The Great Sphinx of Giza is a huge 4500 year old rock located near the Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt. Estimated at 240 feet (73 metres) outstretched and 66 feet (20 metres) tall, the Great Sphinx is one of the world's standing stones. It is also one of the largest memorable artefacts of the early Egyptians, despite the beginnings and classical aspects of the giant configurations of the constructions still being discussed. A sphinx is a mythical creature with the anatomy of a lion and the head of a human, according to some interpretations. It is an important fictional figure in Egyptian, Asian and Greek mythology. In ancient Egypt, the Great Sphinx was presented as an angelic sentinel, most often illustrated as a man wearing a pharaoh's headdress and the number of mythical creatures was added in graveyards and ceremonial centres. The so-called Sphinx Alley in Upper Egypt is especially a two-mile route that links the temples of Luxor and Karnak and is placed within the sphinx sculptures. Sphinxes resembling the female queen of Egypt Hatshepsut also survive, such as the black-leaded statue situated in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the wide-reaching sphinx at the Ramessid Temple in Memphis, Egypt. During the 15th and 16th sphinx was moved from Egypt to Asia and Greece. In Asia, the sphinx was shown having eagle wings, was mainly a girl, and often perched on its thighs, with a single finger lifted, in a depiction. The sphinx also had wings and a tail of a snake in Greek culture, where many stars guide the tourists who are facing doubts in providing an answer to a puzzle. The extremely similar and broadly accepted hypothesis about the Great Sphinx suggests the sculpture was constructed for the Pharaoh Khafre during 2693-2578 BC. Symbolic texts suggest that Pharaoh Khafre's father, Pharaoh Khufu, constructed the Great Pyramid, the ancient and largest of the three pyramids in Giza. When Khafre became the king of Egypt, he built his own pyramid, near his father Pharaoh Khufu's pyramid, which is 10 feet smaller than the pyramid that was built by his father and his pyramid is covered by the Sphinx and other artefacts. Debris on the red stain on the face of the Sphinx suggests that the Sphinx should be decorated. Provided the company of pyramids and the Sphinx, some teachers believe that there may have been a divine motive to the Great Sphinx and temple complex; that is, to restore the emotion by funnelling the strength of the sun and other Gods. After several years, the Great Sphinx was eventually forgotten; its body had broken down, and its face was destroyed by time as well. In several tales, it is said that in 1798, in the 18th century, the soldiers of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte fired a gun at the Sphinx’s nose when they arrived. More likely, the nose was damaged by a Sufi Muslim man during the 15th century to announce hero worship. Scrape the Sphinx’s magnificent serpent symbol from its ,headpiece and the celestial mane has also been abandoned which is now shown in the British Museum. Recently , the Sphinx is continuing to be affected by wind, humidity and pollution. Currently, officials have constructed pumps near to the Great Sphinx, which are diverting the groundwater, and conserving the statue from further damage in future.
