Statue parts belonging to one of Egypt's most famous pharaohs found in Aswan

The Antiquities Ministry said on Tuesday the head and chest of the statue of Ramses II were found in the Temple of Kom Ombo during a project to protect the site from groundwater.

Egypt hopes the find, along with other recent discoveries, will help revive its tourism sector, which has been battered by years of unrest since the 2011 uprising.

Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, ruled Egypt from 1279 B.C. to 1213 B.C. He is credited with expanding Egypt's reach as far as modern Syria to the east and Sudan to the south.

The discovery also comes as Jordan's first underwater archaeological survey detected the outlines of a stone barrier, believed to be part of the centuries-old Red Sea port of Ayla, near the modern city of Aqaba.

Ehab Eid, head of the Royal Marine Conservation Society of Jordan, said on Tuesday that the survey spotted an underwater barrier with an L-shape that is about 50 metres long and eight metres wide. He says experts expect to find other port facilities in the future.

The port of Ayla was active from the 7th to the 12th century, part of a trade route linking the Levant with other parts of the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Initial excavations in search of Ayla's ruins were conducted along the beach of Aqaba from 1986-1997.