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Physics

The Great Sphinx of Giza may have been blown into shape by the wind

As rock is carved by the wind, it can take on a sphinx-like shape, meaning the Great Sphinx in Egypt may have been partly formed through natural processes

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

27 October 2023

Full profile of Great Sphinx

The Great Sphinx may have been partly carved into shape by the wind

Daily Travel Photos/Shutterstock

The action of wind or flowing water may be enough to carve majestic lions in repose out of rocks or clay – and it’s possible that this natural process gave a rocky outcrop in Egypt a lion-like shape that was further modified by the ancient Egyptians to create the Great Sphinx of Giza.

Writing in Smithsonian Magazine in 1981, geologist Farouk El-Baz conjectured that “Desert Builders Knew a Good Thing When They Saw It”. He suggested the…

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