THE GREAT SPHINX

The Sphinx is a historic enigma that has captured the imagination of millions throughout the ages and has sparked countless of theories on his history and what he represents. Lying at the edge of the Giza Plateau with his stony stare, the Sphinx has stood watch for over 4 millennia.

Sphinx with the Pyramid of Khafre

HISTORY

I have read countless of articles and research papers and watched hours of documentaries on the Sphinx each one presenting interesting geological and archaeological theories concerning the age of the statue and which of the pharaohs he represents. Unlike other monuments from Ancient Egypt, the Sphinx does not contain identifying inscriptions nor are there carvings on nearby temples and tombs about the construction of the statue. 

It should be noted that the word Sphinx is not Egyptian - it is of Greek origin referencing the mythological creature with the head of a woman, body of a lion, and wings of an eagle. Also, the Sphinx at Giza is just one of the many sphinxes found throughout the historical sites in Egypt. Some sphinxes have the head of a man wearing the nemes, royal headdress, while others have the head of a ram, associating with the god Amun. Furthermore, there are sphinxes that were sculpted with the image of Queen Hatshepsut. 

Ram headed sphinxes at Karnak Temple

The Sphinx is the largest monolithic statue in the world and it is located at the eastern edge of the Giza Plateau. It lies in a quarry which the Ancient Egyptians mined to obtain limestone blocks for building projects around the plateau. The Sphinx itself is carved from one piece of stone, not built block by block like the pyramids, and contains pigment residue which indicates that the statue was painted in vibrant colors during ancient times. Similar to other monuments constructed in Ancient Egypt, the Sphinx is accompanied by temples - one built in the Old Kingdom and the second during the New Kingdom - and several smaller structures. Also, there are three passages into or under it with one of the three being the Tomb of Osiris discovered 95 feet underground behind the Sphinx. 

Between the paws of the Sphinx, one finds the Dream Stele of Thutmose IV, pharaoh during the 18th dynasty. These tablets, carved of pink granite, tell the story of how Thutmose became a pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. The story explains how the Sphinx spoke to Thutmose in a dream asking the prince to remove the sands that had buried its body through the years and in return, the Sphinx will make Thutmose a Pharaoh. Thutmose did uncover the Sphinx and eventually became king. 

Sphinx with the Dream Stele (noted by arrow)

HOW OLD?

While it is generally accepted amongst most scholars that the Sphinx was constructed during the 4th dynasty of the Old Kingdom, there are those that believe the statue predates the Ancient Egyptian civilization. Some geologists believe the Sphinx is much older when taking into account factors such as the type of fossils comprising the limestone and erosion patterns on the statue. Those that argue in favor of a 4th dynasty time frame state that the stones used for Khafre’s pyramid are the same as the one that constitutes the Sphinx plus the technical skills applied to the construction of the Sphinx mirrors the skills seen in statues from that period. 

WHICH PHARAOH?

This is another question as old as time, who does the Sphinx represent? Some scholars theorize that the Sphinx represents the Pharaoh Khafre while others believe the statue was built to honor his father, the Pharaoh Khufu. Those who say Khafre cite reasons such as the location of his pyramid and valley temple in relation to the statue and the facial similarities when one compares statues of the pharaoh to the Sphinx’s face. Yet, some believe that the Sphinx bares a stronger resemblance to Khufu and that the monument was built by the Pharaoh Djedefre as an honor to his father. 

FAST FACTS

Body:  Height - 66 ft; Length - 240 ft, Width - 63 is ft

Parts of the uraeus (sacred cobra), the nose, and ritual beard are missing as well as the eyes.  

The Sphinx lies facing east.

Towards the left of the picture, you can see the tail of the Sphinx.

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VISITING THE SPHINX 

The Sphinx lies at the eastern boundary of the Pyramid complex in the shadows of Khafre’s pyramid. To visit the Sphinx, you need to purchase the ticket that provides admission to the complex. During your visit, you will first walk past a market with several vendors then enter one of the temples. The walk through the temple is very short and soon you are standing before the Sphinx. On my first visit, the crowds were few which provided the opportunity to take plenty of pictures and to enjoy the view of the Sphinx and Pyramids. Unfortunately, in my recent visit, the crowds felt like what one experiences when exiting an arena after a sporting event. As we approached the Sphinx, there was barely room to walk and I had a tough time taking decent pictures of the statue because of the crazy amount of people. Egypt needs to implement crowd control by limiting how many people are inside the Sphinx complex at any given time because it is definitely not an enjoyable visit when you are squeezing your way through a horde of tourists in an attempt to capture a picture. 

NOTE  For those not interested in purchasing a ticket to the Pyramid complex or do not wish to hassle with large crowds, there are several locations outside the complex that provide a good view of the Sphinx. Also, adjacent to the complex are two restaurants that have a second floor with wonderful views of the Pyramids and Sphinx. 

Picture taken inside the bus driving towards the entrance.