In Greek mythology, the Sphinx was said to be a temple guardian, asking passersby some of the most famous riddles in history. Today, the Great Sphinx of Giza stands as an enigmatic monument that continues to mystify tourists. But now, Philips has created state-of-the art light technology to shed new light on this ancient mystery.

For more than three decades, the Great Sphinx has been illuminated by floodlights with colored filters, switched and dimmed in sync with a recorded narrative. Philips recently gave the human headed beast a facelift, so to speak, with modernized halide lighting.

The monument has been equipped with three lighting circuits, loaded with energy-saving halide PAR 64 floodlight lamps. They provide what Philips calls dramatic Accent Lighting; the lamps are angled so that the shadow patterns they create reveal the texture of the stonework. While the floodlights are more powerful than their predecessors, they are also smaller and less conspicuous, adding to the mystery of the Sphinx by adding glow from hidden sources.

Also, an Argon laser system now projects partly-animated images onto the sides of the adjacent pyramids including historical portraits, hieroglyphics, cartouches, and scenes of the construction of the monuments.

Complimenting the new lights, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities has also updated the sound technology at the Great Sphinx with the hopes that visitors will feel transported to the mystical world the monument evokes by spatial sound and lights.