clipped from www.oddee.com 15 of the World's Greatest Living Rocks The practice of creating buildings, sculptures or monuments by carving natural rock is called 'Rock-cut architecture,' a tradition with over 5000 years. Some famous, others little known, meet some of the most breathtaking works created from the 'living rock.' Great Sphinx of Giza (Egypt) A reclining lion with a human head that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile, near modern-day Cairo, is the largest monolith statue in the world. Standing 73.5 m (241 ft) long, 6 m (20 ft) wide, and 20 m (65 ft) high, the Great Sphinx of Giza is also the oldest known monumental sculpture, and is commonly believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians in the third millennium BCE. The Great Sphinx faces due east and houses a small temple between its paws.