been concentrating on the deteriation of the monument caused by increased humidity, the rising water table and air pollution. In these studies much-needed conservation work has been completed, with restorative work on areas especially around the south forepaw, the southern flank and the tail of the Sphinx. During the course of the restorations Zahi Hawass found a tunnel at ground level in the northern side of the body, which led to a small, empty, uninscribed cavity. The final phase of the Sphinx restoration, using the most up-to-date technologies has now been completed and the monument was formally dedicated on 25 May 1998, but it is not yet certain whether it can be saved from further deterioration.

The colossal figure is oriented east to west and the Sphinx Temple with it’s huge courtyard has been called a solar temple. The Sphinx can be identified with the god Re, who rises and sets on the horizon and also with Horus, the son of Re. So is the Sphinx a ‘living image’ (translation of the Egyptian word for sphinx, shesep-ankh) of Khafre or some other ruler, presenting offerings to the sun-god or some mythical image of a solar deity, guardian of the necropolis?

Entrance

The Sphinx enclosure is open daily. Visitors enter through a passage in the south side of the Sphinx Temple and are currently allowed to view the monument from the ledge beside Khafre’s causeway.

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