人面獅身像Sphinx

全世界最性感的景點—人面獅身像
為什麼呢？因為每個來到他面前的旅客都會想跟她留下接吻照紀念哈哈哈

人面獅身像(Sphinx，所以又譯作斯芬克司)，坐落於開羅西南方吉薩金字塔區卡夫拉金字塔旁，是卡夫拉金字塔的附屬建物之一，外型是一個獅子的身軀和人的頭，獅身代表法老的勇猛，人面代表法老的智慧。一般相信是在法老卡夫拉統治期間內建成，並且面貌也是依據卡夫拉的面貌做參考所建成。

由於時代久遠，許多法老都曾經維修過它，其中包括圖特摩斯四世、阿肯那頓、拉姆西斯二世等。現在我們所看到的四隻獅爪就是後來重建的，且之後由於長時間深埋沙中，所以保存尚稱完整。

傳說當年建造金字塔時這裡是採石場，採石工們把上等堅硬的石塊開採來建造金字塔，但中間一片岩石含有貝殼之類的雜質，結構鬆散，故棄之不用。金字塔竣工後，採石場上便遺留下這麼一座小山。 公元前2610年，當法老卡夫拉前來巡視自己未來的陵墓（即金字塔）時，看見這座小山擋在金字塔前，頗不雅觀。擺在建築師面前的選擇有兩種：拆除運走或利用它改為陵墓的組成部分，而天才的設計師從古代的神話和山的外形中汲取了靈感。在神話故事裡，獅子是陵墓和廟宇等聖地的衛士，而或許設計師意識到獅子還有殘忍的獸性的一面，於是別出心裁地把面部雕琢成卡夫拉的面像，把象徵人的智慧與獅子的勇猛集合於一身，於是一件千古不朽的藝術品就這樣誕生了，它是世界上最古老和最大的一座獅身人面像。

原來的獅身人面像頭戴皇冠，額套聖蛇浮雕，下額留長鬚，脖圍項圈。經過幾千年來風吹雨打和沙土掩埋，皇冠、項圈不見蹤影，聖蛇浮雕于１８１８年被英籍義大利人卡菲裏亞在雕像下掘出，獻給了英國大不列顛博物館。鬍子脫落四分五裂，埃及博物館存有兩塊，大不列顛博物館存有一塊（現已歸還埃及）。

獅身人面像的兩爪中有一塊黑耀石的石碑，又稱之爲「夢境之碑」上面是第18王朝的圖特摩斯四世所記載的一個故事：當他還沒成為法老時（而當時除了他還有許多其他法老的兒子在爭奪繼承權），有一次在狩獵之後，靠在獅身像旁的陰影中小憩，結果他夢到獅身人面對他發出預言說他就是下屆的法老王，希望他在登上王位之後，能清除壓在他身上的沙子。雖然不知道這個預言是不是真的，但後來他果然順利當上法老王，因此他在當上法老之後，也依言清掉了獅身像上的沙子，並且第一次大規模整修獅身像，今天看到的兩隻前爪就是當時的作品，並在全部完工之後立碑於兩爪之間以茲記念。

獅身人面像整個身軀準確的面向正東方，在吉薩高原上，從整個石灰岩床上向下雕刻（所以它的背部與旁邊地形平行），因此靠近獅身像的周圍形成地塹的地形。而獅身像的視線「巧合」的與緯度30度疊合，並且在每年的夏至日與秋至日二天，太陽會準確的在獅身像視線的正前方升起。在4500年前埃及人有如此天文技術，真的是非常了不起。

一般我們都會以為埃及就只有這尊人面獅身像，其實全埃及尚有兩處發現有人面獅身像，一在孟斐斯戶外博物館，另外在路克索神廟前，有一條「人面獅身道」，兩旁有許多獅身人面像，這條「獅身人面道」原長 三公里 ，連接到卡納克大神廟，此外，一般學者認為此「人面獅身道」的面貌可能是以拉姆西斯二世的面容作為參考雕刻而成的。

P.S

在希臘化時代，希臘人稱 Sphinx為一個傳聞中會出謎語給路過的人猜謎的怪物 ，如果答對了，就可以通過，如果答錯就會被吃掉。「斯芬克司迷題」，是傳說中的人面獅身怪獸斯芬克司的一個謎語，敘述為：是什麼早上四條腿走路，中午兩條腿走路而晚上三條腿走路，此迷題的答案是人，早上、中午、晚上分別比喻人的幼年、中年和老年。傳說斯芬克司層盤踞在通往羅馬的道路上，向過路的行人這個迷題。結果後來被年輕的俄狄浦斯答對而自殺。



Great Sphinx of Giza, commonly referred to as the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining or couchant sphinx (a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head) that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The Sphinx is also traditionally connected with Khafra.

It is the largest monolith statue in the world, standing 73.5 metres (241 ft) long, 19.3 metres (63 ft) wide, and 20.22 m (66.34 ft) high. It is the oldest known monumental sculpture, and is commonly believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of the Pharaoh Khafra (c. 2558–2532 BC).

It is generally thought that quarrying around the original knoll revealed rock that was too poor in quality for construction. Therefore, some visionary individual conceived of the plan to turn what was left of the knoll into the Sphinx. And also the Egyptians built sphinx statues to guard important areas such as tombs and temples. The body of a lion with the head of a king or god, the sphinx has come to symbolize strength and wisdom.

The head and face of the Sphinx certainly reflect a style that belongs to Egypt's Old Kingdom. The headdress (known as the 'nemes' head-cloth), with its fold over the top of the head and its triangular planes behind the ears, the presence of the royal ' uraeus ' cobra on the brow, the treatment of the eyes and lips all evidence that the Sphinx was carved during this period.
And some scholars believe that the Great Sphinx was originally bearded with the sort of formally plaited beard. Pieces of the Sphinx's massive beard found by excavation adorn the British Museum in London and the Cairo Museum.

Dream Stele (or Sphinx Stele) records that the son of Amenhotep II, Prince Tuthmosis, apparently fell asleep by the Sphinx who prophesised in his dream that he would become pharaoh if he cleared the sand that had engulfed it. He did indeed effect repairs to the Sphinx and went on to become Thuthmosis IV of the Eighteenth Dynasty.

Most people will think that there is only one Sphinx in Egypt, actually there are two more places you can find sphinx in Egypt. One of them is in Memphis Museum, and another is in front of Luxor Temple, there is a row of sphinx way to the Karnak Temple.

P.s

The name "Sphinx" in fact relates to a Greek mythological beast with the body of a lion, the head of a woman and the wings of an eagle. The Greek name derived from the verb "to strangle" as the Greek sphinx strangled anyone who failed to answer her riddle. This is a story from Greek mythology and although in the legend the sphinx was said to sit outside Thebes it is generally held that it was Thebes in Greece and a completely different sphinx that were referred to. Nevertheless the tale is still told to many tourists who visit Giza!

The Riddle of the Sphinx

If someone walks by the sphinx, it would ask him or her a riddle, if the person answered the riddle correctly, they would be allowed to pass, if the person didn't answer correctly, the sphinx would eat them. 
One of the riddle is:

"What has one voice, and yet goes from four legs, to two legs, to three legs?"
The answer is a man (he uses four legs when he is a baby crawling on his hands and knees, two legs as an adult walking, and three legs when he is old and uses a cane).

如果拍膩了親親照，也可以試試看這種打情罵俏照喲哈哈