According to Dobrev , whose image is the Sphinx based off of ?
Rainer Stadelmann , former director of the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo , examined the distinct iconography of the " nemes " ( headdress ) and the now - detached beard of the Sphinx and concluded that the style is more indicative of the Pharaoh Khufu ( 2589–2566 BC ) , builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza and Khafra 's father .