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The Great Sphinx of Giza is a statue of a reclining lion with a human head that stands on the Giza Plateau in Giza on the west bank of the Nile. It is the largest monolith statue in the world standing 73.5 meters long and 6 metres wide and 20.22 metres high. It is believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom in 2555BC to 2532 BC.
It is not known by what name the original creators called their statue as there are no inscriptions anywhere describing its construction or its original purpose.
There is the belief, after evidence had been uncovered in 2004, that the Great Sphinx may have been the work of the little-known Pharaoh Djedefre (2528-2520BC)., Khafra's half brother and son of Khufu. It is suggested that Kjedefre built the Sphinx in the image of his father Khufu identifying him with the sun god Ra in order to restore respect for their dynasty. It is also believed that the causeway connecting Khafre's pyramid to the temples was built around the Sphinx suggesting it was already in existence at this time.
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