New Sphinx FOUND? Historians ‘discover mythical creature sculpture’ in Egypt’s desert

The discovery was made by Gerry Cannon during his research in the country’s Western Desert, west of Faiyum, as he was heading towards the Baharian Oasis.

Mr Cannon, who was travelling with his friend and driver Abdul at the reported time of discovery, declined to reveal the exact location of the find for security reasons.

Mr Cannon told Express.co.uk: “We suddenly passed an unusual sight of a huge figure that seemed to be carved on a large mound.

“According to our vehicles tire tracks it didn’t seem as though any other vehicle had been there. Apparently, no one else had ever documented it.

“On closer inspection and to our astonishment the figure certainly resembled the Giza Plateau’s Sphinx.

“The eroded figure looked as though it had two paws and a long flat topped body. 

“According to Abdul’s compass its face faced east, just like the Sphinx.”

While the figure has clearly been eroded over time, there appears to be two paws below the figure’s face on the left and also what appears to be a headdress.

Malcom Hutton, Mr Cannon’s co-author of the forthcoming book ‘The Giza Plateau Secrets and a Second Sphinx Revealed’, said the famous Giza Sphinx and the one recently discovered bore remarkable similarities.

Mr Hutton said: “The new Sphinx has the typical long back of the Giza Sphinx and of the same length and same proportions and a head at one end looking as does the other, towards the rising sun in the east.

“We could easily dismiss this as being something quite natural formed by many thousands of years of hurricane blasting sand erosion if it weren’t for the double paws placed in exactly the same position just where they should be below and to the forefront of the mystical head which soars above the desert floor.

“It would have been visible to travellers making their way to the Nile from a great distance despite the high forest tops that filled each valley in an epoch when all of north Africa flourished with green and life of every species.”

Mr Hutton added: “There is another sacred site much closer to this new discovery in Faiyum which became established some 93 kilometres south west of Cairo.

“It not only had its own pyramids albeit very primitive compare with the great ones but it also boasted a huge irrigated lake and another underground city, the labyrinth of Hawara.

“We just cannot say or know how ancient this site may have been.”

Measurements taken by Mr Hutton reveal that both figures were of a similar size.

Mr Hutton also believes that, similar to the Giza Sphinx, the newly-discovered Sphinx there could be a pyramid behind the figure that has become buried in the sand over time.