The Great Sphinx of Giza, commonly referred to as the Sphinx of Giza or just the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human. Facing directly from West to East, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. Cut from the bedrock, the original shape of the Sphinx has been restored with layers of blocks. It measures 73 m (240 ft) long from paw to tail, 20 m (66 ft) high from the base to the top