LUXOR, Egypt (AP) — Egypt on Sunday unveiled restoration work on two giant statues of famous pharaohs in the southern city of Luxor, the latest development in a government archaeological campaign aimed at attracting more tourists to the country.
Known as the Colossi of Memnon, these massive alabaster statues were reassembled during a renovation project that lasted some two decades. They represent Amenhotep III, who ruled ancient Egypt some 3,400 years ago.
“In fact, today we are celebrating the completion and erection of these two monumental statues,” Mohammad Ismail, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told The Associated Press before the ceremony.
Attempt to revive a famous temple
Ismail said the colossus is of great significance to Luxor, a city known for its ancient temples and other antiquities. Ismail said they were also trying to “restore the burial temple of King Amenhotep III to how it looked long ago.”
Amenhotep III was one of the most famous pharaohs and ruled the New Kingdom for 500 years, which was the most prosperous period of ancient Egypt. The pharaoh, whose mummy is on display in the Cairo Museum, ruled between 1390 and 1353 BC, a period of peace known for its prosperity and great architecture, including the mortuary temple where the Colossi of Memnon is located, and another temple in Nubia, Solab.
Mohamed Ismail, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the colossus was toppled by a powerful earthquake around 1200 BC that also destroyed the tomb temple of Amenhotep III.
They were fragmented, partially mined, and their bases scattered. Some of the stones were reused in the Karnak temple, but archaeologists brought them back to reconstruct the colossus, according to the Ministry of Antiquities.
In the late 1990s, a German mission to Egypt, led by German Egyptologist Hourig Sourouzian, began work in the temple area, including the assembly and renovation of the Colossus.
“The aim of this project is… to save the last vestiges of a once prestigious temple,” she said.
Pharaoh faces the rising sun
The statue shows Amenhotep III sitting with his hands on his thighs, facing eastward and looking at the Nile River and the rising sun. They wear double-crown nim headdresses and pleated royal kilts, symbolizing the pharaoh’s divine rule.
Two other statuettes at the feet of the pharaoh depict his wife Tiye.
The colossi, 14.5 meters (48 feet) and 13.6 meters (45 feet) high, are located at the entrance to the Temple of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile. The 35-hectare (86-acre) complex is considered the largest and richest temple in Egypt, and is often compared to the Karnak Temple, also located in Luxor.
The colossi were hewn from Egyptian alabaster from the Hatnoub quarry in central Egypt. They are fixed on large pedestals, on which are engraved the names of the temple and the quarry.
The ministry said that unlike other monumental sculptures in ancient Egypt, part of the colossus is made up of individually carved components that are fixed into each statue’s main monolithic alabaster core.
Focus on tourism
Sunday’s unveiling in Luxor comes just six weeks after the long-delayed opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, the centerpiece of the government’s effort to revive the country’s tourism industry and bring cash to the struggling economy. This large-scale project is located near the famous Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.
The tourism industry, which relies heavily on Egypt’s rich collection of pharaonic artifacts, has been hit hard by years of political unrest and violence that followed the 2011 uprising. The industry has begun to recover in recent years following the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine – both of which are major sources of tourists to Egypt.
“This site will be in the spotlight for years to come,” said Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sharif Fathy, who attended the unveiling. “There’s always something new happening in Luxor.”
Official data shows that in 2024, the number of tourists traveling to Egypt will reach a record high of about 15.7 million, accounting for about 8% of the country’s GDP.
Minister Fati said some 18 million tourists are expected to visit the country this year, and authorities hope to have 30 million tourists annually by 2032.
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Magdi reported from Cairo.