Temple of the Sphinx 2021

If you are planning to visit Egypt then without a doubt you are considering a visit to Giza. The Giza Plateau and the Pyramid Complex are quite possibly the most iconic places in the world. Home to the Great Pyramid, the last standing Wonder of the Ancient World and sitting right out front is the alluring and mysterious Great Sphinx.

Entering the pyramid complex, the first thing you see is the broken face of the Great Sphinx. Entry to its temple is included in your ticket price and you would certainly be crazy not to go check it out. You can see in the video below what it is like to walk through this ancient and almost completely ruined temple.

As I said entry to the Temple of the Sphinx is included with the ticket to enter the complex. Do not let someone tell you that you need to pay an additional fee to enter and do not accept someone offering to guide you and tell you the history while you walk through. There is not a lot to see.

Beware of another scam as well. When you reach the top of the ramp where you walk along the Great Sphinx there are men sitting there with ID badges. They will tell you they are security and they work for the complex. They will then offer to take some photos of you and ultimately expect you to pay them for doing so in the form of a "tip". I was solo and was happy to do this, I actually knew the scam before I got there and had some money separate from my spending money to pay the guy. He did take some interesting photos and when I told him to piss off when he demanded 200 Egyptian Pounds for every 10 pics he took on my phone (he took 25 in total) he backed off quite quickly and accepted my offering instead. You do have to be quite firm with these people they are shameless. I had heard horror stories from other travelers while enjoying a meal on the rooftop restaurant overlooking the Pyramid Complex at the Hyatt Pyramid View Hotel in Giza. One German man told me he had to pay 800 Egyptian Pounds because the man simply wouldn't give him his phone back. I had heard from another couple a similar story and they had to pay 600 EGP to get their phone back. I have no problem grabbing a security guard and bribing them to get my phone back so when I went into the complex I had this in mind. As you can see from the photos they are rather amusing and they are a great souvenir that a solo traveler would have a hard time getting.

Ok so scams aside what was it like visiting the Temple of the Sphinx? Well it's the right next to the great Sphinx and gives you a great view down the side of the monument so it is well worth visiting, especially if you are visiting the Pyramid Complex. The temple itself is an empty, sand covered space. It wasn't a huge wow but it is the best place to take that IG selfie of yourself or with a friend right by the monument. It was a great place of worship and while you are there you are standing where "living gods" once stood as well as sacrifices and other ceremonies were performed. It would be rather foolish not to visit the temple if you are already in the complex.

Compared to other temples it is not very complete and the Temple of the Sphinx these days is more or less a viewing area for the Great Sphinx of Giza. That being said, if you are in the complex is that not why you are there? Viewing the Sphinx from all angles and getting as close as you can to it is an experience many people dream of. Enjoy it, soak it in, get those selfies and bragging rights when you go home. If you are standing next to the Great Sphinx of Giza you are standing next to true ancient history and a monument that has survived sand, rain, war and all kinds of other things over thousands of years. But don't expect to see towering columns and giant statues (aside from the Sphinx). For that my friends you need to travel South to Luxor or Aswan or one of the other major temple sites. You go to Giza for the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx and if that is your expectation you will not be disappointed.

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