The sphinx unlike the pyramids represents the essence of Egypt for thousands of years. My friends, even with all of the pictures that we see of the Sphinx, nothing can really prepare you for the time that you finally see the Sphinx with your own eyes

The sphinx is built of soft sandstone and would have disappeared long ago had it not been buried for so long. Prior to the 1905 clearing of the Sphinx, the Sphinx has been buried by the desert sand and cleared several times throughout history. During the 18th Dynasty, Thutmosis IV probably did clear the Sphinx at that time. The name 'sphinx' which means 'strangler' was first given by the Greeks to a fabulous creature which had the head of a woman and the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. The sphinx appears to have started in Egypt in the form of a sun god. The Egyptian sphinx is a head of a king wearing his headdress and the body of a lion.

The body is 200 feet (60m) in length and 65 feet (20m) tall. The face of the sphinx is 13 feet (4m) wide and its eyes are 6 feet (2m) high. Sadly, the statue is crumbling today because of the wind, humidity and the smog from Cairo. Efforts to restore it have often caused more harm than good. No one can be certain who the figure is to personify. It is possible that it is Chephren. If that is so, it would then be the oldest known royal portrait in such large scale. Some say that it was built after the pyramid of Chephren was complete. It may have been set as a sort of scarecrow to guard his tomb. Still others say it is the face of his guardian deity, rather than Chephren himself. The image of the sphinx is a depiction of royal power. The sphinx has come to symbolize strength and wisdom.

The most popular and current theory of the builder of the Sphinx holds that it was commissioned by the 4th Dynasty King, Khafre.

Khafre was one of the sons of Khufu. The Sphinx lines up with the Pyramid of Khafre at the foot of its causeway. As one rounds the northeast corner to the front of the Sphinx, the alignment of the two structures becomes more apparent.

 In between the paws of the Sphinx is a stela, now called the "Dream Stela", which is inscribed with a story. The 18th Dynasty story tells of the time that Thutmosis IV fell asleep under the Sphinx which was covered to the neck in sand. Thutmosis had a dream that the Sphinx spoke to him and promised that if he would free the Sphinx from the sand, Thutmosis would be destined to become king of Egypt.