Egypt has unveiled the restored Colossi of Memnon in Luxor, completing a major archaeological project aimed at reviving one of ancient Egypt’s most important monuments and attracting more tourists. The two giant alabaster statues depict Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who ruled around 3,400 years ago during the height of Egypt’s New Kingdom. The restoration, which took nearly 20 years, involved reassembling hundreds of fragments after the statues were toppled by earthquakes more than a millennium ago. The work was led by an Egyptian-German archaeological mission under the supervision of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Officials say the project helps reconstruct the original grandeur of Amenhotep III’s vast mortuary temple, once among the largest religious complexes in Egypt.
Standing 14.5 metres and 13.6 metres tall, the statues sit at the entrance of the temple on the west bank of the Nile, facing east toward the river and the rising sun. They show the pharaoh seated in royal attire, with smaller figures of his wife, Queen Tiye, carved at his feet. The statues were carved from Egyptian alabaster quarried at Hatnub in Middle Egypt. Amenhotep III ruled from about 1390 to 1353 BCE, a period marked by peace, prosperity and extensive construction. His mortuary temple originally rivalled Karnak in scale, but was largely destroyed by earthquakes and flooding. Archaeologists say the restoration preserves some of the last standing remains of the complex.
The unveiling comes weeks after the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Pyramids, part of Egypt’s broader push to revive tourism after years of political instability and the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism remains a key pillar of the economy, contributing about 8% of GDP. Egypt welcomed a record 15.7 million visitors in 2024 and is aiming to reach 18 million this year, with a long-term goal of 30 million annual tourists by 2032.
