Great Sphinx of Giza

The Great Sphinx guards the Pyramid of Khafre. © Peter Brubacher.
See these photos and many more in our Giza Photo Gallery.

Side view of the mysterious Sphinx. Photo Abdullah Mohiuddin.

Great Sphinx and Great Pyramid of Giza. Photo Paul James Cowie.

Rear view of the Great Sphinx. Photo © Irma.

The damaged but still regal face of the Sphinx. Photo © Richard Beck.

Could the Sphinx have been weathered by water? Photo moogdroog.

Great paws of the Great Sphinx of Giza. Photo Angela Rutherford.

Location map and aerial view of Great Sphinx of Giza. For a larger interactive view, see our Giza Map.

The Great Sphinx is a colossal stone statue located next to the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Carved out of limestone, the Sphinx has the facial features of a man and the body of a recumbent lion; it is approximately 240 feet (73 m) long and 66 feet (20 m) high.

History

The Sphinx was built in about 2530 BC by the pharaoh Khafre (4th king of Fourth dynasty, c. 2575–c. 2465 BC), the builder and occupant of the second Giza pyramid. The sphinx's face is a portrait of the king and the sphinx continued to be a royal portrait type through most of Egyptian history.

The Sphinx is thought to be primarily a guardian figure, protecting the tomb of the Khafre by warding off evil spirits. Arabs know the Sphinx of Giza by the name of Abu al-Hawl, or "Father of Terror."

The Sphinx's face was mainly damaged during French occupation around 1800, when Mameluke troops used it for target practice for their field cannons, but its body has been weathered by the elements for thousands of years (more on this below).

Myth & Mystery

A number of mysteries surround the Great Sphinx, perhaps even more than the pyramids. First, it is not known why the builders chose such heavy blocks to chip off the Sphinx for the temple or how they moved them to build the temple.

Second, the Sphinx was widely believed to have been an oracle. Between its paws is a 15th-century BC stone tablet recounting a vision given to a prince who slept in the shadow of the Sphinx (and perhaps sought its divine aid) and later became a pharaoh through its intercession.

Weathered by Water?

But the most interesting mysteries of the Sphinx (or at least those producing the most provocative theories) have to do with how it came to be weathered. The most obvious answer is that it was by millenia of desert winds.

But when geologist Robert Schoch and Egyptologist John Anthony West examined it in 1990, Schloch concluded it had been weathered by rainfall, not by wind and sand. If that's true, its date of construction might be closer to 7000 BC.

Similarly, when the maverick Egyptologist R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz visited Giza in the 1930s, he immediately declared that the Sphinx had been weathered by water, not by wind. But instead of suggesting rainfall, Schwaller proposed that the Sphinx had been worn by seawater and that its origins lay in the ocean.

Connections with Atlantis?

Schwaller also suggested that the Sphinx was far older than its accepted date of about 2500 BC. The current date for the beginnings of Egyptian civilization is about 3000 BC, which means that the Egyptians developed their sophisticated science, mathematics and building skills in a mere 500 years. He proposed that Egyptian knowledge was not a new development, but a legacy from a far older civilization, possibly Plato's Lost City of Atlantis.

Quick Facts

Site Information
Names:	Great Sphinx of Giza
Location:	Giza, Egypt
Faiths:	Original/Primary: Ancient Egyptian Current/Secondary: New Age
Category:	Colossal Statue; World Heritage Sites
Architecture:	Egyptian
Date:	2530 BC
Patron(s):	Pharaoh Khafre
Size:	Length: 240 feet (73 m) Height: 66 feet (20 m)
Status:	ruins
Photo gallery:	Great Sphinx of Giza Photo Gallery
Visitor Information
Address:	Giza Necropolis, Cairo, Egypt
Coordinates:	29.975271° N, 31.137453° E (view on Google Maps)
Lodging:	View hotels near this location
Opening hours:	Daily 8am-4pm
Cost:	£E20; additional £E10 to use a camera (no video recorders)

Note: This information was accurate when published and we do our best to keep it updated, but details such as opening hours can change without notice. To avoid disappointment, please check with the site directly before making a special trip.

Travel Resources

Giza Map - our detailed interactive map of Giza, plus hand-picked links to more
Giza Hotels - check availability, maps, photos and reviews, and book at the guaranteed lowest price
Giza Guided Tours - sightseeing tours and activities in Giza

Article Sources

Article written by Holly Hayes with reference to the following sources:

Norbert C. Brockman, Encyclopedia of Sacred Places (1997), 231-32.
Colin Wilson, Atlas Of Holy Places and Sacred Sites (1996).
"sphinx" - Encyclopedia Britannica

More Information

Reviews of the Great Sphinx - TripAdvisor traveler reviews
Guided Tours and Events at the Pyramids and Sphinx - Viator
Mark Lehner, "Computer Rebuilds the Ancient Sphinx," National Geographic 179:4, 32-39 (April 1991).

Last updated on July 30, 2010.