Colossi of Memnon

Have you ever visited Colossi of Menon before?

The two faceless Colossi of Memnon stand 18 meters tall above the plain, the first monuments on the west bank. Originally they represented Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Each is carved from one block of stone and weighs 1000 tonnes. They once stood at the eastern entrance to Amenophis III’s funerary temple the largest on the west bank Egyptologists are currently excavating the temple and you can see their discoveries behind the colossi and also there are another landmarks in luxor you should visit such as Valley of the Queens which is at the southern end of the theban hill side and New Gurna and Medinat Habu which is fronted by the sleepy village of kom lolah and backed by the theban moutain and Luxor Museum which has an amazing collection of antiquities from the end of old kingdom to the mamluk period

In Graeco-Roman times the colossi were a big tourist attraction. The statues were attributed to Memnon the African king who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War. The Greeks and Romans believed it was good luck to hear the whistling sound of the northern statue at sunrise. They thought it was Memnon greeting his mother Eos the goddess of the dawn who wept tears of dew for his untimely death. This was probably due to a crack in the colossus upper body which appeared after the 27 BC earthquake. As the morning sun baked the dew soaked stone sand particles would break off and resonate inside the crack. But after Septimus Severus repaired the statue in the 3rd century AD Memnon’s plaintive greeting was never heard again also there are another famous landmarks in luxor such as Tomb of Seti I which knwon as the best tomb in the valley and Tomb of Ramses VI (KV9) which is the grandest tomb in the valley of kings and Tomb of Tutankhamun KV (62) which is one of the smaalest in the valley and Tuthmosis III ( KV 34) which deeps in the hils Tomb of Tuthmosis IV ( KV 43) which one of the largest and deepest of the 18th dynasty and Tomb of Tawosret sethnakht (KV 14) which was the wife of of seti II

The colossi are just off the road before the Antiquities Inspectorate ticket office and are photographed and filmed by tourists all the time But few visitors know that these giant seated statues mark the entrance to an equally impressive funerary temple the largest in Egypt and the remains of which are slowly being uncovered there are Tomb of Ramsis III ( KV 11) which also known as user maat ra and Tomb of Nefertari which is the best in theban necropolis and all of egypt

Some of the temple behind the colossi still exists and more is being uncovered as the excavations continue. Many statues including the huge dyad of Amenhotep III and his wife Tiye which now dominates the central court of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo were taken away by other pharaohs. But much still lies beneath the sand. A stele in the Egyptian Museum describes the temple as being built of white sandstone with gold throughout a floor of silver and doors of electrum. No gold or silver has been found yet but the area behind the colossi is littered with statues and masonry that had been buried for centuries and there also another tombs such as Tomb of Amenhotep II ( KV 35) which ruled egypt around 1400 BC and Tomb of Horemheb ( KV 57) where it is famous for its bas relief and aslo there are another landmarks in another countries you can visit and you can book through Egypt Tours provide you with numerous suggestions and also if you want to travel with your family and spend quality time with them Egypt Family Tours give you mnany offers to choose from also if you want to be in a private tour you can book it through Egypt Private Tours give you also many recommendations also we have nile cruises you should try to book it you will be amazed such as Nile Cruise Luxor Aswan and Luxury Nile Cruises provide you with numerous suggestions also Nile Cruise from Luxor if you want to book cruise from luxor