The fourth place I visited was the Great Sphinx of Giza. It is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human, and the body of a lion. Facing directly from west to east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx appears to represent the pharaoh Khafre. Cut from the bedrock, the original shape of the Sphinx has been restored with layers of limestone blocks. It measures 240 feet long from paw to tail, 66 feet high from the base to the top of the head and 62 feet wide at its rear haunches. Its nose was broken off for unknown reasons between the 3rd and 10th centuries AD. The Sphinx is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt and one of the most recognizable statues in the world. The archaeological evidence suggests that it was created by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of Khafre. The Great Sphinx at Giza, near Cairo, is probably the most famous sculpture in the world. With a lion's body and a human head, it represents Ra-Horakhty, a form of the powerful sun god, and is the incarnation of royal power and the protector of the temple doors. The Egyptians built sphinx statues to guard important areas such as tombs and temples. The most famous Sphinx is the Great Sphinx of Giza. It is one of the largest and oldest statues in the world. We still do not know who built the Great Sphinx of Giza. There are many theories about who built the Sphinx, but it is still a mystery. The Great Sphinx was meant to protect the temples and the tombs of the pharaohs in the area. There were many Sphinx statues that were built but the most famous one is the one that guards the tombs of Giza.