Closed petition Return the Sphinx beard to Egypt

Closed on 17 January 2014

The Great Sphinx at Giza is in danger of losing more than its shoulder (Cairo Journal, March 2). The 4,600-year-old monument originally had a stone paranoiac beard, which buttressed its somewhat unstable head. In antiquity, the beard fell off, and was later carted away to the British Museum. It's in the basement, but they don't have the room to display it.
Egyptian conservationists have requested the return of the beard but the British museum would only agree to this if Egypt exchanged the beard which, is part of their culture and heritage, for other artifacts and treasures from ancient Egypt.
The beard should be returned to Egypt, so that it can be reattached to provide the necessary structural support for the head of the Sphinx. If the head were to collapse, it would likely fall on the memorial stela between the front paws of the Sphinx and cause irreparable damage, not only to the head, but also to the stela.