Khaberni - Dr. Magdy Shaker, the senior archaeologist at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, stated that there is no such thing as "the Second Sphinx," denying the claims circulated regarding the "Sphinx's Twin". He described these assertions as "unscientific fantasies" following reports about an Italian research team alleging the discovery of a massive structure buried beneath the sands matching the architecture of the famous statue.
Dr. Magdy Shaker clarified in media statements that the origin of the story goes back to the "Dream Stele", which was placed by King Thutmose IV between the Sphinx’s paws, intending to legitimatize his rule due to him being from a secondary wife, noting that the archaeological narrative mentions his claim of the Sphinx visiting him in a dream and promising him the throne in exchange for clearing the sands away from it.
He added that the Dream Stele shows the king offering sacrifices to the Sphinx on the left and right, fulfilling the principle of symmetry in ancient Egyptian art, which led some to believe in the existence of two statues, one eastern and the other western. However, he confirmed that field reality did not record any evidence supporting this assumption.
Shaker emphasized that what some interpret as a buried structure is merely natural rock formations that may resemble the statue from some angles, asserting that the Egyptian state could not possibly conceal an archaeological discovery of this magnitude if it existed, describing the whole matter as mere fantasies.
The debate about the "Sphinx's Twin" claims goes back to an unfielded hypothesis proposed by Italian researcher Filippo Biundi, who claimed in it to detect seismic vibrations indicating the presence of a massive structure under the sand measuring 180 feet tall, based on satellite technology and the interpretation of the "Dream Stele", as reported by the Daily Mail. He also claimed that his team pinpointed the location through geometric lines from the Pyramid of Khafre, referring to an alleged symmetry with pathways and columns beneath the current Sphinx.
