Japanese feel they have Sphinx riddle solved

Press, 23 September 1987, Page 4

Japanese feel they have Sphinx riddle solved

By

SARA EL-GAMMAL

NZPA-Reuter Giza, Egypt Japanese experts have begun a fresh hunt for proof of their theory that the enigmatic Sphinx may not be what the world thinks it is. They believe the monument with a human face and a lion’s body, conventionally thought to be a guardian for the nearby Pyramids, is older than its reputed 5000 years. Proof of their idea, which could take years to test, would not shake the world. But it would amount to an upheaval in the dusty world of Egyptology, implying that the Sphinx was built first

“We believe the Sphinx was designed to be the centre of a funerary city for the afterworld,” said the team leader, Sakuji Yoshimura. The accepted theory, backed by history books and ancient inscriptions, is that the Sphinx was constructed by the Pharaoh Chephren about 2600 B.C. to guard the Pyramids, believed to be tombs for Egypt’s ancient rulers. After initial research in February, spoiled by technical problems with electronic equipment, Yoshimura’s team from Tokyo’s Waseda University has now begun research at the Pyramids complex on

Cairo’s outskirts. His theory is based on architectural studies of the position of the Sphinx in relation to the three Pyramids and temples in front of it * Proof of Yoshimura’s idea hinges partly on whether the ancient Egyptians built the Pyramids as royal tombs or for other religious reasons. He believes the three Giza pyramids, named after Chephren and the Pharaohs Cheops and Mycerinus, were not tombs but were part of a “funerary city” occupied by the dead in an afterlife. “I think the tombs are

found to the west of the (Cheops) pyramid, and not inside as people think,” he said. The immediate aim of the Japanese is to confirm discoveries including a cavity between the paws of the Sphinx and grooves on its sides, suggesting the presence of a tunnel. They also found a pit at its left elbow. This was done with a sensitive scanner emitting electro-magnetic waves which are analysed by computer. To verify their findings, they have brought an instrument which measures gravity to determine shapes and sizes of cavities and objects inside.