What Is Under The Great Sphinx Of Giza?

The Great Sphinx of Giza is considered a wonder of the world, even though it's actually not an official listing, per World Atlas. The Egyptian statue, located in the city of Giza, is one of the most recognized and famous sculptures in the globe. It is also one of the oldest. Built around 2500 B.C. (via Britannica), the massive structure depicts a human head atop a feline body. One theory is that the face of the human is that of ancient Egyptian ruler King Khafre, per Trips in Egypt. Once upon a time the statue had a nose, but it was destroyed by a religious zealot, says History.

As a result, most of history only knows of the Sphinx as the big, noseless sculpture not too far from the Great Pyramids of Giza. The incredibly large carving, made up of limestone, is one of the biggest statues in the world, measuring 66 feet tall, 241 feet long, and 63 feet wide (via Ancient Egypt). It is also adjacent to two temples that were built during and after it was constructed (via Tour Egypt).

The site attracts millions of tourists every year, many of whom come to see both the Great Pyramids and the Great Sphinx, per BBC. While the exterior of all the famous structures there are the draw for most people who venture to Giza, there is something more to the Sphynx, beyond what it looks like on the outside.

Of course, a structure as large as the Sphinx has to have something inside of it, right? The internal part of the Sphinx has several passages, but it is not, for instance, like the Statue of Liberty — a statue with stairways that you can actually walk up in. Since the Sphinx is a carving that was sculpted on site thousands of years ago, there's not a lot going on inside. But underneath it, however, is reportedly a different story.

It is said that there are more than several passages, small shafts, and accessible holes inside Sphinx, many of which have been accessed and photographed (via Madain Project). Legend has it (per CNN) that below the statue is a sort of Hall of Records — a library of ancient scrolls with extensive Egyptian history. Nothing has been found to confirm an underground library, nor has anything been discovered to disprove whether one actually exists, either. Still, many historians contend that there is something under the statue — something that will exhibit more of Egypt's history (via Smithsonian Magazine). So far, it's a mystery — like the Sphynx itself.