The Mystery of the Missing Nose: Who Broke the Great Sphinx of Giza?

The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the most iconic and ancient monuments in the world, dating back to the 4th dynasty (c. 2575-c. 2465 BCE) and depicting the face of Pharaoh Khafre, who built his own pyramid complex next to his father Khufu’s Great Pyramid. The colossal statue, measuring 20 metres high and 73 metres long, is carved from a single piece of limestone and was once painted with bright colors. However, the Sphinx has also suffered from erosion and decay over time, and various restoration efforts have been undertaken since ancient times, possibly starting with Thutmose IV (1400–1390 BCE).

One of the most noticeable features of the Sphinx is its missing nose, which has been a source of mystery and speculation for centuries. Many people have heard the legend that Napoleon Bonaparte’s soldiers shot off the nose with a cannonball during their campaign in Egypt in 1798. However, this myth is easily debunked by sketches from 1737 by Frederic Louis Norden, a Danish naval captain and explorer, who depicted the Sphinx without a nose well before Napoleon’s arrival.