The Great Sphinx of Giza is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt, the largest single-stone statue ever carved, and one of the most recognised images on earth. It is a limestone lion with a human face, 73 metres from paw to tail and 20 metres tall at the head, carved from a single ridge of natural bedrock on the east edge of the Giza Plateau. Mainstream Egyptology dates it to roughly 2500 BCE during the reign of Pharaoh Khafre, whose pyramid and Valley Temple sit directly behind and beside it. The Sphinx faces due east toward the rising sun and is widely believed to bear Khafre’s portrait on the face. Most visitors see the Sphinx as part of a Cairo Pyramids, Saqqara and Memphis day tour that pairs the Sphinx with the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Khafre pyramid, and a stop at the Grand Egyptian Museum two kilometres east.
The Great Sphinx was carved by quarrying out a horseshoe-shaped enclosure in the natural limestone bedrock of the Giza Plateau, leaving a single massive ridge of stone in the middle that became the lion’s body. The blocks removed from the enclosure were used to build the Sphinx Temple at the statue’s paws and the Valley Temple of Khafre immediately to the south. The construction dates to roughly 2500 BCE during the Fourth Dynasty reign of Khafre, the son of Khufu.
The traditional attribution to Khafre rests on several lines of evidence. The Sphinx faces east along Khafre’s causeway and is integrated architecturally into the Khafre funerary complex. The Sphinx Temple shares its construction technique and stone-cutting style with the contemporary Valley Temple. The proportions of the face also match a famous diorite statue of Khafre found in the Valley Temple, now housed in the Egyptian Museum at Tahrir Square.
A minority view, championed in the 20th century by Egyptologist Vassil Dobrev, proposes that the Sphinx was carved by Khafre’s older brother Djedefre and represents Khufu. A separate fringe view based on water-erosion patterns argues for a far older date, somewhere between 10,000 and 5,000 BCE. The mainstream Egyptological consensus remains Khafre, c. 2500 BCE.
The Sphinx was buried in sand for most of its history. By the New Kingdom (1500-1000 BCE) only the head was visible above the plateau. The young prince Thutmose IV fell asleep in the Sphinx’s shadow during a hunt around 1400 BCE and dreamed the statue asked him to clear the sand in exchange for the throne. He did, became pharaoh, and erected the Dream Stela between the Sphinx’s paws to record the deal. The stela still stands in place 3,400 years later.
The Sphinx was re-buried repeatedly over the millennia. Roman emperors cleared it; medieval Arab travellers described it half-submerged. The most famous damage, the missing nose, predates Napoleon’s 1798 expedition by at least 800 years and is most often attributed to a 14th-century Sufi iconoclast named Sa’im al-Dahr, who chiseled it off as a religious gesture. The Napoleonic-era French cannonball story is a 19th-century invention.
Full modern excavation finished only in 1936 under the Egyptian archaeologist Selim Hassan. Conservation work continues today; the Sphinx is closely monitored for salt and groundwater erosion, and several restoration phases have replaced damaged limestone with carefully cut blocks (visible as smoother sections on the paws and rump).
The Sphinx itself, viewed from the standard enclosure walkway. Visitors approach from the north along a stone walkway that runs the length of the body. The standard view is from the front, looking up the chest at the face. Do a full lap of the enclosure walkway to see the side profile and the rear, where the carved tail wraps onto the left flank.
The Dream Stela between the paws. A 4-metre granite slab erected by Thutmose IV around 1400 BCE to commemorate the dream-bargain that put him on the throne. The hieroglyphic inscription is still legible from the front of the enclosure on a clear day.
The Sphinx Temple at the paws. Built from the limestone blocks quarried out of the Sphinx enclosure itself. The temple is roofless but the inner courtyards with their pillar bases survive. Closed to direct entry but visible from the enclosure walkway.
The Valley Temple of Khafre immediately south of the Sphinx, accessible through the same enclosure entrance. Polished red Aswan granite pillars, alabaster floor, no inscriptions. The best-preserved Old Kingdom temple in Egypt. Allow 20 minutes here.
The Sound and Light Show. Three nightly shows project narrated light displays onto the Sphinx and pyramids, telling the story of pharaonic Egypt in rotating English, Arabic, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Japanese. Tickets sold separately at the venue or through tour operators.
The Sphinx panorama viewpoint. From the desert ridge south-west of the plateau (where the standard all-three-pyramids-plus-Sphinx-in-one-frame photograph is taken) the Sphinx is the small foreground element with all three pyramids behind. Most tours stop here for photographs.
The Sphinx is at the eastern edge of the Giza Plateau, 13 km west of central Cairo. The Sphinx enclosure has its own dedicated entrance separate from the main plateau ticket gate, but the same plateau ticket grants you access to both. From central Cairo allow 30 to 45 minutes by car; from Cairo International Airport 45 to 60 minutes; from New Cairo or Heliopolis 60 to 90 minutes.
Opening hours: 08:00 to 17:00 daily (October to April); 07:00 to 19:00 (May to September). The Sphinx enclosure closes about 30 minutes before the plateau itself.
Entrance fee (2026, subject to change): the standard plateau ticket of approximately 540 EGP (around $11 USD) for foreign-adult entry includes Sphinx-enclosure access. No separate Sphinx ticket. The nightly Sound and Light Show is sold separately at approximately 300 EGP per adult and lasts 75 minutes.
Best time of day: early morning at opening for soft east-facing sunrise light on the face, cool temperatures, and short queues. The Sphinx faces due east, so first-hour light makes the face look its best. Mid-afternoon (15:00 to 17:00 in winter) is the second-best window. Avoid 11:00-14:00 when overhead sun flattens the relief and tour groups peak.
How long to allow: 30 to 45 minutes for the Sphinx enclosure including the Dream Stela, the Sphinx Temple, and a slow lap of the walkway. Add 20 to 30 minutes for the Valley Temple of Khafre in the same enclosure. A typical Sphinx visit pairs with the pyramids and runs as part of a 2-3 hour Giza Plateau morning.
Photography: permitted everywhere in the enclosure. The classic shot is from the north walkway looking south at the face with a pyramid in the background. Tripods require a separate paid permit.
Accessibility: the Sphinx enclosure walkway is flat and partially wheelchair-accessible from the main gate down a gentle ramp, then along the walkway around the body. The Valley Temple has step thresholds.
Approach from the Khafre Valley Temple, not the bus drop-off. The standard tour-bus route brings you to the north walkway looking south. The better arrival is through the Valley Temple of Khafre, which spits you out at the Sphinx’s chest level and gives the dramatic 1,000-year-old approach the ancient Egyptians intended.
The face looks different from every angle. Walk the full enclosure perimeter slowly. From the front the face is solemn; from the south side three-quarter view (the famous National Geographic angle) it looks contemplative; from the rear the carved tail and lion proportions become visible. Most tours rush the visit in 10 minutes; give it 30.
Skip the camel and horse touts at the Sphinx gate. Same scam as at the main Khufu gate: quoted prices triple the fair rate. The vetted handlers near the Cairo-side viewing area have published prices.
Sound and Light Show only if it is your first Egypt trip. The narration is dated but the lit Sphinx with the pyramids behind at night is striking. Bring a jacket; the desert plateau drops 15 degrees after sunset.
Read the Dream Stela inscription before you go. Print the translation. Standing in front of a 3,400-year-old contractual agreement between a pharaoh and a god is much more powerful when you can read what it actually says.
The Sphinx is included in every standard Cairo and Giza day tour. The three best options:
Every Egypt Day Tours visit to the Sphinx includes private air-conditioned transport, plateau entry tickets, a licensed Egyptologist guide, bottled water, and pre-purchased Sound and Light Show tickets if you ask for them at booking.
Walking out of the Valley Temple and turning around to find yourself at eye level with the Sphinx is the single best moment of the Giza day. Our guide knew exactly how to choreograph the approach.
Allow more time for the Sphinx than you think. Most tour groups rush it in 10 minutes; we spent 40 and our Egyptologist had something to say about every angle.
Read the Dream Stela translation before you go. Standing in front of a 3,400-year-old hieroglyphic contract becomes a totally different experience when you can read what it says.
Mainstream Egyptology dates the Great Sphinx to roughly 2500 BCE, during the reign of the Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khafre, son of Khufu. That makes the Sphinx around 4,525 years old. A minority view based on water-erosion patterns argues for a far older date, but the mainstream consensus rests on architectural integration with Khafre’s pyramid complex, the matching construction style with the contemporary Valley Temple, and the proportions of the face matching the diorite statue of Khafre.
The Sphinx was almost certainly commissioned by Pharaoh Khafre around 2500 BCE as part of his funerary complex on the Giza Plateau. The face is widely believed to bear his portrait. The labourers were the same skilled Egyptian workforce that built the pyramids: rotating conscripts and full-time masons living in the workers’ village south of the plateau.
The nose was missing long before Napoleon. The most-cited account attributes the damage to a 14th-century Sufi iconoclast named Sa’im al-Dahr, who chiseled it off as a religious gesture against figurative imagery. The Napoleonic cannonball story is a 19th-century European invention. Sketches by 15th-century Arab travellers show the nose already gone 300 years before Napoleon arrived.
No. The Sphinx is a solid carved sculpture and does not contain interior chambers open to visitors. Some 1990s-era exploratory work probed for chambers under the paws but found no accessible interior. The Dream Stela between the paws is visible from the standard enclosure walkway but you do not touch or enter it.
Allow 30 to 45 minutes for the Sphinx enclosure including the Dream Stela, the Sphinx Temple, and a slow lap of the walkway around the body. Add 20 to 30 minutes if you also visit the Valley Temple of Khafre in the same enclosure. As part of a longer Giza day with the pyramids, expect the Sphinx and Valley Temple block to run about an hour.
Yes. Every full-day Cairo or Giza Plateau tour includes the Sphinx. It sits at the eastern edge of the same plateau as the three pyramids and is reached through the same plateau ticket. The Sphinx is usually the morning’s final stop after the pyramids, with the Valley Temple of Khafre as the natural lead-in.