meet the sphinx

The Sphinx.

Who built the Sphinx? The most compelling evidence that the Sphinx was built for the Egyptian Pharaoh Khafre during his reign (2520-2494 BC) is in the architecture, geology, and archaeology of the Sphinx and its related monuments.

The Great Sphinx is a stone monument built about 4000 years ago, in ancient times. It is located on the Giza Plateau in Egypt, where it guards the front of Khafre’s pyramid. It was carved out of limestone with a human face on a lion's body.

The Sphinx looks onto a temple built directly east of the statue. The alignment of the Sphinx Temple probably indicates sun worship.  The ancient Egyptians were sun worshipers. The ancient Egyptian word for sphinx means the "living image of Atum". Atum is the creator god and the setting sun. So the Sphinx was probably built to honor the Egyptian sun god, Ra.

Some archaeologists believe the Sphinx is part of a set of monuments built to create a very special place of worship. These monuments include the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx, the Causeway, and the Valley Temple, all of which can be found on the Giza Plateau.