What happened to the Sphinx’s nose?

The Great Sphinx of Giza is infused with mystery, and one of the most obvious riddles is right on its face: the nose is missing. The massive limestone creature—part lion and part human—is believed to have been built circa 2500 BC, during the Fourth Dynasty reign of King Khafre. In keeping with the ancient Egyptians’ love of all things colossal, Giza’s sphinx is the largest sculpture in the world, measuring 240 feet long and 66 feet tall. It is said that its face was carved in the likeness of Khafre, though some scholars contend that the face is actually that of Khafre’s father, Khufu, whose Great Pyramid stands right behind it.

So where is the Great Sphinx’s nose? Legends have circulated over the centuries, including a popular tale that a cannonball fired by Napoleon’s soldiers during the Battle of the Pyramids smashed the fabled proboscis. Yet Danish explorer Frederic Louis Norden sketched the Great Sphinx during his travels to Giza in 1737—well before the era of Napoleon—and his drawings depict no nose.

The medieval Egyptian historian al-Maqrizi wrote that the nose was actually destroyed by a 14th-century Sufi dervish named Muhammad Sa'im al-Dahr. Egyptian peasants would make offerings to the statue in hopes of controlling the seasonal flooding of the Nile and improving their harvest. While scholars debate the theory, many agree that al-Dahr was outraged by the idolatry and took a chisel to the Sphinx’s face, resulting in an unfortunate nose job—but also adding to its enduring enigma.

Interested in seeing the Sphinx in person with a Smithsonian Journeys Expert? Check out our Ancient Egypt and the Nile tour!