Egyptian Sphinx gets a facelift

Cairo: The pyramids of Giza, which were the burial places of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs, are the last of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

At the foot of the second pyramid - that of the king Kephren - stands one of the most famous images of ancient Egypt, the Sphinx.

Half-human, half-lion and often called 'guardian of the Giza plateau', it's the world's largest single-stone statue. But the Sphinx's health has been failing in recent times.

Facing the East, the Sphinx overlooks the sprawling metropolis of Cairo, with over 17 million residents, high rise buildings and fast-food outlets.

"The Sphinx is the oldest sick monument in the world. The Sphinx dates back to nearly 4,500 years. It has suffered a lot from wind, erosion and the water table," says an archaeologist.

But it's the restoration work that's done the Sphinx the greatest damage. And it took Egyptian archeologists ten years to undo the damage.

"We used mortar such as this consisting of lime and sand as an outer casing to protect the mother rock," says another archaeologist.

Now, ten years later, the Sphinx's neck and chest need attention again. And the restoration workers are using the same mortar that, with time, has proved more effective in protecting the monument.

The Sphinx can never be restored to the original, but it can be preserved for posterity.

(With Shahira Amin in Cairo, Aniruddha Maitra)

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