The Great Sphinx of Giza is missing its nose because it was deliberately chiselled off in the medieval period, not blown off by Napoleon’s cannons as the popular myth claims.

The main theory

Most Egyptologists point to a religiously motivated attack in the late 14th or possibly 9th century CE.

  • Medieval Islamic sources and modern historians describe a zealot named Muhammad Saʿim al-Dahr who damaged the Sphinx because locals were treating it as an object of worship, striking the nose to prove it was only stone.
  • Archaeological examination shows tool marks where chisels were driven into the stone and the nose pried off, indicating deliberate defacement rather than natural erosion.

Why it wasn’t Napoleon

The viral story that Napoleon’s troops used the Sphinx for target practice is historically wrong.

  • Detailed drawings by Danish explorer Frederic Louis Norden from 1737 already show the Sphinx without a nose, decades before Napoleon reached Egypt in 1798.
  • Battle records also place Napoleon’s major engagement at Imbabah, about 10 miles from Giza, making cannon-fire at the Sphinx highly unlikely.

Other ideas and why they’re unlikely

Over time, several alternative explanations have circulated.

  • Some legends blame random conquering armies or an angry ruler, while others suggest Mamluk soldiers used it for target practice, but these lack direct evidence.
  • Natural erosion and sandstorms have badly worn the Sphinx, yet experts agree the clean break and visible chisel scars on the face do not match slow-weathering damage.

What experts agree on

Even though the exact identity of the vandals is debated, the core points are widely accepted.

  • The nose was intentionally removed using tools, sometime in the centuries after antiquity, and the 1‑meter-wide piece has never been found.
  • The missing nose has since become part of the Sphinx’s iconic look, feeding ongoing forum discussions, “Mandela effect” claims, and trending history debates online.

Quick Scoop TL;DR

  • The nose was deliberately chiseled off, not lost to erosion.
  • The Napoleon cannonball story is a myth disproved by 18th‑century sketches.
  • The leading view blames a religious zealot attacking the statue as a “pagan” idol in the medieval era.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.