Statue of Ramesses II (Mit Rahina)

The Statue of Ramesses II is a 3,200-year-old figure of Ramesses II, depicting him standing, that was discovered in 1820 by Giovanni Battista Caviglia at the Great Temple of Ptah of Mit-Rahina near Memphis, Egypt. It is made from red granite.

A replica of the Ramses II statue stands on Salah Salem street in Heliopolis, Cairo

The statue was found broken in six pieces and earlier attempts at restoration failed. In 1955, Egyptian Prime Minister Gamal Abdel Nasser moved the statue to the large Bab Al-Hadid square in Cairo that was then renamed Ramses Square.^[1] There the statue was restored to its full height of 11 meters and erected on a three -meter pedestal at the edge of a fountain. It was stabilized by iron bars inside the body.^[2]

Over time Ramses Square turned out to be an unsuitable location, as the statue continued to be exposed to noise, pollution, and vibration from traffic and subways. The Egyptian government therefore decided to relocate the statue to a safer and more dignified location. At a temporary location on the Giza Plateau it will undergo restoration. The eventual resting place of the statue of Ramesses II will be the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) that is under construction. It is planned that the statue will greet visitors at the entrance to the GEM that is scheduled to open in 2013.^{[citation needed]}

The transport of the statue from Ramses Square to Giza was a technological challenge that had been in the planning since 2002. The statue weighs about 83 tons. A replica had been made and was transported several weeks before the scheduled actual move along the planned route to Giza to test the proposed relocation process. The move took place on August 25, 2006.^[3] During its ten-hour transport the statue was wrapped and covered in rubber foam. Two flat-back trucks carried the weight of the statue and its support structures as it travelled in a vertical position.^[4][3]

The move has been criticized for its costs and the concern about pollution in the Giza location.^[4]

Other large statues of Ramesses II

Other large statues of Ramesses II include:

• A large (12 m) sitting statue of Ramesses II, found in 2004.
• Statues of Ramesses II in Luxor
• Statue of Ramesses II in Abu Simbel
• Statue of Ramesses II in Memphis
• The Younger Memnon, a statue of Ramesses II from Thebes now in the British Museum.

References

1. ^ "97-08-07: Ramses comes home". Archived from the original on 2006-12-07. http://web.archive.org/web/20061207065318/http://www.egy.com/landmarks/97-08-07.shtml. Retrieved 2007-01-04. 
2. ^ Hawass, Zahi. "The removal of Ramses II Statue". http://guardians.net/hawass/news/removal_of_ramses_ii_statue.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-17. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Ramses statue moved closer to pyramids". 2006-08-25. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4140740.html. Retrieved 2006-08-25. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ ^{a b} Nevine El-Aref (25 May 2006). "Farewell to Ramses". Al-Ahram. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/796/fr2.htm. Retrieved 2006-08-24. 

External links

• Website of Dr. Zahi Hawass