3000-Year-Old Pharaoh Ramses II Statue Discovered In Cairo Slum

A group of German and Egyptian archaeologists made a massive discovery on March 9th – literally and figuratively. They found parts of a huge, 3000-year-old statue that is believed to portray the mythical Pharaoh Ramses II - buried in the Cairo slum of Matariya. The findings narrate a very old story of the world’s origins and possibly could start a new chapter for Egypt.

The recovered bust and head of the statue are 8 meters in length and made of quartzite. The upper part of a tinier statue, portraying Pharaoh Seti II (Ramses II’s grandson), and parts of an obelisk bearing hieroglyphics were also unearthed. Experts have already started restoring the artifacts, which will later be shown at the Grand Egyptian Museum set to open in 2018.

Ramses II is frequently thought to have been the greatest Pharaoh ever to lead the Egyptian Empire, and he claimed that the world was built in Heliopolis, modern-day Matariya. This recent historical unearthing could benefit in assisting the Egyptian tourism industry, that has gone through a lot over the last six years because of political controversy and terror attacks.