Archeologists reassemble Ramses II statue in Egypt's Sohag

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Egyptian archeologists have pieced together 70 fragments to revive a large statue of Ramses II in the upper Egypt's province of Sohag on Friday.

Ramses II was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt and was considered the strongest pharaoh of the New Kingdom that spans from the 16th century BC to the 11th century BC.

"The restoration work took six months from the Egyptian conservators and restorers," Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri said, noting that "it was a miracle to finish revival of the 12-meter high and 43-ton weight statue in a short period."

Egypt's Minister of Antiquities, Khaled al-Anany, hoped that revealing the statute along with a tomb discovery in the city of Akhmim will attract more tourists to the Sohag region, about 390 kilometers south of Cairo.

Kholod Hussein, restoration specialist at Akhmim site, said, "The statute fragments have been scattered within the site for many years."

Newly renovated statue of Ramses II (L), from 70 broken pieces to a full colossus, Sohag, Egypt, April 5, 2019. /VCG Photo

"I have never imagined those tiny pieces would be brought collectively in one bloc," Hussein told Xinhua.

The female restorer was one of a 14-member team who worked daily for more than 12 hours.

She deemed the ceremony of unveiling the statue as "her wedding party."

Hussein said arranging pieces while ascending the statue with robes was the most difficult part for her especially during cold nights.

Meanwhile, Mahmoud Refai, another restorer pointed out the team has collected the statue on the ground first. Then they started to organize the pieces from the lower part of the body.

He stressed all the members of the team are from Sohag province.

"We have been born surrounded by this great heritage and our job now is to preserve it for the coming generations," he added.

(Top image: Newly renovated statue of Ramses II, from 70 broken pieces to a full colossus, Sohag, Egypt, April 5, 2019. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency