The Sphinx: The Guardian of Giza
A commonly known fact is that the Great Pyramid of Giza is the only monument of the original Seven Wonders of the World still standing in the present day. While the superior construction and design of the Pyramid has helped it stand the test of time, one cannot help but poetically wonder if part of its survival can be attributed to its guardian.
The guardian of the great pyramid, and the other pyramids in the Giza complex, is known to all. The Great Sphinx of Giza is, and has always been, a huge tourist drawing point for those wishing to walk on the sands of ancient Egypt. The sphinx is one of the largest surviving monuments of the ancient world, though few are aware of its role within the Giza complex.
Sphinxes in general originate in ancient Egypt, though they appear throughout the classical world. The Egyptian sphinx usually shows the body of a lion a topped with the head of a female, though the Great Sphinx of Giza is somewhat unusual in that it shows the head of a male. The identity of the man the head of the Sphinx is modeled on is subject to much debate, though current Egyptologists now believe it to be the head of the pharaoh Khafra (reigned circa 2558 BC).
The Great Sphinx sits to the east of the Giza Pyramid Complex, facing outward with its back to the second-largest pyramid. As with most sphinxes, its role is that of guardianship over the dead. The pyramids are the tombs of pharaohs, and the Sphinx acts as their protector in the afterlife.
The builder of the Sphinx is unknown, though dating would place its construction around the pharaohs of the Fourth Dynasty. Various pharaohs within this dynasty have been attributed with ordering the construction of the Sphinx, but no contemporary documents have been found to verify this. It is likely that this guardian of the fallen pharaohs was ordered and constructed by more than one of the Fourth Dynasty, with the original conception of the idea generally attributed to Djedefra, Khafra’s successor.
There is one thing modern Egyptologists can be sure of, however: whoever constructed the Great Sphinx, it remains one of the most visited attraction in Egypt today.