Egypt places the Colossus of Ramses II in the atrium of the new museum (update)

A drone hovers as a statue of Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II is relocated to the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Great Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt on Thursday, January 25, 2018. The opening of the museum is planned for the end of this year. Arabic at the top reads, “Long live Egypt.” (AP Photo / Amr Nabil)

With great enthusiasm, Egypt placed the ancient statue of one of its most famous pharaohs, Ramses II, in the entrance hall of a new museum of antiquities under construction near the Pyramids of Giza, just outside Cairo.

This was the fourth time the 3,300 year old statue had been moved. It was first discovered near ancient Memphis in 1820 by Giovanni Battista Caviglia, an Italian explorer and Egyptologist who was also a key figure in the excavation of the Sphinx of Giza.

Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, ruled Egypt for about 60 years, from 1279 BC. Until 1213 BC He is credited with extending the reach of ancient Egypt to modern Syria in the east and modern Sudan in the south.

The placement of the colossus, weighing over 80 tons and towers at a height of about 12 meters, took place as part of a ceremony attended by Egyptian officials and foreign diplomats.

The massive statue, which has graced Ramsis Square, named after the statue, in downtown Cairo for over 50 years, was placed in an iron cage suspended from a steel bridge like a pendulum, about 400 meters from where it was formerly stood on the museum grounds.

“We are celebrating the arrival of the first artifact at its final location in the atrium of the Grand Egyptian Museum,” said Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani, referring to the colossus.

Egypt placed the Colossus of Ramses II at the entrance of the new museum

A giant statue of Pharaoh Ramses II arrives in the atrium of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo on Thursday, January 25, 2018. The museum is slated to open this year. Arabic reads, “Long Live Egypt.” (AP Photo / Amr Nabil)

The relocation of the colossus cost 13.6 million Egyptian pounds, according to al-Anani, which is about $ 770,000 today, and involved a military corps of engineers and a contractor.

Al-Anani said the museum’s entrance hall will also house 87 other artifacts, including 43 massive statues. He said the first phase of the new museum, including the atrium, will be inaugurated later this year. The opening of the new museum is expected to take place in 2022.

The museum is approximately 490,000 square feet and will house some of Egypt’s most unique and valuable artifacts, including many that belong to the famous boy King Tutankhamun.

Egypt hopes the inauguration of the new museum, along with a number of recent discoveries, will help fuel a major tourism industry shaken by the political turmoil in Egypt following the 2011 popular uprising that overthrew longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak is.

Thursday marked the seventh anniversary of the uprising in Egypt.

  • Egypt placed the Colossus of Ramses II at the entrance of the new museum

    A man poses for a selfie with a statue of ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II housed at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt on Thursday, January 25, 2018. The opening of the museum is planned for the end of this year. (AP Photo / Amr Nabil)

  • Egypt placed the Colossus of Ramses II at the entrance of the new museum

    A statue of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II is surrounded by honor guards housed at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt on Thursday, January 25, 2018. The opening of the museum is planned for the end of this year. (AP Photo / Amr Nabil)

  • Egypt placed the Colossus of Ramses II at the entrance of the new museum

    A statue of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II is surrounded by honor guards housed at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt on Thursday, January 25, 2018. The opening of the museum is planned for the end of this year. (AP Photo / Amr Nabil)

  • Egypt places the Colossus of Ramses II at the entrance of the new museum

    A giant statue of Pharaoh Ramses II arrives in the atrium of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo on Thursday, January 25, 2018. The museum is slated to open this year. Arabic reads, “Long Live Egypt.” (AP Photo / Amr Nabil)

  • Egypt placed the Colossus of Ramses II at the entrance of the new museum

    The cameramen are filming a giant statue of Pharaoh Ramses II, which is housed in the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt on Thursday, January 25, 2018. The opening of the museum is planned for the end of this year. Arabic reads, “Long live Egypt.” (AP Photo / Amr Nabil)

  • Egypt placed the Colossus of Ramses II at the entrance of the new museum

    A drone films a giant statue of Pharaoh Ramses II housed at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt on Thursday, January 25, 2018. The opening of the museum is planned for the end of this year. (AP Photo / Amr Nabil)

  • Egypt places the Colossus of Ramses II at the entrance of the new museum

    The statue of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II is surrounded by guards of honor that are due to be exhibited in a permanent location at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Cairo, Egypt on Thursday, January 25, 2018. (AP Photo / Amr Nabil)

The recently excavated Egyptian statue is not Ramses II

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