Great Sphinx of Giza

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a monumental limestone statue of a recumbent lion with a human head, carved from the bedrock of the Giza Plateau at Al Haram, Giza, Egypt. It measures about 73 metres long and 20 metres high and is generally attributed to the Fourth Dynasty reign of Khafre, around 2500 BCE, with the face thought to represent the pharaoh. It sits at the eastern edge of the plateau beside the Valley Temple of Khafre, facing the rising sun. Visitors approach from the plateau road or the Sphinx Terrace and view the statue from a raised platform of paving in front of the paws, as entry to the monument itself is not permitted. From the terrace visitors can see the lion body weathered by wind and sand, the missing nose, the traces of paint on the head and the Dream Stele between the front paws, while the Valley Temple, with its massive granite pillars, stands to the side and can be viewed from the same area. The best photographs are taken from the terrace in the morning, when the sun lights the face, and from the walkway toward the Valley Temple, which frames the Sphinx with the Great Pyramid behind. A viewing spot from the south gives the classic composition of the Sphinx with the pyramid of Khafre rising directly behind its head. Typical visits last 30 to 60 minutes. Crowds are heaviest from mid-morning to early afternoon, when tour groups queue for the photograph at the terrace, and the early opening hour or the final hour before closing gives more room. The site has little shade, and the heat from the paved terrace in summer is considerable. There is no separate Sphinx ticket; the terrace and the viewing area are covered by the general Giza Plateau ticket of about EGP 700 (~$14). Souvenir sellers and people offering photo services operate nearby, and a firm refusal is usually enough.