Great Sphinx of Giza
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The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. Facing directly from west to east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx appears to represent the pharaoh Khafre. The original shape of the Sphinx was cut from the bedrock, and has since been restored with layers of limestone blocks. It measures 73 m (240 ft) long from paw to tail, 20 m (66 ft) high from the base to the top of the head and 19 m (62 ft) wide at its rear haunches.
Natural rock formation at Farafra, Egypt
The New Kingdom Dream Stele between the paws of the Sphinx.
The Great Sphinx partially excavated, ca. 1878
Sphinx
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A sphinx is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle.
The Great Sphinx of Giza, with the Great Pyramid in the background
A lion-headed goddess is a lion-goddess in human form, while a royal sphinx, conversely, is a man who has assumed the form of a lion. Henry Fischer
La Granja, Spain, mid-18th century