Egypt has officially unveiled meticulously restored colossal statues of an ancient pharaoh in the southern city of Luxor – an event designed to bolster the nation’s vital tourism sector.
The monumental alabaster figures, famously known as the Colossi of Memnon, depict Amenhotep III, who ruled ancient Egypt some 3,400 years ago.
Their reassembly and revamp conclude an extensive renovation project that spanned around two decades.
Mohamed Ismail, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said: “Today we are celebrating, actually, the finishing and the erecting of these two colossal statues.”
He emphasised the profound significance of the colossi to Luxor, a city renowned for its wealth of ancient temples and antiquities, adding that they also represent an effort to “revive how this funerary temple of king Amenhotep III looked like a long time ago”.
Amenhotep III, one of the most prominent pharaohs, ruled during the 500 years of the New Kingdom, which was the most prosperous time for ancient Egypt. The pharaoh, whose mummy is showcased at a Cairo museum, ruled between 1390-1353 BC, a peaceful period known for its prosperity and great construction, including his mortuary temple, where the Colossi of Memnon are located, and another temple, Soleb, in Nubia.
The colossi were toppled by a strong earthquake around 1200 BC that also destroyed Amenhotep III’s funerary temple, said Mr Ismail.
They were fragmented and partly quarried away, with their pedestals dispersed. Some of their blocks were reused in the Karnak temple, but archaeologists brought them back to rebuild the colossi, according to the Antiquities Ministry.
In late 1990s, an Egyptian-German mission, chaired by German Egyptologist Hourig Sourouzian, began working in the temple area, including on the assembly and renovation of the colossi.
“This project has in mind … to save the last remains of a once-prestigious temple,” she said.
The statues show Amenhotep III seated with hands resting on his thighs, with their faces looking eastward toward the Nile and the rising sun. They wear the nemes headdress surmounted by the double crowns and the pleated royal kilt, which symbolises the pharaoh’s divine rule.
Two other small statues on the pharaoh’s feet depict his wife, Tiye.
The colossi — 14.5 metres (48 feet) and 13.6 meters (45 feet) respectively — preside over the entrance of the king’s temple on the western bank of the Nile. The 35-hectare (86-acre) complex is believed to be the largest and richest temple in Egypt and is usually compared to the temple of Karnak, also in Luxor.
The colossi were hewn in Egyptian alabaster from the quarries of Hatnub, in Middle Egypt. They were fixed on large pedestals with inscriptions showing the name of the temple, as well as the quarry.
Unlike other monumental sculptures of ancient Egypt, the colossi were partly compiled with pieces sculpted separately, which were fixed into each statue’s main monolithic alabaster core, the ministry said.
Sunday’s unveiling in Luxor came just six weeks after the inauguration of the long-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum, the centerpiece of the government’s bid to boost the country’s tourism industry and bring cash into the troubled economy. The mega project is located near the famed Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx.
The tourism sector, which depends heavily on Egypt’s rich pharaonic artifacts, has suffered during years of political turmoil and violence following the 2011 uprising. In recent years, the sector has started to recover after the coronavirus pandemic and amid Russia’s war on Ukraine — both countries are major sources of tourists visiting Egypt.
“This site is going to be a point of interest for years to come,” said Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy, who attended the unveiling ceremony. “There are always new things happening in Luxor.”
A record number of about 15.7 million tourists visited Egypt in 2024, contributing about 8 per cent of the country’s GDP, according to official figures.
Mr Fathy has said about 18 million tourists are expected to visit the country this year, with authorities hoping for 30 million visitors annually by 2032.
