A section of a limestone statue of Ramses II unearthed by an Egyptian-U. S. archaeological mission in El Ashmunein, south of the Egyptian city of Minya, Egypt in this handout image released on March 4, 2024. The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
A section of a limestone statue of Ramses II unearthed by an Egyptian-U. S. archaeological mission in El Ashmunein, south of the Egyptian city of Minya, Egypt in this handout image released on March 4, 2024. The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
A section of a limestone statue of Ramses II unearthed by an Egyptian-U. S. archaeological mission in El Ashmunein, south of the Egyptian city of Minya, Egypt in this handout image released on March 4, 2024. The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
A section of a limestone statue of Ramses II unearthed by an Egyptian-U. S. archaeological mission in El Ashmunein, south of the Egyptian city of Minya, Egypt in this handout image released on March 4

Archaeologists find missing top half of Ramses II statue in Egypt


Kamal Tabikha
  • English
  • Arabic

The top half of a statue of Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II has been unearthed in southern Egypt, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has revealed.

The discovery by an Egyptian-US mission completes the statue after the lower half was discovered in the same area, the Ashmunein region of Al Minya province, almost a century ago.

The top section, 3.8 metres tall, depicts Ramses II’s head, shoulders and upper torso.

The pharaoh is portrayed wearing the dual crown indicating his rule over both Egypt’s Upper and Lower kingdoms. A cobra, a symbol of royalty in ancient Egypt, can be seen at the front of the crown.

Preliminary scans of the limestone block have confirmed that it is part of the statue of Ramses II statue unearthed in 1930 by German archaeologist Gunther Roeder.

Once the two parts are joined, the statue is expected to stand seven metres, said Dr Bassem Gehad, head of the Egyptian team taking part in the excavation mission.

Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty of Egypt and ruled from 1,279 to 1,213 BC.

The Egyptian team, working under the authority of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and with counterparts from the University of Colorado mission, began an excavation in Ashmunein last year to find a religious complex believed to date back to Egypt’s New Kingdom era (1550-1070 BC) before collapsing during Roman rule centuries later.

“Though we have not found the complex we were initially looking for, a statue of such importance is a sign that we are digging in the right place,” said Adel Okasha, an antiquities official who oversaw the dig.

He said more notable discoveries are expected.

  • The sarcophagus of Ramses II is displayed on the opening day of the exhibition 'Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs' at the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris. AFP
    The sarcophagus of Ramses II is displayed on the opening day of the exhibition 'Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs' at the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris. AFP
  • A Colossus of Ramses II in limestone on display. The exhibition, which is on tour in 10 cities and explores the life of Ramses the Great, runs until September 6. AFP
    A Colossus of Ramses II in limestone on display. The exhibition, which is on tour in 10 cities and explores the life of Ramses the Great, runs until September 6. AFP
  • A journalist takes a photograph of the wooden coffin of Pharaoh Ramses II. AP
    A journalist takes a photograph of the wooden coffin of Pharaoh Ramses II. AP
  • The head of a colossal statue of Ramses II. AFP
    The head of a colossal statue of Ramses II. AFP
  • The upper part of a granodiorite statue of Pharaoh Merneptah. AFP
    The upper part of a granodiorite statue of Pharaoh Merneptah. AFP
  • The painted and gilded cedar outer coffin lid of Pinudjem II's wife, Princess Nesikhonsu, left, and the inner coffin lid or mummy board of Pinudjem I. AFP
    The painted and gilded cedar outer coffin lid of Pinudjem II's wife, Princess Nesikhonsu, left, and the inner coffin lid or mummy board of Pinudjem I. AFP
  • A gilded wooden mask from the coffin of Amenemope. Reuters
    A gilded wooden mask from the coffin of Amenemope. Reuters
  • A statue featuring Pharaoh Ramses II as a Sphinx offering a ram-headed vessel. AFP
    A statue featuring Pharaoh Ramses II as a Sphinx offering a ram-headed vessel. AFP
  • The head of a colossal statue of Ramses II. AFP
    The head of a colossal statue of Ramses II. AFP
  • The Coffin of Ramses II. Photo: World Heritage Exhibitions
    The Coffin of Ramses II. Photo: World Heritage Exhibitions
  • Gold bracelets of Sheshonq I with a Wedjat Eye. Photo: World Heritage Exhibitions
    Gold bracelets of Sheshonq I with a Wedjat Eye. Photo: World Heritage Exhibitions
  • Funerary mask of King Amenemopet. Photo: World Heritage Exhibitions
    Funerary mask of King Amenemopet. Photo: World Heritage Exhibitions
  • Coffin of Sheshonq II. Photo: World Heritage Exhibitions
    Coffin of Sheshonq II. Photo: World Heritage Exhibitions
  • Sennedjem's outer coffin. Photo: World Heritage Exhibitions
    Sennedjem's outer coffin. Photo: World Heritage Exhibitions

The city of El Ashmunein, on the west bank of the Nile, was known in ancient Egypt as Khemnu and in the Greco-Roman era was the regional capital of Hermopolis Magna.

Dr Salima Ikram, a professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, said the discovery was notable because "it completes the half found many, many years ago".

"Not only is it a wonderful opportunity to have a whole other massive statue of the famed king, it also adds to our general understanding and fills gaps in our data on the large corpus of Ramses II's statuary," Dr Ikram told The National.

"Through each discovery, we have been able to trace changes in the style during the course of his very long reign."

Statues of Ramses II, the longest-reigning pharaoh and one of ancient Egypt's most depicted figures, draw visitors to a number of the country's historical sites including the dual temples of Abu Simbel, in Egypt’s southernmost province of Aswan.

The four giant statues of Ramses II that flank the main entrance, each 20 metres tall, gained international fame in the 1960s during an operation to move the temples to higher ground to prevent them being submerged by Lake Nasser, the reservoir of the High Aswan Dam.

Thousands of tourists visit the temples to see the Sun light up a wall engraving of Ramses II in a small chamber inside twice a year. The alignment takes place on February 22 and October 22, said to be the dates of Ramses II's birthday and his coronation day, respectively.

Another statue of the Ramses II once stood in a busy square in central Cairo near its largest train station, both named after the pharaoh, before it was moved to be the centrepiece of the main hall in the Grand Egyptian Museum, a vast complex near the Pyramids of Giza, which has been under construction since 2002 and is nearing completion.

Ramses II’s mummy, along with the remains of 21 other ancient kings and queens, was transferred from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square in Cairo in 2021 in a grand parade that was covered by international media and renewed interest in Egyptian heritage worldwide.

Brief scores:

Manchester City 3

Bernardo Silva 16', Sterling 57', Gundogan 79'

Bournemouth 1

Wilson 44'

Man of the match: Leroy Sane (Manchester City)

The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

50-man Royal Rumble

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho

John Cena v Triple H

Matches to be announced

WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended

Kandahar%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ric%20Roman%20Waugh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EGerard%20Butler%2C%20Navid%20Negahban%2C%20Ali%20Fazal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results

5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Nadhra, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)

5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Dars, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Taghzel, Malin Holmberg, Ernst Oertel

7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: M’Y Yaromoon, Khalifa Al Neyadi, Jesus Rosales

7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeem, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs

B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run

Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

88 Video's most popular rentals

Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.  

Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.

Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.

Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE

Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:

• Buy second hand stuff

 They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.

• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres

 Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.

• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.

Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.

• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home

Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.

Day 4, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Not much was expected – on Sunday or ever – of Hasan Ali as a batsman. And yet he lit up the late overs of the Pakistan innings with a happy cameo of 29 from 25 balls. The highlight was when he launched a six right on top of the netting above the Pakistan players’ viewing area. He was out next ball.

Stat of the day – 1,358 There were 1,358 days between Haris Sohail’s previous first-class match and his Test debut for Pakistan. The lack of practice in the multi-day format did not show, though, as the left-hander made an assured half-century to guide his side through a potentially damaging collapse.

The verdict As is the fashion of Test matches in this country, the draw feels like a dead-cert, before a clatter of wickets on the fourth afternoon puts either side on red alert. With Yasir Shah finding prodigious turn now, Pakistan will be confident of bowling Sri Lanka out. Whether they have enough time to do so and chase the runs required remains to be seen.

THE TWIN BIO

Their favourite city: Dubai

Their favourite food: Khaleeji

Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach

Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll

Updated: March 05, 2024, 12:08 PM