Sphinx attacked by pigeons: 08-09-2008
Travellers in Egypt will often put the Sphinx near the top of their 'to-see' lists, but the Supreme Council of Antiquities has reported that the giant mythological figure is suffering from vandal pigeons.
The birds are nesting in the eye and ear cavities of the zoomorphic figure, damaging the stonework with their acidic droppings.
The calcium-rich stone is also being pecked away by the nutrient-conscious pests and restoration work may have to be carried out once the problem is addressed.
Built more than 4,600 years ago in the time of King Khafre, the Sphinx was carved from a single block of limestone left over from building the Great Pyramids of Giza.
"If more pigeons are attracted to the area, their droppings will cause more and more damage," writes Jill Kamil on Ahram.org.
"The monument has undergone numerous restorations over the millennia, beginning with one conducted in about 1400 BC by the prince who later became Pharaoh Tuthmose IV, who dreamt that the Sphinx asked him to clear the sand around it in return for the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt."
Travellers have recently been able to visit the pyramids and sphinx without being hassled by traders after a banning order meant that they had to stay in a designated area outside the grounds of the monuments.
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