ROMANIA

The Romanian Sphinx, Bucegi Mountains, Romania.

February 23rd, 2013 |

The Bucegi Mountains are located in central Romania, south of the city Brasov and they are part of the Southern Carpathians group of the Carpathian Mountains.To the east, the Bucegi Mountains have a very steep slope towards the popular tourist destination Prahova Valley . At a higher elevation is the Bucegi Plateau, where wind and rain have turned the rocks into spectacular figures such as the Sphinx and Babele.The Bucegi is believed to be the Dacian holy mountain Kogainon, on which the God Zalmoxis resided in a cave.The legendary Sphinx of the Bucegi Mountains is a rock shaped by wind and other natural phenomenon as man’s head.It is considered to represent a spiritually powerful place and a symbol of the spirit of the Dacians, ancestors of the Romanian people.

A Sphinx is a mythological figure, resembling a lion with a human head. The Sphinx in the Bucegi Mountains formed through aeolian erosion, over a long period of time. The first picture of this megalith dates back to 1900, but only in 1935 professor Alexandru Badaută called it a sphinx.The rocks from which the Sphinx is made formed during The Cretaceous, about 90-96 millions of years ago, and the erosion process took place after the Bucegi Mountains started to raise, about 10.000 years ago. Situated at an altitude of 2.216 meters, the easiest way to get there is by a 15 minutes ride with the gondola lift.Many theories have weaved around the origin of the Sphinx. Some say that it is man made, others that they send out positive energy. Despite these theories, geologists say without a shadow of a doubt that the Sphinx was created due to wind and water erosion and through its shape it resembles an artistic sculpture.

Sources: Cristi Moise

Posted in Tourist in Romania (english), Unic In lume

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