A tourism official in Egypt has been ridiculed by his friends after claiming a second large statue of the well-known Sphinx awaits discovery. This supposed second sphinx is inflicting fairly a stir amongst Egyptologists who argue that it’s all only a hoax.

Placing the Second Sphinx Claims in Context

We’ll reverse into this story after I inform you a story about UFOs. Maybe nothing antagonizes profession debunkers and skeptics greater than when a supposed “skilled” or “official” in any given area skips over to the perceived darkish facet. This occurred in February 2021 after astrophysicist Avi Loeb, Director of the Harvard Astronomy Division, instructed the New Scientist that the area rock Oumuamua was “possibly a bit of alien know-how.”

As virtually the complete scientific group facepalmed, as they watched a U.S. icon of logic and motive dive down the scientific rabbit gap, Loeb doubled-down, telling Scientific American that “aliens have visited, and I’m not kidding.” Loeb is now main the Galileo Project, looking for “extraterrestrial technological signatures of Extraterrestrial Technological Civilizations (ETCs).”

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Returning to the story at hand, Reda Abdel Halim is the director of public relations for the Giza pyramids district on the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Inflicting comparable waves to Dr. Loeb within the U.S., Halim has instructed Cairo Live that he found “a statue within the pyramids space that’s of comparable dimension to the Sphinx.” In different phrases, he claims to have discovered a second sphinx.

Reda Abdel Halim has claimed that there’s a second sphinx buried beneath the sand and that it’s formed just like the Nice Sphinx of Giza, pictured above. (witthaya / Adobe Inventory)

Doubling-Down on Second Sphinx Claims

Abdel Halim, similar to Loeb, has additionally doubled down, laborious. It’s one factor to casually speculate that astounding archaeology awaits discovery beneath the Egyptian sands. However Halim has gone as far as to say that the second sphinx is “73 meters (246 ft) excessive, with a head 20.5 meters (67 ft) excessive, and arms prolonged over 15.5 meters (50.8 ft).” In different phrases, it’s formed just like the Nice Sphinx of Giza.

When the vacationer official was pressed for proof associated to his dramatic claims, he was prepared with an apparently dynamite reference, a “scientific examine” no much less. Supposedly undertaken by a group of specialists from Egypt’s Zagazig College, Halim claimed that the archaeologists conducting the examine had “confirmed the existence of this statue.” Now Halim has made waves for “rediscovering” the second sphinx statue as soon as extra.

Reda Abdel Halim, director of public relations for the Giza Pyramids district on the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has claimed that there’s a second sphinx. (Fb / Cairo24)

Beginning of the Second Sphinx Concept?

What then does the better archaeological group need to say about Abdel Halim’s unbelievable declare {that a} second sphinx is hidden beneath the sand? Nicely, that’s the factor, they are saying it’s “unbelievable.” Very unbelievable in actual fact.

This concept, in its entirety, is nothing greater than a “media fanfare” based on Zahi Hawass, the well-known former Minister of Antiquities. Hawass instructed Al-Monitor that the Nice Sphinx of Giza “is exclusive in Egypt and the world.” He additionally mentioned Halim’s reference to a examine on the Zagazig College can also be “false” and that no person in Egyptological circles is aware of something in regards to the discovery of any such second sphinx.

At this stage of the story, it’s laborious to not image Halim with a shovel, in a pit, as much as his neck. As laborious because it may need been studying Dr. Hawass’s response to his claims, the enthusiastic Halim may have appeared up humbly (from the pit) and mentioned, “okay, I obtained carried away.”

When offered with such an uncomfortable state of affairs, Halim may have chosen to climb out of the deepening rabbit gap. However Abdel Halim’s press return assertion insisted the misplaced Sphinx featured on historic writings carved into the unique statue, however that they had been “erased” to maintain the second sphinx secret. A possible conspiracy idea was born.

Zahi Hawass on the left, one of many critics of the second sphinx claims, on a go to to the Nice Sphinx of Giza with Barack Obama in 2009. (Public domain)

The Skeptics Bombing Run of “Baseless” Second Sphinx Claims

In navy phrases: Dr. Zahi Hawass was first to interact with the “bogie” (Abdel Halim) who courageously survived the primary canine combat. Nonetheless, over the horizon, a conceptual Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber would convey shock and awe to the extraordinary claims of Halim.

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The bomber got here within the type of Professor Mohammed Hamza, the previous dean of the college of archeology at Cairo College. Placing the story to mattress, Dr. Hamza instructed Al-Monitor that “any discuss in regards to the discovery of a brand new Sphinx is totally baseless.” Does that imply that this newest second sphinx declare is simply one other archaeological hoax?

It’s maybe price noting that on the alleged website of the second sphinx one other statue was found prior to now. Nonetheless, Dr. Halim mentioned it has “nothing to do with the unique Sphinx.” Moreover, if in case you have been studying Historical Origins information over the past two years you’ll perceive that maybe the best truth refuting the second sphinx declare is that information of such a discovery would have been all around the information. The Egyptian Antiquities Authority by no means fails to show even the smallest discoveries right into a story, by no means thoughts a second sphinx!

Prime picture: The Nice Sphinx of Giza. Claims of a second sphinx are inflicting a stir in Egyptological circles. Supply: Anton / Adobe Inventory

By Ashley Cowie