What it isما هو
The Sphinx is roughly 73 metres long and 20 metres high, cut directly from the limestone bedrock of the Giza plateau rather than built from blocks. Mainstream Egyptology attributes it to the reign of Khafre, around 2500 BC, and it faces due east towards the sunrise, with the remains of a Valley Temple directly in front of it.
It spent most of antiquity buried to the shoulders in sand — which is why the head is weathered so differently from the body, and why it survived at all. Thutmose IV, a New Kingdom pharaoh, cleared it and set up the Dream Stele between its paws, recording that the Sphinx promised him the throne if he freed it from the sand.
The nose, and the other questionsالأنف والأسئلة الأخرى
| The missing nose | Not Napoleon's troops — it was already gone centuries before, and a 15th-century account attributes its destruction to a religious iconoclast. |
|---|---|
| The beard | Fragments of a ceremonial beard exist, split between the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and the British Museum. It was probably a later addition. |
| Colour | Traces of red pigment survive on the face. It was once painted. |
| Age controversies | Claims of a far older Sphinx based on water erosion are not accepted by mainstream Egyptology, which dates it to the Fourth Dynasty on archaeological and contextual grounds. |
| Hidden chambers | Surveys have found cavities in and around the bedrock; nothing resembling the chambers of popular speculation has been documented. |
Seeing itكيف تزوره
The Sphinx sits at the lower, eastern end of the plateau, near the Sphinx gate entrance, with the Valley Temple of Khafre beside it — a stark granite-pillared building worth ten minutes in its own right. Access is from a viewing terrace; you cannot walk up to the paws.
Best light is late afternoon, with the pyramids behind it. Arriving at the Sphinx gate lets you finish at the Sphinx after walking down from the pyramids, which is the better order. The evening Sound and Light show is staged here and is pure theatre — enjoyable if you take it in that spirit.
Common questionsأسئلة شائعة
Who broke the Sphinx's nose?
Not Napoleon's army — the nose was already missing long before. A 15th-century account attributes the damage to a religious iconoclast who objected to offerings being made at the monument.
How old is the Great Sphinx?
Mainstream Egyptology dates it to the reign of Khafre, around 2500 BC, on archaeological and contextual grounds. Alternative older datings based on weathering patterns are not accepted by the field.
Can you walk up to the Sphinx?
No. Visitors view it from a terrace in the enclosure; approaching the paws is not permitted. The Valley Temple alongside is accessible.
What is the Dream Stele?
A granite slab placed between the Sphinx's paws by Thutmose IV, recording a dream in which the Sphinx asked to be freed from the sand and promised him the kingship in return.