What is the purpose of the Great Sphinx?

The purpose of the Great Sphinx is not known by scholars, though it is thought that it was built as a divine image of the King at that time. It is also thought that this is what the many builders of the Great Sphinx thought when they were building it, although the evidence is not conclusive.

There are inscriptions from the time period, the 4th dynasty and reign of King Khafre that refer to the double lion god known as "Ruti." This lion god guarded the entrance to the underworld and the rising and setting on the horizon. Egyptologist James Allen says it is difficult to truly interpret the Great Sphinx because the Egyptians did not leave behind any written history.