CAIRO, May 28 (Aswat Masriya) China will dismantle a replica it has built of Egypt's great Sphinx after the Egyptian government complained about it, the Chinese state media has announced earlier this week. 

A full-scaled replica, made of steel bars and cement, of the iconic sculpture was built in an unfinished theme park in Hebi province, north of China, to shoot films and television drama, according to Xinhua news agency. 

Egypt's ministry of antiquities threatened to file a complaint about the fake statue to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to clarify the damage it does to Egypt's cultural heritage.

"Egypt will demand the UN body to implement the UNESCO Convention signed in 1972 on protecting the world cultural and natural heritage," said a statement by Antiquities Minister Mohamed Ibrahim.

On the other side a local official at the Chinese park who wished not to be named said, "We respect cultural heritage and we express our apologies for any misunderstandings."