The Great Sphinx:

The Great Sphinx, or as the ancients knew it, “Shesib Ankh” or “the living image”, has to be one of the most recognizable constructions in history. Think of the Sphinx and you automatically think of Egypt and the Giza Plateau.
Sculpted from soft sandstone, many believe that it would have disappeared long ago had it not been buried in the sand for so many long periods in its lifetime. The body is 60m (200ft) long and 20m (65ft) tall. Its face is 4m (13ft) wide with eyes measuring 2m (6 ft) high. It faces the rising sun, and was revered so much by the ancients, that they built a temple in front of it.
 The 18th Dynasty King, Thutmose IV installed a stele between its front paws, describing how, when Thutmose was a young Prince, he had gone hunting and fell asleep in the shade of the Sphinx ‘s head. Thutmose had a dream where Ra Hor-Akhty the sun God, talking through the Sphinx, spoke to him, telling the young Prince to clear away the sand because the Sphinx was choking on it. The Sphinx said to  him that if he did this, he would become King of Egypt .

Thutmose cleared away all the sand and s after 2 years,  the god fulfilled his promise to the price and he was made king of Egypt

Today, part of the “uraeus” (the sacred cobra at the forehead ), and the nose are missing (not shot off by Napoleon’s men as many believe, but  were destroyed by Muhammad Sa'im Al-Dahr, a Sufi fanatic from the Khanqah of Sa'id Al-Su'ada.

In 1378, upon finding the Egyptian peasants making offerings to the Sphinx in the hope of increasing their harvest, Sa'im Al-Dahr was so outraged that he destroyed the nose!). There are parts of a beard in the Cairo and British Museum in London  which reputedly belong to the Sphinx, but many Egyptologists deny this, as the style of beard found, does not relate to the “nemes” that The Sphinx wears – different Dynasties!

Because of the soft sandstone, the Sphinx has been repaired many times; sometimes the repairs causing even more damage! Also, due to the wind, humidity, and pollution from modern Cairo, its condition is still deteriorating, and the present renovations are a never-ending task.
 I hope this gave you a glimpse of information about the Pyramids of Giza.

 Information you should know before you go:

The Giza pyramids Plateau opens at 08:00  AM and closes at 1700

Winter times are ( 8:00 -- 16:30)

Ramadan times are ( 8:00 --15:00)  

Entrance ticket to the site cost - 60. LE

Entrance to the Solar Boat Museum – 40 LE

Entrance to Khufu’s Pyramid – 100 LE

Entrance to Khafree’s Pyramid – 20 LE

Before you visit the site of the Giza Pyramids, you have to know the following facts:

It is forbidden to climb the Pyramids. You are only allowed to climb up the stone steps that lead to the entrance, which is 55 feet above ground level.

 it is  strongly advisable to e Wear good walking shoes.

If you wish to take a car onto the site, you need to get a car parking ticket. 2 LE for a small car, 5 LE for minibuses, 10 LE for a coach.

The best time to go the Pyramids,  is in the morning between 0800 and 1200. - or 156:00 to 17:00

If you wish to go inside the Great Pyramid, there is an extra ticket for this that will cost you 100 LE. You will find the ticket office for the entrance to the Great Pyramid in front of the north-eastern side of the Pyramid. Sometimes is quite difficult to get this ticket, as the amount is limited to a certain number of visitors. They sell only 300 tickets daily, and they are divided among morning and afternoon. They sell 150 at 0800, and then, at exactly 1300, the other 150. 

If you wish to go inside Khafre’s Pyramid, you will have to get an extra entrance ticket - 20 LE. In addition to that, they charge 10LE for cameras. 

As for Menkaure’s Pyramid, it is now closed for restoration. The Pyramids are opened on a rotational basis, usually  it would last for a year, so that restoration work can be done. 

If you want to get a camel or horse ride, the best place for this are the stables at the foot of the Pyramids plateau, it is cheap and safe.

In order to get rid of the vendors, simply say  “No, thank you! “ or “La Shukran” and they will go away Believe it or not, it works.

As for the street vendors Don’t say the word “Emshi”, like many of the guide books will advise you, it is simply means get lost, and you don’t want to offend anyone in there , after all they are just trying to make a living. Here are Some useful  Arabic words for you

 Tip : If you don't want to pay the extra entrance ticket for any of the above mentioned pyramids  Pyramids and still want to have similar experience of being inside one, then go the eastern side of the Great Pyramid and you will find  there three subsidiary smaller Pyramids (one was for the Khufu’s daughter, one for Khufu’s wife and the third one for Khufu’s mother). Two of these Pyramids (his wife’s and his mother’s) are opened for visitors, and there is no extra charge to get in. All you need to do is show your site ticket to the guard and you will be in!

If you ever feel that you need to go to the toilet while you’re conducting your visit, then the best place to go is at the boat Museum which is  located in front of the southern side of the Great Pyramid. Just tell the people at the entrance that you only want to use the toilet and they will let you in.

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