And so. Abu Hol. The Father of Terror.
The Sphinx. Included in the same LE50 ticket for the
Pyramids, this mysterious apparition is part of the funerary complex of the Pharoah Khafre. Its exact provenance is still the subject of fierce conjecture and debate. What is not in question though is the almost hypnotic attraction it exerts. In many ways it is quite rough and eroded, its later head disjointed from the rock that makes up its body. Yet this does not detract from its appeal.
To gain audience with the mysterious sphinx you navigate through Khafre’s funerary Valley temple. This allows you a view of his / her / its profile once you make your way through the scrum of people – headdress, eyes, ears, the trace of a quizzically superior smirk, smiling at our antics and unanswered questions. But the sphinx keeps its mysteries to itself (except during the thrice nightly sound and light shows [LE60] which are ‘narrated’ by the Sphinx). Closer to, one can see that the lower portion – the paws, flanks, and the tail curling up to the right – are faced with brick. The press of people can be pretty intense. I heard one American complain that it was too crowded, especially compared to, say, the Great Wall of China. His wife pointed out that they had been to just one of 500 miles of Wall, but in terms of the Sphinx: "This is it!"
There are toilets out front of the Sphinx’s enclosure, before the carpark. These were clean, free, and did not have a five minute queue outside – unlike those located up at the Pyramids.