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The Sphinx at Giza was maybe one monument that surprised me with its diminutiveness. Most other
monuments, especially the Egyptian ones, far surpassed my expectations with their size and grandeur.
The Sphinx was not that big at all, and since so many photographs that I have seen, show it large
relative to the pyramids in the background, (such as this one) I expected it to be several times
bigger. In fact, if you did not specifically look for it, you might have missed it. It was
impressive in its own right however, and to be close to it was well worth the experience. The
Sphinx was carved from its natural surrounding sandstone rock in the Giza plateau, and that is why
it has been weathered so much, especially near its base. The head must have been much harder rock,
and is relatively pristine. Behind the Sphinx in this image was the Khufu pyramid, and physically
behind it to the left was a long rock causeway which joined the Sphinx, which was built by Khafre,
to his pyramid.
Notice the broken nose on the Sphinx. Most the Egyptian monuments and reliefs had their noses
demolished by the christians, who were opposed to 'pagan' images. The Moslems only covered up
offensive reliefs, however, christians destroyed innumerable beautiful works that had already
existed for thousands of years.
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