Beardless in Giza

For most of its 4,500 years, the Great Sphinx stood guard over the pyramids of Giza from behind a 14-ft. limestone beard. Now, centuries after unknown forces gave the enigmatic monument a shave, some Egyptian authorities want to restore the Sphinx to its former hirsute splendor. Their interest is more than cosmetic. Because the neck of the 66-ft-high statue has been badly eroded by centuries of exposure to the elements, even a moderate earth tremor could send the entire 965-ton head rolling off. Says Culture Minister Mohammed Radwan: "The only acceptable way to avoid further deterioration and to support the head is to replace the beard."

Only 15% of the original beard is known to exist. Most of that is in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, but a 31 -in.-long fragment sits in a back room at the British Museum in London. The Egyptians want the missing link reinstated. The British have agreed to loan them the fragment, but only on condition that it be returned to London within ten years and that it not be reincorporated into the monument. Fearing that Anglo-Egyptian relations may prove as hard to restore as pharaonic constructions, the Egyptians have hit upon a Solomonic solution: while negotiations continue, a temporary beard made of lightweight material will be installed to determine whether the public, and the Sphinx, can grow accustomed to a new look.