Sphinx Temple

E47615

Sphinx Temple is an ancient limestone temple complex located directly in front of the Great Sphinx of Giza, believed to have served a ritual or cultic function associated with the monument.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Sphinx enclosure 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient Egyptian temple
limestone temple complex
access open-air archaeological site
adjacentTo Sphinx Temple self-linksurface differs
surface form: Sphinx enclosure
archaeologicalSiteType temple ruin
architecturalStyle Old Kingdom temple architecture
associatedWith Great Sphinx of Giza
builtFor royal cult associated with Khafre
builtFrom core blocks quarried around the Sphinx ditch
limestone blocks
chronology constructed during the 4th Dynasty of Egypt (attributed by many scholars)
constructionTechnique megalithic stone construction
culture Pharaonic Egypt
surface form: Ancient Egypt
currentCondition ruin
dedicatedTo Great Sphinx cult
excavatedBy Auguste Mariette
other 19th-century archaeologists
functionHypothesis place for rituals connected to the Sphinx
possible solar cult temple
hasFeature courtyard
massive stone walls
pillared hall
sanctuary area
symmetrical ground plan
hasFunction cultic function
ritual function
hasResearchTopic dating and original function debated by Egyptologists
hasSubstructure drainage or water-management features
stone-paved floors
heritageStatus part of UNESCO World Heritage Site "Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur"
linkedRituallyTo Valley Temple of Khafre
locatedIn Egypt
Giza
Giza
surface form: Giza Necropolis

Giza
surface form: Giza Plateau

Greater Cairo metropolitan area
surface form: Greater Cairo
locatedInFrontOf Great Sphinx of Giza
managedBy Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
material limestone
near Pyramid of Khafre
Valley Temple of Khafre
orientation aligned with the Great Sphinx of Giza
partOf Giza
surface form: Giza archaeological site

Giza Pyramids
surface form: Giza pyramid complex
period Old Kingdom of Egypt
religion ancient Egyptian religion
tourism popular tourist attraction at Giza Plateau
visibleFrom Great Sphinx viewing area

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Sphinx Temple adjacentTo Sphinx Temple self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Sphinx enclosure
Great Sphinx of Giza hasComponent Sphinx Temple