Taharqa Sphinx

Ancient Egyptian The Taharqa Sphinx depicts a Nubian pharaoh with distinctly African features, representing Egypt under Kushite (modern Sudanese) rule. Carved from granite around 680 BCE, the sphinx shows Taharqa wearing the traditional nemes headdress with a double uraeus (cobra), symbolizing his rule over both Egypt and Nubia. The features are more naturalistic than earlier Egyptian sphinxes.

Taharqa ruled as part of Egypt's 25th Dynasty, when Nubian kings conquered and unified the divided land. He built extensively, including additions to Karnak temple, before Assyrian invasions forced him to retreat southward. His sphinxes at temples throughout Egypt and Nubia demonstrated his pharaonic authority.

The British Museum displays this sphinx in its Sudan and Egypt gallery, highlighting the cultural connections between these ancient civilizations.