Egyptian officials said on Sunday, that the courtyard in front of sphinx, which has been under renovation for four years, will soon be open to tourists. Carved from a single ridge of stone, the Sphinx is one of the most visited monuments in the world, and has been regularly restored from air pollution and underground water damage.
The limestone half-man half-lion sits in a quarry below the level of the plateau where the pyramids of Giza stand on the outskirts of Cairo.
"The Sphinx courtyard will be opened for the first time since the restoration" of the monument, Antiquities Minister Mohammed al-Damati told reporters on a tour of the site.
However, a date for the opening has not yet been set, said Mohammed al-Saidi who supervised the restoration.
This mainly involved replacing some slabs on the left side of the statue "where there were cracks", and refurbishing the chest and neck of the monument with a new coating to prevent further erosion, Saidi said.
"Once the courtyard is opened, tourists can walk around the Sphinx," he said.
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Damati said a small temple built next to the Sphinx by pharaoh Amenhotep II of the 18th dynasty will also be opened to the public for the first time.
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Source-Medindia