Egypt knocks years off the Sphinx

CAIRO (AP) - Egypt will today mark the restoration of the famous Sphinx with a ceremony attended by President Hosni Mubarak. An orchestra will play and a light show will show off the work.

After a 10-year renovation project, the ancient Egyptian symbol of royalty is "smiling again", said Zahi Hawas, chief government archaeologist for the Sphinx and the great pyramids.

Mr Hawas said yesterday that the "first successful all-Egyptian renovation project" had placed 12,244 white limestone blocks - some weighing up to 1,320lb - along his paws, legs and stomach to shore up the crumbling limestone.

"The Sphinx is smiling again because he is a healthy man," Mr Hawas said. But the restoration of the Sphinx, which is believed to portray the face of its builder, Pharaoh Chephren, has not involved returning all the missing parts. It is still lacking its beard, parts of which are in the British and Egyptian museums, and the nose, which was lost in the 14th century.

When the renovation began, flakes had been falling for years from the sculpture's badly worn and pitted chest. Blocks weighing hundreds of pounds had tumbled from the body. While some of the damage was due to 4,500 years of wear, much of it was blamed on water damage from nearby drainage systems.

Mr Hawas said that while the renovation had been successful, "we have to monitor it constantly" to make sure the massive sculpture doesn't suffer more damage. The Sphinx deserves special care as a witness to mankind's history, Mr Hawas said. "It is in the heart of every Egyptian, and everyone in the world."