Why is the Colossi of Memnon important?
Egypt knew as the Pharaonic land because of its great Pharaonic civilization because of Colossi of Memnon and alot of temples.
Hurry up to find out Museum of Luxor
Pharaonic destinations in Egypt are many and distributed in many cities.
The pyramids and tombs built for their beliefs in life after death.
They also imported to build the temples because of the importance of their religions and their gods.
That is why the importance of Luxor is great because it contains most of the monuments of Egypt and the world.
One of the important monuments in Luxor is the Colossi of Memnon.
Colossi of Memnon dedicated to King Amenophis III.
The History of the Colossi of Memmon Egypt
Amenophis III was the Pharaoh IX of the XVIII dynasty of the New Empire.
The Colossi of Memnon are two giant statues representing Amenophis III.
They built by the architect Amenhotep “son of Hapu” by the order of Amenophis III.
The statues built with granite from the quarries of Al-Jabal Al-Ahmer (the red mountain), near Cairo, 675 km from Luxor.
They moved by boat (consisting of 8 boats joined together) from the construction site to Luxor “Thebes”.
The statues damaged by the annual flooding of the Nile and in 27 BC they destroyed by an earthquake.
It is erected by Amenhotep III’s
Colossi of Memnon purpose
to stand guard at the entrance to Amenhotep’s memorial temple.
These statues represent King Amenophis III on his throne.
The Colossi of memnon height are 14 meters high and 700 tons, and Their pedestals are 4 m high and 600 tons.
In total, they are 18 m high and 1300 tons, discover now Temples of Abu Simbel
Their original height was 21 m but they lost some parts of their heads.
Next to the statues’ legs are two small statues representing their mother “Mutemuia” and her daughter “Tiy”.
On the throne of the statues, there are hieroglyphic inscriptions and symbols of the god Hapi.
Colossi of Memnon sound
For many years, every morning the giant statues in Colossi of Memnon made a sound like a moan or a song.
It said that the sound was the moan of the goddess Aurora over the death of her son Memnon.
But the explanation for these sounds is the cracks in the stone, and after repairing them, the sound disappeared.
Why is it called Colossi Memnon?
The first Greeks named the statues of Amenophis III after Memnon.
According to the legend, Memnon was the son of the goddess Aurora and Titon.
Memnon became the King of Ethiopia and then fought in the Trojan War.
Memnon killed by Achilles and The moan of his mother Aurora at dawn is the sound of the Colossians.
What was the Colossi of Memnon used for?
The Colossi of Memnon built to protect the funerary Temple of Amenophis III, which was the great temple at the Luxor.
This temple built with adobe and had many statues and monuments.
Due to the destruction of the temple in 1200 b.c., its walls, statues, and decorations are missing.
The mud of its ruins used in the construction of the other temples of Luxor.
The statues are six, the second couples are 15 meters high and the third is 15 meters high
But the most famous are the Colossi of Memnon.
Colossi Materials used blocks of quartzite sandstone
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To visit most of the temples of Egypt that are in Luxor and learn about the magical civilization of this pharaonic land, check our Egypt travel packages or Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan and choose a dream trip organized by Jakada Egypt Tours.
