Giant statue of Ramses II found in Cairo slum

Massive find: An Egyptian worker preparing to lift parts of the giant statue at the site of the discovery at the Souq Al-Khamis district in the Al-Matareya area in Cairo. — Xinhua

CAIRO: Archaeologists from Egypt and Germany have found a massive eight-metre statue submerged in ground water in a Cairo slum that they say probably depicts revered Pharaoh Ramses II, who ruled Egypt more than 3,000 years ago.

The discovery, hailed by the Antiquities Ministry as one of the most important ever, was made near the ruins of Ramses II’s temple in the ancient city of Heliopolis, located in the eastern part of modern-day Cairo.