UPDATE:
It's worth take a look ate the extra WSs (1, 2) that Stego added, mainly to understand the diferent sense of size that the Sphinx can have, when the POV and zoom changes.

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As it's common knowledge, while Obélix was visiting Egypt he accidentally ended up hanging from the Sphinx's nose, breaking it.

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This is my contribution of this legendary monument in TE. The Sphinx is part of the complex of the Giza Pyramids in Cairo. A recent long-term restauration project (1989-98) involved hand-cutting ten thousand limestone blocks, to refit the paws, legs and haunches of the beast; the missing nose and beard have not been replaced, deliberately.

This WS has nothing to do with Ricardo's main post apart from also showing the Sphinx. It's just a fun snapshot...



Exif data:

Camera: Hewlett-Packard Photosmart M307

Date taken: 23-Mar-2005 08:39

Focal length [mm]: 17.25

ISO value: 100

Shutter speed [s]: 1/427

Aperture: F8

This WS has nothing to do with Ricardo's main post apart from also showing the Sphinx.



The pretext for posting it is showing how the dimensions of the Sphinx and of the pyramids (in this case only the Khafre's one, which is the nearest to the Sphinx) can look so different with different POV's.



As it happens often, the ideas we have about a place that we are much used to see in films and photos reveals themselves quite different from reality. The Sphinx and the pyramids are really gigantic, actually more imposing than what I thought, specially if seen closely, but they are in a so open and empty space that their hugeness can go relatively unnoticed in some photos. On the other hand, when seen from the distance with the pyramids behind, the Sphinx may look relatively small.



Exif data:



Top photo:

Camera: Hewlett-Packard Photosmart M307

Date taken: 23-Mar-2005 09:01

Focal length [mm]: 17.25

ISO value: 100

Shutter speed [s]: 1/405

Aperture: F8



Lower photo:

Camera: Hewlett-Packard Photosmart M307

Date taken: 23-Mar-2005 08:39

Focal length [mm]: 17.25

ISO value: 100

Shutter speed [s]: 1/481

Aperture: F8