King
Meneptah was the fourth king of the 19th Dynasty and the son of King Ramses II.
Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.
The
Column of King Meneptah arrived Saturday at its permanent display area in the
atrium of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Giza.
King
Meneptah was the fourth king of the 19th Dynasty and the son of King Ramses II.
He ruled for 10 years, from 1213-1203 BC.
Tarek
Tawfik, supervisor general of the Grand Egyptian Museum, told Ahram Online that
the pillar was discovered in 1970 inside Meneptah Temple in Matariya
archaeological site, east of Arab Al-Hesn area.
It
is carved in red granite with a limestone base. It is decorated with engravings
of the king’s different titles, cartouche and scenes depicting his victory in
wars against Libyan tribes.
The
pillar is 17 tons in weight and 5.6 metres tall. It was first transported in
2008 to the Salaheddin Citadel for conservation and restoration as the
residential area around it was suffering with high levels of subterranean
water.
The
pillar was then kept in the Citadel for 10 years until it was chosen to be
among the GEM exhibits. It is to be put on show in the atrium at the GEM's main
entrance, neighbouring the colossus of his father, Ramses II.
Eissa
Zidan, director general of First-Aid Restoration at the GEM, explained that
great care was taken before transportation, the pillar restored after
comprehensive study to detect and consolidate its weak points.
It
took eight hours to prepare the pillar for transportation. A wooden base padded
with of layers of foam was made, with the pillar tied with carefully tensioned
rope to safeguard it during transportation. The Tourism and Antiquities Police
accompanied the pillar on its journey.
Osama Abulkheir, director general of the Restoration
Department at the GEM, said that upon its arrival the pillar would be examined
and further restoration work completed.
