Colossal Statue of Ramesses II

Ancient Egyptian This red granite colossus of Ramesses II once stood at the entrance to the Temple of Ptah in Memphis, ancient Egypt's first capital. Carved around 1250 BCE during the New Kingdom, the statue rises 11 meters tall and weighs approximately 83 tons. Ramesses commissioned hundreds of colossal statues throughout his 66-year reign, but this example ranks among the finest for its preserved details and imposing scale.

The statue lay fallen for centuries before being excavated in 1820. It spent decades displayed outdoors in Cairo's Ramesses Square, where pollution began damaging the ancient stone. In 2006, engineers moved the colossus at night through Cairo's streets to protect it from vibrations and heat. The twelve-hour journey covered just 400 meters, requiring a specially built frame and hydraulic lifts.

Now standing in the atrium of the Grand Egyptian Museum, the statue welcomes visitors as it once greeted worshippers at Memphis over three millennia ago.