What's the true story behind the nose breaking off the Great Sphinx?

Answer 1

There have been a lot of stories and a lot of funny things said about it, but there is an actual account.

While Napoleon was commanding French troops in an invasion of the land route over the Siana Peninsula (before the Suez canal). He took himself on a little historical tour with his troops.

While they were there, some of his artillery used the Sphinx as a target and blew the nose off.

Answer 2

I don't know about the nose, but I remember seeing a documentary about how water erosion was thought to be being responsible for other wear of the stone of the Sphinx. The theory was that there was a climate change, at that at one time that area was considerably wet.

Answer 3

"Missing nose"

"The one-metre-wide nose on the face is missing. Some legends claim that the nose was broken off by a cannon ball fired by Napoléon’s soldiers and that it still survives, as do diverse variants indicting British troops, Mamluks, and others. However, sketches of the Sphinx by Dane Frederick Lewis Norden made in 1737 and published in 1755 illustrate the Sphinx without a nose. The Egyptian historian al-Maqrizi, writing in the fifteenth century, attributes the vandalism to Muhammad Sa'im al-Dahr, a Sufi fanatic from the khanqah of Sa'id al-Su'ada. In 1378, upon finding the Egyptian peasants making offerings to the Sphinx in the hope of increasing their harvest, Sa'im al-Dahr was so outraged that he destroyed the nose, and was lynched for vandalism. Al-Maqrizi describes the Sphinx as the “Nile talisman” on which the locals believed the cycle of inundation depended."

"Another possible reason for the missing nose is the action of 6000 years of wind and weather on the soft limestone."

"Great Sphinx of Giza : Missing nose" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sphinx_of_Giza#Missing_nose

Answer 4

As Gravy said, the French are given the credit for it because thats who the Egyptians blame. It is in their best interest to blame the French of course; it may or may not be the case. Its the most widely believed story, but none are certain. It could have just been time that did the damage.
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Hitting just the nose with a cannon from that time period would be an exceptional shot, so Im inclined to not believe the Napoleon thing.

Answer 5

I can tell you what makes sense. Alexander the great. He spent most of his time destroying the nose of hundreds of art in more than just Egypt. When you start looking at all the destroyed art in that area I've personally come to the conclusion that Alexander was responsible for it. It is his calling card.

Answer 6

I heard it was Napoleon that destroyed the sphinx's nose too while stationed in Eqypt. Rumor has it that he also went into one of the pyramids there and saw a vision of his defeat at Waterloo and came out deeply disturbed from the experience.

Answer 7

Legend has it that Napoleon used his cannon to blast it off while he was stationed in Egypt. I don't believe it because Napoleon went to unheard of lengths (especially for his time) to preserve Egyptian artifacts. He brought a whole team of archaeologists to study the Egyptian relics while his troops pacified the country. Anyone who values antiquities like that isn't likely to vandalize the largest and most important historical relic in the whole country!

Answer 8

Some blame the French. others the Turks. The present day Egyptians with the third world agenda, choose the French.
Apparently used as target for cannon fire practice!

Answer 9

Over the centuries and millenia and hundreds of wars after its creation, someone vandalized the huge statue and brought the nose home as a trophy. It was never seen again.

Answer 10

It is the result of a big sneeze.