Sculptures of Egyptian mythical creatures are about 3500 thousand years old. They were discovered during excavations on the west bank of the Nile – according to one version, these sphinxes served as decoration of the memorial temple of Amenhotep lll. The sculptures carved from pink granite were bought for 100 thousand francs and brought to St. Petersburg.Especially for them, a granite embankment and a pier were arranged in front of the Academy of Arts on Vasilievsky Island.

In the XIX century, a real Egyptomania developed in Europe, which also covered Russia: by the time the sphinxes were acquired in St. Petersburg, the Egyptian Bridge had already been opened,
the "Egyptian museum" in the Kunstkamera, and the Egyptian Gates were brought to Tsarskoye Selo.
The townspeople did not immediately accept the ancient creatures, but soon the sphinxes on the university embankment became a favorite place for residents of the Northern capital.

Now the Egyptian sphinxes are one of the most beautiful symbols of St. Petersburg, which inspires artists, writers and guests of the city. Vladimir Vysotsky was said to admire them every time he came to Petersburg.