The Great Sphinx of Giza is the world`s oldest monumental sculpture and the most famous guardian in human history. This colossal creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man wearing the royal nemes headdress was carved from a single ridge of limestone left on the Giza plateau after quarrying stone for the Pyramid of Khufu. Most Egyptologists agree that its face is a portrait of Pharaoh Khafre (Chephren), whose pyramid is located directly behind it, forming a unified architectural and religious ensemble.
The purpose of the Sphinx was twofold: it was the guardian of the Giza necropolis and the embodiment of the pharaoh himself in the form of the lion-god Horemakhet ("Horus on the Horizon"), a powerful solar deity linking celestial and earthly power.
According to this prevailing theory, the Sphinx was built during the reign of Khafre, around 2500 BC, making it a contemporary of the pyramids. Its deep religious symbolism connected the pharaoh with the forces of nature and the afterlife, affirming his divine status for eternity.
The Great Sphinx in Numbers: The Scale of the Monument
The dimensions of the Sphinx are astounding even in our age of skyscrapers. The untrained eye often fails to grasp its true scale, as its lower body was buried under sand for centuries.
• Length: 73 meters (the length of a football field).
• Height: 20 meters (the height of a 6-story building).
• Width of the Face: 4.1 meters.
• Height of an Ear: 1.4 meters.
• Length of the Nose (before damage): about 1.7 meters.
Construction: The sculpture is not freestanding. It is a monolith, a natural limestone outcrop that ancient craftsmen shaped. Some missing parts—the paws, the king`s beard—were added from stone blocks. The famous royal beard (fragments of which are held in the British Museum and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo) was attached later, during the New Kingdom period.
The Sphinx Temple: Where Pharaoh and God Meet
At the very paws of the Sphinx lie the ruins of two unique temples that form a single complex with it.
The Sphinx Temple (Lower Temple): Located directly in front of its chest. This structure, built from enormous limestone blocks, was constructed simultaneously with the Sphinx. At its center was an open courtyard surrounded by 24 columns—perhaps symbolizing the hours of the day. Here, rituals dedicated to the cult of Horemakhet and the deified pharaoh were performed.
The Valley Temple (Upper Temple) of Khafre: Connected to Khafre`s pyramid by a 600-meter-long covered causeway. It was in this temple, built from granite and alabaster, that the first funerary rites for the pharaoh were performed. The famous diorite statues of Khafre originate from here.
These temples, together with the Sphinx and the pyramid, formed a grand "transformation route." Along this path, the soul of the deceased pharaoh, after undergoing rites in the Valley Temple, passed the Sphinx—its stone guardian and embodiment—and ascended towards the pyramid for reunification with the sun.
Five Major Mysteries of the Sphinx
It is precisely these mysteries that make the Sphinx an object of not only scientific but also global cultural myth.
The Mystery of Age: Is the Sphinx Older Than the Pyramids? Some researchers (R. Schoch, J.A. West) point to vertical erosion on the walls of the Sphinx enclosure, characteristic of prolonged exposure to rainwater. In Egypt`s desert climate, such heavy rains last occurred around 7000–5000 BC. If true, the Sphinx could be thousands of years older than dynastic Egypt. Official Egyptology explains this erosion as the effect of groundwater or wind.
The Mystery of the Face: Whose Features? Despite the widely accepted attribution to Khafre, some see greater resemblance in the facial features to his older brother Djedefre or even to a representative of a more ancient, unknown civilization. Damage, millennia of weathering, and later restorations complicate precise analysis.
The Mystery of the Nose: Who Broke It Off and When? The popular legend of Napoleon`s soldiers shooting it off is a myth. Drawings by the Danish explorer Norden from 1737 already show the Sphinx without a nose. It was most likely intentionally broken off in the medieval period due to religious fanaticism (according to the Arab historian al-Maqrizi, the Sufi sheikh Sa`im al-Dahr was executed for this in 1378 AD).
The Mystery of Hidden Chambers: What Lies Beneath the Paws? Ground-penetrating radar surveys have repeatedly indicated anomalies and possible cavities beneath and around the Sphinx. Legends of a "Hall of Records" hidden beneath its paw fuel the minds of conspiracy theorists. No scientifically confirmed large chambers have been discovered yet.
The Mystery of the Name: Where Did "Sphinx" Come From? The Egyptians themselves called it "Shesep-ankh" ("Living Image") or "Horemakhet". The Greek word "Sphinx" ("Strangler") was given millennia later by analogy with the mythical winged monster. Its true ancient name and the associated rituals are not fully known.
The Great Sphinx is not merely an addition to the pyramids. It is an independent wonder of the world, a keeper of secrets that, unlike its "neighbors," continues to gaze upon the world with enigmatic eyes. It has been silent for 45 centuries, and it is this silence that makes it the greatest and most intriguing monument on Earth.
