Philadelphia

Penn Museum's Massive Sphinx Makes Monumental Move

The sphinx, which resided in the museum's Lower Egypt Gallery since 1926, had been in hiding as the gallery closed for renovations in 2018

The Penn Museum is moving its 25,000-pound, more than 3,000-year-old sphinx to another location.

The Penn Museum's hulking 25,000-pound, more-than-3,000-year-old sphinx is on its way out a window and through a courtyard as it makes its way to its new resting place.

The unofficial museum mascot and largest Egyptian Sphinx in the western hemisphere had been hidden away from the public since last year, but on Wednesday, people were able to gaze upon it as it saw natural daylight for the first time in nearly a century.

Using custom-built scaffolding and air dollies that are similar to hoverboards, engineers are moving the sphinx out a second-floor window, through a courtyard and back inside through a window on the other side, a Penn Museum spokesperson said.

The sphinx, which resided in the museum's Lower Egypt Gallery since 1926, had been in hiding as the gallery closed for renovations in 2018.

Now it will greet visitors in the museum's redesigned Main Entrance Hall.

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