The
head of a statue of King Senusret I arrived safely at the Grand Egyptian Museum
for restoration. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.
The
Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) received a red granite head Friday from a statue of
King Senusret I from the antiquities ministry storage galleries in the Cairo
Citadel. The transportation came within the framework of the Ministry of
Antiquities’ mission to prepare for the museum’s grand opening, which is
scheduled for the first quarter of 2019.
GEM’s
general supervisor, Tarek Tawfik, explained that the head is carved from red
granite and has the common artistic features found in pieces attributed to the
Middle Kingdom.
The head, which was discovered in 2005 in Souq Al-Khamis at the
Matriya archaeological site in 2005 by an Egyptian-German mission, portrays the
facial features of King Senusret I wearing a partial headdress.
The
statue’s royal beard, which was discovered separated 10 metres away from the
corresponding head in 2008, was also transported to the museum. The head,
according to Ayman Ashmawy, the head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities
Section who discovered the artifact in 2005, measures 122 cm x 108cm x 75cm and
weighs roughly two tons.
Eissa
Zidan, general director of the First Aid Restoration Department at the GEM,
said Friday that the restoration team and archaeologists used the latest
technology in the packing and transportation of the head and beard, which
required wooden beams to settle the objects onto a hydraulic crane for lifting.
The
head and beard are now at the GEM conservation centre for restoration, study,
examination, analysis and documentation, while a three-dimensional imaging
technique will be used to illustrate the suggested methods to re-attach the
head to the beard.
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