Egyptian Sphinx on the Neva Embankment

There are 12 sphinx statues in Saint Petersburg. The most famous are two ancient Egyptian sphinxes that are located on the University Embankment in front of the Academy of Arts. They are really Egyptian and some 3500 years ago could be found standing on the Alley of Sphinxes in front of the tomb of Pharaoh Amenhotep III.

The sphinxes discovered by French archaeologist were supposed to decorate the shores of Seine in Paris but in the end were sent to Russian emperor Nicholas I straight from Alexandria.

#sphinx #egypt #russia #statue #wisdom