GIZA /
Sphinx Temple
The Sphinx Temple is presently closed to the public. The temple you enter on your way to see the Sphinx is the valley temple belonging to the pyramid of Khafre. Its facade was never finished, and what you see now is very crude. The condition of the temple is not great, but it does have a couple of interesting details. It is unique in having two sanctuaries, on in from the facade (east) and one right in front of the Sphinx' right foot. But apart from this, it is almost a copy of the mortuary temple of Khafre's pyramid. Almost 1,000 years after being built, an important cult was developed connected to the Sphinx. By this time, the history of the Sphinx and its purpose was even more forgotten than it is now. The Sphinx was considered by princes and pharaohs to be a possessor of royal power, and pharaohs and princes were very much concerned about visiting it and paying their respects.
