Egypt Unviels new Pharaoh Statue
March 24, 2014 -- Updated 1301 GMT (2101 HKT)
Two colossal statues of Pharaoh
Amenhotep III were unveiled by archaeologists Sunday -- after being
moved to their original sites and restored -- in the funerary temple of
the king, on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor, Egypt.
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'New' statues unveiled
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Two massive ancient statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III unveiled in Luxor, Egypt
- Statues, discovered in February, join two other giants nearby, the Colossi of Memnon
- Egypt's tourism sector continues to feel effects of political instability
The newly restored
quartzite statues, one of which is more than 11 meters high and weighs
250 tonnes, can be found at the funerary temple of Amenhotep III.
They join a pair of
already famous giants at the temple known as the Colossi of Memnon --
two 16-meter-high images of King Amenhotep III seated on his throne,
also made of quartzite.
The unveiling was
presided over by German archaeologist Hourig Sourouzian, who heads the
temple of Amenhotep III conservation project.
The two new statues,
discovered during excavations at the site, were originally in pieces
before being restored and raised to their current standing position at
the temple.
According to the World Monument Fund
(WMF), the temple of Amenhotep III was erected between 1390 and 1353
B.C. for the pharaoh. It was 100 meters wide and 600 meters long, but
only the lower sections of the structure remain.
Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his wife Tiye.
The Colossi of Memnon,
which mark the entrance of the temple of Amenhotep III, are the most
visible remains of what was once the most richly ornamented of all Theban monuments, says the WMF.
"The temple structure was
originally destroyed by earthquakes, and, since it was never fully
excavated, the site was overgrown with vegetation and threatened by
seasonal floods and agricultural development," says the organization.
"These problems were
compounded by an increase in surface salts from rising groundwater, a
by-product of the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s."
Luxor, 635 kilometers
from Cairo, is divided by the Nile into two areas commonly referred to
as the East and West Bank -- the latter home to some of Egypt's most
prized ancient temples and monuments.
The unveiling comes at a
time when Egypt's tourism sector is fighting to pull itself out of a
slump due to political instability that's lingered since the ousting of
Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
According to the Daily News Egypt,
Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou said on Saturday that the tourism sector
is completely collapsed, adding that great changes are needed to
improve conditions.
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