Monument · Giza, Egypt
Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx of Giza (Arabic: أبو الهول, romanized: ʾabū al-Hawl) is a limestone statue of a resting sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. Built c. 2560 BC.
Photo: Hesham Ebaid via Wikimedia Commons, CC0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Giza, Egypt |
|---|---|
| Type | Monument |
| Built | c. 2560 BC |
| Height | Height: 20.2 m |
| Coordinates | 29.9753° N, 31.1376° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Great Sphinx of Giza is known for
The Great Sphinx of Giza (Arabic: أبو الهول, romanized: ʾabū al-Hawl) is a limestone statue of a resting sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion.
About Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx of Giza (Arabic: أبو الهول, romanized: ʾabū al-Hawl) is a limestone statue of a resting sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. The monument was sculpted from the limestone bedrock of the Eocene-aged Mokattam Formation and faces east on the Giza Plateau, on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt, the Sphinx is part of the Memphite Necropolis and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
History
The archaeological evidence suggests the Great Sphinx was created between 2600 and 2500 BC for the king Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza, or his son Khafre, the builder of the second Pyramid at Giza. The Sphinx is a monolith carved from the bedrock of the plateau, which also served as the quarry for the pyramids and other monuments in the area. Egyptian geologist Farouk El-Baz has suggested the head of the Sphinx may have been carved first, out of a natural yardang: a ridge of bedrock sculpted by the wind.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Giza |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Cairo International Airport (CAI) |
| Distance from the airport | 18.9 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Sphinx International Airport (SPX) · Al Jiza, Egypt · 17.1 miles away
- Cairo International Airport (CAI) · Cairo, Egypt · 18.1 miles away
- Alexandria International Airport (HBE) · Alexandria, Egypt · 108.4 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Egypt
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Frequently asked questions
What is Great Sphinx of Giza?
The Great Sphinx of Giza (Arabic: أبو الهول, romanized: ʾabū al-Hawl) is a limestone statue of a resting sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion.
Where is Great Sphinx of Giza located?
Great Sphinx of Giza is in Giza, Egypt. Its coordinates are 29.9753° N, 31.1376° E.
How do I get to Great Sphinx of Giza?
The nearest town is Giza, and the nearest airport is Cairo International Airport (CAI), about 18.9 miles away (straight line).
When was Great Sphinx of Giza built?
Great Sphinx of Giza was built c. 2560 BC.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sphinx_of_Giza — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130958 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.