News, Cairo: Egyptologist Hawass Refutes Reports Colossal Statue Was Damaged During Excavation

Archaeologists from Egypt and Germany found the massive eight-metre statue - believed to be of Ramsis II - submerged in ground-water in Cairo last week, and used a winch to recover it. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

The newly discovered statue suggested to be for King Ramses II. 

Photo by Magdi Abdel Sayed

In the wake of the discovery of a colossal statue assumed to be Ramses II in Cairo earlier this week, Egyptologist Zahi Hawass refuted local media reports that charged the use of a winch to haul part of the monument out of the pit it was found in damaged the artefact.

Hawass, a former antiquities minister, told Ahram Online that using a winch was “the only efficient way” to remove the 7-ton piece of the statue from the two-metre ditch. “Souq El-Khamis area in Matariya where the statue was discovered is a very important archaeological site which does not have any complete statues, tombs or temples,” Hawass said.

Initial reports by some Egyptian media outlets had suggested that the winch had damaged the statue, or had broken it into pieces. However, according to ministry officials, the statue was discovered already in pieces.

Archaeologists from Egypt and Germany found the massive eight-metre statue submerged in ground water last week, which they say probably depicts revered Pharaoh Ramses II, who ruled Egypt more than 3,000 years ago.

The discovery, hailed by the antiquities ministry as one of the most important ever, was made near the ruins of Ramses II's temple in the ancient city of Heliopolis, located in the eastern part of modern-day Cairo in the working-class neighbourhood of Matariya.

Head of the newly discovered statue of king Seti II. 

The site was subjected to deterioration and damage during Egypt’s Christian period because the area was used as a quarry for constructing other buildings, Hawass said. “It is impossible to find any complete full-sized statue,” Hawass said, adding that any statue that would be uncovered in the future will be found in pieces, like this one.

He argued that the Matariya area, a poor suburb of Cairo, suffers from three main problems. Its modern residential houses were built on top of the remains of ancient Egyptian temples and tombs which are submerged in subterranean water extended from two to four metres deep. “This is a fact that made it too difficult to transport or remove any of the blocks [from these structures].”

Hawass told Ahram Online that he called the German excavation mission head, Dietrich Raue, who sent him a complete report on the excavations with photographs revealing the lifting process. “The transportation and removal process of any heavy colossus like the one discovered is carried out in collaboration with the head of workmen from the upper Egyptian town of Qift who are skilled and very highly trained in such work,” Hawass said.

Hawass explained that similar workmen work in the Saqqara necropolis and belong to the El-Krity family, who have been able to transport and lift up a large number of huge sarcophagi and colossi that each could reach 20 tons.

Hawass also said that the newly discovered statue definitely belongs to the 19th dynasty king, Ramses II, because it was found at the entrance to his temple. He noted that the area, in which he had carried out excavations, held the remains of temples belonging to pharaohs Akhenaton, Thutmose III and Ramses II. “I am very happy to hear about such a discovery because it will not only reveal a part of ancient Egyptian history but it will also help promote tourism to Egypt,” Hawass said.

Source: Ahram Online

New Discovery, Cairo: New Discovery Reveals Grandeur of Oun Temple in Ancient Heliopolis

The newly discovered statue suggested to be for King Ramses II. 

Photo by Magdi Abdel Sayed

A quartzite colossus possibly of Ramses II and limestone bust of Seti II were discovered at the ancient Heliopolis archaeological site in Cairo. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany witnessed on Thursday the lifting of two newly discovered 19th dynasty royal statues from a pit at the Souq Al-Khamis district in the Al-Matariya area of greater Cairo.

The statues were found in parts in the vicinity of the King Ramses II temple in the temple precinct of ancient Heliopolis, also known as “Oun,” by a German-Egyptian archaeological mission.

El-Enany inspects a part of the newly discovered statue.

Mahmoud Afifi, Head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities at the Ministry said that what has been found of the first statue is an 80cm tall bust of King Seti II carved in limestone with fine facial features. 

The second statue was found in large pieces. It appears to have been 8 metres long and carved in quartzite. 

"Although there are no engravings that could identify such a statue, its existence at the entrance of King Ramses II’ temple suggests that it could belong to him," Afifi told Ahram Online.

Aymen Ashmawy, Head of the Egyptian team on the mission described the discovery as "very important" because it shows that the Oun temple was enormous with magnificent structures, distinguished engravings, soaring colossi and obelisks. 

Regretfully, he said, the temple suffered damages during the Graeco-Roman period, and most of its obelisks and colossi were transported to Alexandria and Europe. 

Head of the newly discovered statue of king Seti II. 

During the Islamic era, the blocks of the temple were used in the construction of Historic Cairo.

At the site, El-Enany said the parts of the statue that appears to be associated with Ramses II will be transported to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) for restoration and display when the museum opens. 

El-Enany said the newly discovered artifacts would be placed, meanwhile, in a temporary exhibition at the Egyptian Museum.

Head of the German mission Dietrich Raue said excavations would continue in search of other statues and artefacts that could reveal more of the ancient sun city’s secrets.

Source: Ahram Online

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New Discovery, Luxor: Statue of Amenhotep III, 66 of Goddess Sekhmet Unearthed in Luxor

Headless statue of goddess Sekhmet. Photo courtesy of The Colossi of Memnon
and Amenhotep III  Temple Conservation Project

The discoveries shed further light on what the eighteenth dynasty pharaoh's temple would have looked like. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

The Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project has discovered a magnificent statue in black granite representing king Amenhotep III seated on the throne.

Project director Hourig Sourouzian told Ahram Online that the statue is 248cm high, 61 cm wide and 110cm deep. It was found in the great court of the temple of Amenhotep III on Luxor's West Bank.

"It is a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian sculpture: extremely well carved and perfectly polished," Sourouzian said, adding that the statue shows the king with very juvenile facial features, which indicates that it was probably commissioned early in his reign.

A similar statue was discovered by the same team in 2009 and is now temporarily on display in the Luxor Museum of Ancient Egyptian Art. When the site's restoration is complete, Sourouzian said, the pair of statues would be displayed again in the temple, in their original positions.

The Left - statue of goddess Sekhmet standing with the papyrus slogan in

 her hand. The Right - statue of goddess Sekhmet sitting. 

Mahmoud Afifi, head of the Ministry of Antiquities Ancient Egyptian antiquities department said the team has discovered up to 66 parts of statues of the goddess Sekhmet this archaeological season. These statues represent the goddess sitting or standing holding a papyrus sceptre and an ankh — the symbol of life. On many of these statues the goddess' lion head is preserved. Other pieces include busts, heads detached from their bases, as well as several other parts.

Sourouzian said this series of statues was found during excavation between the ruined temple's Peristyle Court and the Hypostyle Hall, as archaeologists searched for remains of the wall separating the two areas.

"The sculptures are of great artistic quality and of greatest archaeological interest, as they survived extensive quarrying of the temple remains in the Ramesside Period, after a heavy earthquake toppled the walls and the columns," she told Ahram Online.

A collection of statues depicting goddess Sekhmet in situ. 

Photo courtesy of The Colossi of Memnon and 

Amenhotep III  Temple Conservation Project

As her name indicates (derived from Sekhem, meaning "might"), the lion-headed Sekhmet is a powerful goddess who protects the sun god against his enemies. King Amenhotep III commissioned hundreds of statues of the goddess for the temples he constructed in Thebes.

In his funerary temple particularly, which was called the "temple for millions of years," the great number of these statues was intended to protect the ruler from evil and repel or cure diseases.

"All of these statues of the goddess will be placed back in their original setting as soon as the site is restored," Sourouzian said.

Source: Ahram Online

Find More About New Discoveries in Egypt Here & More About Luxor City Click Here

Short Story: Crowds Descend on Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel was abuzz with Ramses fever this week as the sun’s rays penetrated through his temple to illuminate the pharaoh’s face 200 years after its discovery. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

A crowd of over 4,000 people descended on Abu Simbel 280km south of Aswan on Wednesday to witness a phenomenon that only takes place twice a year. On 22 February and 22 October every year, the sun’s rays travel through the Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel to illuminate the face of a statue of the pharaoh.

Despite the cold weather, visitors stayed awake all night waiting for the sunrise, entertained by a musical troupe performing Nubian folkloric songs and dances as well as other troupes from Indonesia, Greece and India.

The atmosphere was joyous, as hibiscus and tamarind drinks were sampled along with stuffed dates served on large, coloured bamboo plates. The sound of music filled the dry night air, as women, men, boys, and girls in colourful Nubian garb danced to the rhythm of the duf, a kind of tambourine, while other foreign dancers in traditional costumes danced to their music.

Archaeological chief inspector Hossam Aboud said the celebrations took place every year and that people from neighbouring villages often flocked to Abu Simbel to attend. According to Aboud, couples have even been known to plan their weddings on the day. One couple had chosen to have their wedding ceremony within the temple itself, he said.

Beit Fekry, the house of a Nubian citizen called Fekry, was also buzzing with people who had come to celebrate the sun’s alignment in their own way. They danced to Nubian music and moved in rows backwards and forwards.

At 3am, people began to reserve their seats at the foot of the monumental temple. At 6:25am, the sun struck the innermost wall of the temple’s sanctuary, illuminating images of the right arm of the god Re-Horakhti, the face of Ramses II, and the right shoulder of the god Amun-Re, leaving only the god Ptah in darkness. Twenty minutes later, the temple was dark again.

Afterwards, a Swiss tourist who had come to witness the festival and celebrate 200 years since Abu Simbel’s discovery told Al-Ahram Weekly that although the event was “great it was also difficult because people had to position themselves so as not to obstruct the sun’s rays and move quickly so that others could see.” He said he had been so wrapped up in being careful that he had almost not been able to see the event.

Mahmoud Afifi, head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Department at the Ministry of Antiquities, said people sometimes wrongly confused the event with Ramses II’s coronation or birth, while it was actually the way the ancient Egyptians identified the beginning of summer and winter in order to alert farmers to the start of the cultivation season or harvest.

The two Abu Simbel Temples were built by Ramses II (1279-1213 BCE) to demonstrate his political clout and divine backing to the ancient Nubians. On each side of the main temple, carved into a sandstone cliff overlooking the Nile’s second cataract, sits a pair of colossal statues of the pharaoh.

Though the statues have been damaged in earthquakes since their construction, they remain an awe-inspiring, tremendous sight. The temple is aligned to face the east, and above the entrance sits a niche with a representation of Re-Horakhti, an aspect of the sun god.

In the early 1960s the temple was moved to higher ground, a task requiring considerable international resources, when the building of the Aswan High Dam caused Lake Nasser to fill and inundate the area. For this reason, the sun now strikes a day later than originally planned, though the event itself is no less stunning.

This year, the event also marks the celebration of 200 years since the discovery of the Abu Simbel Temples by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, who died shortly after his discovery, and his colleague Italian explorer Giovanni Belzoni.

To highlight this in advance of the gala ceremony to be held in October, the ministry organised a photographic exhibition in the area’s visitor centre that related the history of the temples since their discovery in 1817. The exhibition was inaugurated by ministers of culture Helmi Al-Namnam and of antiquities Khaled El-Enany.

Hisham Al-Leithi, head of the Antiquities Registration Centre, told the Weekly that the exhibition put on show a collection of 50 vintage photographs showing the temples covered with sand, while others showed their excavation. Other photographs showed the salvage operation of the temples in the 1960s and their relocation and reconstruction at their current location in the desert on a 65-metre artificial hill above the High Dam to protect them from the waters of Lake Nasser.... READ MORE.

Source: Ahram Online

Recent News: Hollywood Star Will Smith Visits Egypt's Giza Pyramids

Smith and his family with Hawass infront ofThe Sphinx. 

Photo courtesy of Hawass

The actor and his family admired the sun rise on Giza Plateau with Egypt's Zahi Hawass. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

Famed American actor Will Smith and his family arrived in Cairo early this morning and paid a visit to the Giza Plateau where they met renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass, who guided the family on a tour around the Sphinx and inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

Hawass discussed with the Smiths the secrets of the Khufu Pyramid and the latest discoveries being uncovered at the plateau.

The former minister of antiquities told Ahram Online that Smith and his family enjoyed admiring the sun rise on the plateau, learning about ancient Egyptian civilisation and taking photographs before the Sphinx.

Smith and Hawass have been good friends since 2006 when they were selected among Time magazine's top 100 men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world.

Hawass told Ahram Online that Smith is from Philadelphia, the city where Hawass received his PhD. Hawass and Smith enjoyed breakfast together in a luxury hotel overlooking the plateau and planned to meet again for dinner. Smith received an Oscar nomination for portraying Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness in 2007.

Source: Ahram Online

News: Ismailia Museum Celebrates 83rd Anniversary - Two Monuments To Be Restored

Ismailia museum 

Yesterday, the Ismailia Museum celebrates its 83th anniversary, with further restoration works in the area to be undertaken soon. Written By/ Nevive El-Aref.

In an attempt to promote tourism, the Ministry of Antiquities celebrates yesterday the 83rd anniversary of Ismailia Museum. The celebration was to be inaugurated noon by Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany and Ismailia governor Major General Yassin Taher.

Elham Salah, head of the Museums Department at the ministry, told Ahram Online that the celebration would include a number of sportive activities for children, a lyre (semsemeya) musical performance, and lectures on archaeology. A documentary summarising the history of the museum since its construction in 1934 is to be screened.

Ismailia Museum was the second museum to be constructed in Egypt after the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, Cairo. The idea of its establishment started in 1911 when a French mission led by archaeologist Jean Kilda unearthed a collection of sarcophagi at Qantara-East city.

The relief of king Ramses II 

The Sphinx

Ismailia Museum opened in 1934 in a building constructed in a style inspired by the Greco-Roman architecture. The collection displays 3,800 objects from the Pharaonic and Graeco-Roman eras unearthed in the course of construction work on the Suez Canal 1859 and at other sites in Ismailia, Suez and Port Said cities.

Distinguished artifacts such as a collection of statues, scarabs, stelae and columns and records of the first canal built between the Bitter lakes and Bubastis by the Persian ruler Darius are also on show. The highlight of the museum is the large and beautifully preserved Roman floor mosaic depicting Phaedra sending a love letter to her stepson Hippolytus, while below Dionysus rides a chariot driven by Eros.

El-Enany is to also embark on an inspection tour around three monuments in Suez that will soon see restoration works. These monuments are the Mohamed Ali Pasha Palace at Al Khour area in Suez city, the Suez Canal Authority edifice in Ismailia, and the Abbas Helmy II mosque in Ismailia.

Thé Suez Canal Authority building

Ahmed El-Nemr, member of the Scientific Office of the antiquities ministry, told Ahram Online that the Mohamed Ail Palace was built to be Mohamed Ali's residence when following up on army forces during his war against the Wahhabis in the Saudi Arabia. It is a two-storey house with a wooden dome at its eastern roof.

The Suez Canal Authority building was built by Fernand de Lesseps and consists of a basement, a ground floor and a first floor with 120 rooms. The Abbas Helmi II mosque was built in 1898 for Khedive Abbas Helmi II and has a collection of very distinguished arcades.

El-Nemr said that the mosque was restored and inaugurated in 2013, adding that both the palace and the edifice of the Suez Canal Authority are in a very bad state of conservation and that a restoration project for them would be implemented soon.

Source: Ahram Online

Short Story: 5 Animals You Didn't Know Were Important In Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptians valued animals and insects in a way that seems very alien to us today.

In modern day Egypt, animals are given very little attention and even less social importance. This hasn’t always been the case as ancient Egyptians rooted their understanding of the creation of the universe in the natural elements (earth, air, water fire) and observable wildlife.

It is widely thought that ancient Egyptians worshiped animals, but this is largely a misconception. They looked to their surroundings to learn about divine laws, and it was believed that animals held the godly knowledge they needed to lead successful lives. This is why we see the gods depicted in animal forms.

Ancient Egyptians valued animals and insects in a way that seems very alien to us today.  Their deep respect and appreciation for all creatures, even ones that could threaten their safety, is a reflection of how holistically they saw the world around them. 

Of course, we've all heard of cats, jackals and falcons in ancient Egyptian mythology and daily life, but have you heard of these 5 other animals?

1. The Fly

It is likely that the fly was seen with as much disdain as we have for it today. After all, it spreads disease, hovers annoyingly and is generally a source of disturbance. But, ancient Egyptians were able to see past these traits and recognize the fly's persistence and courage.

Kings awarded golden fly amulets in the New Kingdom to distinguished people as part of the Order of Valor. 

This golden fly amulet was given in recognition of fierce persistence and bravery in the face of enemies. Think about that next time you swat a fly!

2. The Cow

Like the Hindus, ancient Egyptians recognized divinity in cows. The cow goddess, Hathor – a name that roughly translates to “House of Horus” – is associated with feminine love and motherhood.

When Hathor is not depicted as a cow-headed woman, she is frequently shown in cow-form standing protectively over the king, or suckling an infant king from her udder. 

She is the mothering force guarding Horus and each of his earthly manifestations.

3. The Scarab

The dung beetle or scarab, is an image we associate regularly with ancient Egyptian culture, but what does it actually signify?

The dung beetle would find a ball of dung, lay its eggs inside it, push it around with its hind legs until it grew to be several times its size. It would then find an appropriate area to bury the dung. From the depths of the earth, baby dung beetles would emerge.

This process caught the ancient Egyptians’ eye. The dung beetle was linked with the heavenly process of rebirth and regeneration and so became the representation of Khepri (the solar god) on earth. The sun would be rolled across the sky every morning by Khepri, and buried every night, only to appear again the next morning.

4. The Baboon

Thoth, god of the moon and writing, is presented in relation to two animals, the ibis bird and the baboon. While the curvature of the ibis’ beak resembles the lunar crescent, its movement while searching for food in the ground mimics that of a pen writing. 

The baboon was deified because of its human-like appearance and intelligence. It is often shown in texts directing the tasks of scribes and with the moon disk on its head.

Interestingly, the baboon was also considered to be a supporter of the sun god Ra. This is because of the baboon's barking at the rising sun in what appeared to the ancient Egyptians as an act of worship.

5. The Goose

It's possible that the early morning squawks of geese helped establish their place in ancient Egyptian creation stories.

It is said that Amun (the hidden creator god) was incarnated as the original goose, the Great Shrieker (or the Great Honker), whose squawk was the first sound in creation.  

The Great Shrieker lays the world as an egg in another version of the story.

Source: Step Feed