Sphinxes in Egypt had the head of a man and the body of an animal, in most cases a , ram or falcon. They were made to kings and queens. They were seen as lions who their enemies. Statues of sphinxes often stood in front of or besides the roads that led to them.


The largest and most famous sphinx is the Great Sphinx near the at Giza. It is over 70 metres long and 20 metres high. It was built out of a big block of about 4,500 years ago. In the that have passed since then storms often covered the Great Sphinx with . For over 30 years specialists have been working on the sphinx with chemicals.