EGYPTIAN PHARAOH STATUES RESTORED AFTER SURVIVING EARTHQUAKE OVER A THOUSAND YEARS AGO

More than 1,200 years after being shattered by an earthquake, the two alabaster statues of Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III, known as the Colossi of Memnon, have been largely restored. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities recently presented the newly conserved 30-foot-tall monuments at the entrance to the ancient king's 86-acre burial place near Luxor.

King Amenhotep III ruled Egypt from 1388 to 1349 BCE, during one of the civilisation's most successful and powerful periods. He was the ninth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty and was so strong that he was revered as a deity while alive.

The Colossi of Memnon were first created approximately 1350 BCE, more than 3,000 years ago, to guard the king's massive funerary temple on the Nile's west bank. They were both carved from Egyptian alabaster quarried in Hatnub, Middle Egypt, and show Amenhotep III facing east, wearing the striped nemes hat associated with monarchy and the gods.

Amenhotep III's tomb complex collapsed due to an earthquake about 150 years after his death. Then, in 27 CE, another earthquake damaged the Colossi of Memnon, cracking the northern statue and causing it to make "singing" sounds at dawn, attracting curious visitors to the site.

Major restoration work began in 1989 with a project led by Tokyo's Waseda University, which was later expanded through a collaboration between Egyptian authorities, the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and the World Monument Fund. According to German Egyptologist Hourig Sourouzian, the crew discovered numerous shards of the Colossi scattered over the site. Since 2006, they've been carefully cleaning, restoring, and 3D-scanning the statues, putting them back together with original shards and modern supports designed to assure long-term stability while remaining true to the statue's original form.

Today, the Colossi of Memnon remain approximately 45 feet tall in their original settings. The figure on the right features an almost whole face, complete with a headdress and cobra emblem. The statue on the left has had its legs partially rebuilt, and the smaller statues at its feet depict Amenhotep III's wives, notably Tiye, and his daughter Isis, whom he also married. The carvings along the thrones portray the union of Upper and Lower Egypt.

While digging on the site, the specialists discovered about 300 other sculptures and fragments, including two standing royal statues carved from quartzite and approximately 280 pieces belonging to a lion-headed deity. The ancient Egyptians created art on a massive scale, so it's especially amazing to see these long-damaged works brought back to life.