Khafre

Owner of the second pyramid at Giza; the Great Sphinx may bear his face.

Life

Son of Khufu

Khafre, son of Khufu, reigned c. 26th century BCE. He built the second pyramid beside his father's Great Pyramid; though slightly shorter, it stands on higher ground and so looks taller than the Great Pyramid, and its top still retains part of the original white limestone casing.

Second Pyramid

Most scholars believe the Great Sphinx, which guards the causeway to his pyramid, was carved in his likeness.

Great Sphinx

A seated diorite statue unearthed in his valley temple, with the falcon of Horus spreading its wings to shelter his head, is a masterpiece of Ancient Egyptian sculpture. (He lived before the start of the site's timeline, so he is marked here at the timeline's earliest year.)

Legacy

Khafre's pyramid and the Great Sphinx together form Giza's most famous landscape.

Did you know? The Great Sphinx's nose was not shot off by Napoleon's soldiers; records from the 15th century already say it had been vandalized.

Key dates

• 2100 BCE(Actually c. 26th century BCE) Builds the Second Pyramid and the Great Sphinx