海角大神

Buried treasure: huge statue of Egyptian king unearthed in Cairo neighborhood

Archaeologists say the 26-foot tall statue is likely a depiction of Pharaoh Ramses II, considered the most powerful ruler of ancient Egypt.

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A team of Egyptian and German archaeologists has discovered a towering 26-foot statue in a Cairo slum, a presumed depiction of Pharaoh Ramses II, Reuters reports on Thursday.

The colossus聽found submerged in mud in where the聽ancient city of Heliopolis once stood is 鈥渙ne of the most important discoveries ever,鈥� according to the Egyptian Antiquities Ministry.

The massive quartzite figure is聽"most probably Ramses II,"聽Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani told Reuters聽on Thursday at the site of the statue's unveiling,聽adding that the identity would have to be later confirmed once more of the statue is uncovered.

鈥淥n the discovered portions there is no inscription found that would make it possible to determine which聽king聽it is,鈥� Mr. Anani聽explained in a Facebook post on Thursday. 鈥淏ut its discovery in front of the gate of the temple of Pharaoh Ramses II suggests that聽.

In addition to the larger-than-life statue researchers also found a life-sized limestone statue of Pharaoh Seti II, Ramses II鈥檚 grandson.

Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, ruled more than 3,000 years ago in the 19th Dynasty. He is considered by historians to have been the most powerful and revered leader of ancient Egypt. Heading several military expeditions, he expanded the Egyptian Empire, stretching from Syria in the east to Nubia (today鈥檚 northern Sudan) in the south.聽

The area where the two statues were uncovered is currently the working-class neighborhood Matariya, located in the eastern part of modern-day Cairo. But in Ramses' day it was Heliopolis, believed to be the home of the Egyptian sun god Ra and the birthplace of the world, Aymen Ashmawy, the head of the Egyptian team on the dig, said.

"The sun god created the world in Heliopolis, in Matariya,"聽Dietrich Raue, head of the expedition's German team,聽told Reuters. "That's what I always tell the people here when they say is there anything important."聽

Monumental statues, temples, and obelisks were all built in Matariya, but kings never lived there because of the area鈥檚 ceremonial meaning,聽according to Dr. Raue.

Though Heliopolis was mostly destroyed during Greco-Roman times, with many of its temples and obelisks moved to Alexandria or to Europe, the researchers have been working in the ancient city聽聽under difficult conditions, according to the American Research Center in Egypt.聽

The team will now attempt to extract the remaining pieces of both statutes and restore them. The colossus, if successfully restored and proven to be of Ramses II, will be placed at the entrance of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, opening in 2018. Such a decision follows a 1983 law that mandates all artifacts uncovered on national territory聽the property of the state, as 海角大神 reported in November.聽

The northern African country has found itself caught in several scandals over preserving antiquities in recent years. An estimated $3 billion of antiquities were stolen during post-2011 political instability, while eight museum employees were charged with negligence in their聽problematic handling of King Tutankhamun鈥檚 mask聽last year. A Chinese tourist鈥檚 graffiti on one of Egypt鈥檚 grandest Pharaonic temples has also put聽the state鈥檚 ambivalent preservation efforts聽under scrutiny, as the Monitor鈥檚 Dan Murphy noted in 2013.

Amid the threats the Egyptian cultural sites face from looting, 鈥渟pace archaeologist鈥� Sarah Parcak developed聽a citizen science platform聽in February 2016 to recruit the public to help map uncatalouged archaeological sites in the Middle East.聽

鈥淭he reality is we are ,鈥� she said at the time, according to National Geographic.聽"By creating a 21st-century army of global explorers, we'll find and protect the world's hidden heritage, which contains humankind's collective resilience and creativity.鈥�

This report includes material from Reuters.聽