Egypt has unveiled two restored statues of a pharaoh in Luxor 3,200 years after they were toppled in an earthquake, in the latest archaeological event aiming to draw tourists to the country.
The giant alabaster statues, known as the Colossi of Memnon, were reassembled in a project lasting 20 years. They represent Amenhotep III, who ruled ancient Egypt about 3,400 years ago.
“These works represent a major achievement in preserving and reviving one of the most important landmarks of ancient Egyptian civilisation,” said Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy.
“They reaffirm Egypt’s commitment to protecting its cultural and archaeological heritage according to the highest international standards.”
The statues stood at the entrance of the funerary temple of King Amenhotep III, constructed during the first half of the 14th century BC, spanning 39 years of his reign, the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said.
It was the largest and most architecturally and structurally rich of all the mortuary temples. A powerful earthquake destroyed the temple around 1200BC, and its remains were later used as a quarry before being gradually covered by layers of Nile silt over time. In the 19th century, numerous artefacts were taken from the temple ruins by collectors and art enthusiasts.
The unveiling of the statues on Sunday marked the culmination of nearly three decades of work under the Conservation Project of the Colossi of Memnon and the Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III, one of the most ambitious heritage preservation initiatives in modern Egyptian archaeology.
The project, launched in 1998, is a collaboration between Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities; the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo; Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz; and international partners including the World Monuments Fund.
Several statues that used to be in the temple were discovered, documented, reassembled and lifted as part of the project.
Over the years, archaeologists recovered hundreds of fragmented pieces buried beneath Nile silt and saline groundwater, which had damaged their structural integrity.
Amenhotep III, one of the most prominent pharaohs, ruled during the 500 years of the New Kingdom, the most prosperous time for ancient Egypt. The pharaoh, whose mummy is on display at a Cairo museum, ruled between 1390 and 1353BC, a peaceful period known for its prosperity and construction, including the temple where the Colossi of Memnon are located.
The statues were fragmented and partly quarried away, with their pedestals dispersed. Some of their blocks were reused in another temple, but archaeologists brought them back to rebuild the colossi, the Antiquities Ministry said.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the restoration, documentation and reassembly of the statues was carried out using the latest scientific methods and international standards for archaeological restoration.
“This ensured the preservation of their authenticity and historical value, and their return to their original location within the mortuary temple of King Amenhotep III on Luxor's West Bank,” he said.
The statues show Amenhotep III seated with hands resting on his thighs, looking eastward towards the Nile and the rising sun. He wears a headdress surmounted by double crowns and a pleated royal kilt, symbolising divine rule. Two smaller statues on the pharaoh’s feet depict his wife, Tiye.
The statues – 14.5 metres and 13.6 metres respectively – look over the entrance to the king’s temple on the western bank of the Nile. They were made from Egyptian alabaster from the quarries of Hatnub, in Middle Egypt.
Sunday’s unveiling in Luxor came just six weeks after the inauguration of the long-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum, the centrepiece of the government’s bid to boost the country’s tourism industry and bring cash into the troubled economy. The mega project is located near the famed Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx.
The tourism sector, which depends heavily on Egypt’s rich pharaonic artefacts, has suffered during years of political turmoil and violence following the 2011 protests that forced president Hosni Mubarak to step down.
The sector has started to recover in recent years from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine – both countries are major sources of tourists visiting Egypt.
