Zahi Hawass Receives Ruud Gullit before Sphinx

Renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass received famous football star Ruud Gullit before Sphinx, alongside Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, the minister of Youth and Sports, and Ahmed Hossam.

Hawass told Gullit: “The statue of the Sphinx belongs to King Khafre, the founder of the second pyramid.

He added that those allegations that claim the existence of a lost city under the Sphinx are baseless and don’t have any scientific evidence.

Dr. Hawass added that there are photos of the excavation that was made, which shows that the Great Sphinx is a deaf rock, with no paths below.

The famed archaeologist added that the most important discovery in the 21st century is the discovery of the Wadi al-Jarf Papyrus, which unveils many secrets about the construction of the Khufu pyramid.

He noted the archaeological discoveries carried out by the Ministry of Antiquities greatly promote Egyptian tourism in all countries of the world.

Hawass confirmed that there are three tunnels around the Sphinx, the first of which, exists above the back of the statue and was discovered in 1937 by the French engineer Bering who was searching for treasures inside the body of the statue.

While the second tunnel was found at the north side of the statue before it was drowned by French Egyptologist Gupino. It was believed that the tunnel was full of treasures and monuments.

The third tunnel exists behind “The Dream Portrait” and was discovered by the Italian adventurer Kavliain in the early 19th century when he was digging under the chest of Sphinx.

Contributed by: Rana Atef