Completion of Restoration for Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Statues 1,200 Years Following Earthquake
More than 1,200 years following the damage caused by an earthquake, the two alabaster statues representing Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III—referred to as the Colossi of Memnon—have undergone partial restoration. Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has recently revealed the newly restored, 30-foot-tall monuments at the entrance of the ancient king’s 86-acre burial ground close to Luxor.
King Amenhotep III reigned over Egypt from approximately 1388 to 1349 BCE, during one of the civilization’s most affluent and impactful eras. The ninth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, he wielded such influence that he was even revered as a god while alive.
The Colossi of Memnon were originally constructed around 1350 BCE, over 3,000 years ago, overseeing the king’s expansive mortuary temple on the western bank of the Nile. Both statues were fashioned from Egyptian alabaster sourced from Hatnub in Middle Egypt and depict Amenhotep III looking eastward, adorned with the striped nemes headdress linked to both royalty and the divine.
About 150 years after Amenhotep III’s death, an earthquake led to the collapse of his tomb complex. Another tremor, in 27 CE, impacted the Colossi of Memnon, leaving the northern statue fractured in such a manner that it started producing “singing” sounds at dawn, attracting intrigued visitors to the location.
Significant restoration initiatives commenced in 1989, spearheaded by Tokyo’s Waseda University, and were later broadened through a collaboration involving Egyptian officials, the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and the World Monuments Fund. According to German Egyptologist Hourig Sourouzian, the team has discovered numerous fragments of the Colossi scattered throughout the area. Since 2006, they have been meticulously cleaning, restoring, and 3D-scanning the statues, reassembling them with original pieces alongside modern supports designed to guarantee long-term stability while preserving the statues’ original appearance.
Currently, the Colossi of Memnon still rise to about 45 feet tall in their initial locations. The statue on the right features an almost complete face, adorned with a headdress and cobra symbol. The statue on the left has seen its legs partially restored, along with smaller figures at its base representing Amenhotep III’s wives, including Tiye, and his daughter Isis, whom he also married. Carvings on the thrones illustrate the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt.
During their work at the site, the experts also discovered nearly 300 extra sculptures and fragments, comprising two standing royal statues crafted from quartzite and around 280 pieces associated with a lion-headed deity. The ancient Egyptians produced art on an incredible scale, making it particularly thrilling to witness these long-damaged masterpieces revitalized.