The Great Sphinx, built 4,600 years ago on the Giza Plateau
by Pharaoh Chephren during the 4th Dynasty. Photo: Neville
Agnew.
A view of the Sphinx from the early 1990s. As part of a restoration
project, Egyptian authorities clad in stone the lower portions
of the structure. Photo: Neville Agnew.
Stone erosion at the neck and shoulders of the Sphinx, as
seen in 1989. While the stone for the head and the base of
the monument is relatively hard, soft layers of limestone
alternate with harder limestone in the body portion. Photo:
Luis Monreal.
Front view of the Sphinx with scaffolding around the head
of the monument. Photo: Neville Agnew.
Side view of the Sphinx with scaffolding. Photo: Neville
Agnew.
Rear view of the Sphinx. Extensive erosion of the monument's
limestone is visible. Photo: Neville Agnew.
The GCI-designed environmental monitoring station located
on the back of the Sphinx. Environmental monitoring in the
early 1990s found greater than anticipated climate fluctuations,
particularly in terms of air temperature and relative humidity.
Photo: Neville Agnew.