Sphinx (Romania)

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Sphinx from Bucegi

The Sphinx (Romanian: Sfinxul) is a natural rock formation in the Bucegi Natural Park which is in the Bucegi Mountains of Romania. It is located at an altitude of 2,216 metres (7,270 ft), a 10-minute walk from the Babele.

The first photo of the Great Bucegi Sphinx was probably taken in about the year 1900. This photograph was taken from a front position, not from a lateral one, as it usually appears in pictures nowadays. It only acquired its nickname, referring to the Great Sphinx of Giza, in the year 1936. The image of the sphinx appeared when the rock, having an 8 m height and a 12 m width, was watched from a certain angle. The megalith has its clearest outline on 21 November, at the time the sun goes down.

In Romanian film

The Sphinx features in the 1967 film The Dacians, in which it is a place of sacrifice to the god Zalmoxis. It also plays a significant role in the 1980 film Burebista, in which it is equated with the eponymous ancient Dacian king and the eternity of Romanian identity.