The Great Sphinx of Giza Plateau is one of the landmarks of Giza Plateau. It belongs to king Chephren or Khafre, the founder of the second pyramid at Giza Plateau. The Great Sphinx was carved directly out of the bedrock and was made of one single piece of limestone in Giza Plateau. It dates back to the fourth dynasty, the old kingdom. There is a temple in front of the statue called the Sphinx Temple.
There are many questions about who destroyed the nose of the sphinx. There was opinions said that Napoleon who destroyed during his campaign in Egypt, but the researches proved that the Egyptian historian al-Maqrīzī wrote in the 15th century that the nose was destroyed by Sa’im al-Dahr.
What does the word of sphinx mean? The Sphinx is a mythical creature taking the shape of the human head and lion’s body. The word Sphinx is a Greek word derived from the ancient Egyptian word (Ssp Ankh), meaning the living image. So we can say that the Sphinx statues are a metaphor for the physical and mental power of the living king, as the physical power can be noticed in the lion’s body, while the mental power can be noticed in the human head of the king himself who wearing the royal headdress.
While in the Arabic language, it is called Abu Al Hol. It is thought that it is derived from the ancient Egyptian word (Pr hol), meaning the house of the lion, or it is called by the Arab, meaning father of terror.
The Dream Stela The Great Sphinx has captured the imagination of travelers and explorers for millennia, even in ancient Egyptian times, as it became a symbol of the sun god.
There is a Stela was discovered in front of the Great Sphinx is called the dream Stela belonging to king Tuthmosis IV dating back to the 18th dynasty, New kingdom. It is an inscribed granite slab.
King Thutmose IV put this Stela between its front paws of the Great Sphinx due to a sacred deal between him and the Sphinx when he was a prince; as he claimed that he saw the god in his dream and the god said to him if he removed the sand buried the Sphinx up to its shoulders, he would be the king. That was political propaganda for the king, and he documented that on this Stela.
