Gized

On the western bank of the Nile River , twenty kilometers southwest of Cairo , stands the majestic statue with the body of a lion, the head of which is believed to represent the pharaoh Khafre : the Sphinx of Giza.

Supposedly it was built during the fourth dynasty, the XXVI century BC Although it is difficult to imagine the realization of such a project , the Sphinx was carved into a natural limestone plateau called Giza . Measuring twenty feet high , and in ancient times had been painted in bright colors : red , blue and yellow.

Along with the statue, is located a temple dating from the Old Kingdom , in front of her and another belonging to the New Kingdom , both offerings to the Sphinx and the Pyramid of Khafre connections through a processional avenue.

For centuries, the desert covered the body of the Sphinx with sand to protect it from erosion . Between 1816 and 1818 , Giovanni Battista Caviglia was commissioned to unearth sphinx and temples surrounding it.

The attacks of the Mamelukes , currently the sphinx doesn't own  nose and chin . The chin is in the British Museum in London.