Three-ton torso of ancient statue extracted from Cairo slum
Three-ton torso of ancient statue extracted from Cairo slum
Archaeologists prepare for Egypt's 'most important find ever' to be moved to the country's national museum in Cairo for restoration.
1 min read
The colossal statue is believed to be that of Pharoah Ramses II [Anadolu]
The massive three-ton torso of a statue thought to belong to be of one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs was extracted from a pool of groundwater in a Cairo slum.
Cranes pulled the colossal find from pool in the Matariya neighbourhood, supported by dozens of workers who helped move it to dry land.
This follows the extraction of the statue's head, which was pulled up on Thursday.
The statue was discovered last week by a German-Egyptian archaeological team in the Cairo district of Matariya.
Experts believe that the collossus is a representation of Ramses II - also known as Ramses the Great - who reigned for 60 years over 3,000 years ago.
He is famed for having expanded ancient Egypt's reach as far as modern Syria to the east and modern Sudan to the south.
He is famed for having expanded ancient Egypt's reach as far as modern Syria to the east and modern Sudan to the south.
The ministry of antiquities said the statue's parts will be assembled at the Egyptian museum in central Cairo, where they will be pieced together and restored.
The statue will be finally housed in the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is due to open next year.
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