Have they dug under the Sphinx?

In 1926 the Sphinx was cleared of sand under direction of Baraize, which revealed an opening to a tunnel at floor-level at the north side of the rump.



While there has been no "massive" excavation that revealed a hidden city, researchers have documented several shafts and voids around and under the Great Sphinx. In early 2026, the "Hall of Records" theory remains popular in fringe circles, but official archaeology maintains that these voids are likely natural geological pockets or the remnants of ancient and modern restoration efforts. However, there is one famous "access hole" at the rear of the Sphinx that was explored by Howard Vyse in the 1830s, and a shaft under the left paw that was identified via seismic surveys in the 1990s. In 2025 and 2026, non-invasive scanning technology (like muon-radiography and ground-penetrating radar) has been used more frequently to map the bedrock without digging. While these scans have confirmed some "anomalies," the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has been very protective, ensuring that no physical digging occurs that could compromise the structural integrity of the 4,500-year-old monument, keeping the "secrets" of the Sphinx largely a matter of high-tech speculation for now.

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Attempts to dig out the Sphinx met with little success at first. In 1817, Italian Egyptologist Giovanni Battista Caviglia managed to clear the front end. At the end of the 19th century, the Sphinx's broad chest and massive paws could be seen.

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The Sphinx is home to a number of tunnels and passages. Some were created by treasure hunters, others by people re-carving the Sphinx, and others are unknown. There is even a shaft at the top of the Sphinx's head. There are even reportedly access tunnels to some large and natural caves directly under the Sphinx.

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In 1378 CE, Egyptian peasants made offerings to the Great Sphinx in the hope of controlling the flood cycle, which would result in a successful harvest. Outraged by this blatant show of devotion, Sa'im al-Dahr destroyed the nose and was later executed for vandalism.

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More likely is that the head became smaller because it had been re-carved from the weathered remains of a larger original.

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The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. Facing directly from west to east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx appears to represent the pharaoh Khafre.



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This doesn't only apply to the rising or falling weather temperatures or sea levels but there is also constant threat of the disappearance of entire landmarks and cities: including the pyramids and Sphinx. Recently, global warming has caused alarm around the impact of climate change on Egyptian antiquities.

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Egyptologists mostly take it as settled fact that the Sphinx was carved about the same time as the Pyramids with which it shares the Giza Plateau and that its gentle, enigmatic face (minus a nose, a beard and other bits that have fallen or been knocked off over the centuries) is actually the likeness of a Pharaoh of ...

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A sphinx (/'sf??ks/ SFINKS, Ancient Greek: sf??? [sp?í?ks], Boeotian: f?? [p?í?ks], pl. : sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. Attic red-figure pyxis, 2nd half of the 5th century BC.

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Well, Napoleon did invade Egypt, and he fought a major battle within sight of the pyramids in 1798. It does seem that he visited the pyramids in person, although my Googling has turned up no records of him having shot them with a cannon.

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The specially designated space around the Great Sphinx in Giza makes it impossible to get close to the monument and touch it, but you can still get close enough to have a good look at the Egyptian Sphinx nose, and take an effective photo.

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