What’s so important about the Colossi of Memnon?
Egypt was known as the Land of the Pharaohs because of the great civilization of the Pharaohs. The Colossi of Memnon and a lot of temples are proof of this.
Quick, find out about the Museum of Luxor
Egypt has a lot of pharaonic sites in many cities.
The pyramids and tombs were made because people thought there was life after death.
They also brought in things to build temples because their religions and gods were very important to them.
Because of this, Luxor is very important because it is home to most of Egypt’s and the world’s most important monuments.
The Colossi of Memnon is one of the most important sights in Luxor.
King Amenophis III had the Colossi of Memnon made.
Egypt’s Colossi of Memmon: A Brief History
Amenophis III was the ninth Pharaoh of the New Empire’s XVIIIth dynasty.
Amenophis III is shown by two huge statues called the Colossi of Memnon.
Amenophis III told the architect Amenhotep “son of Hapu” to build them.
The statues were made with granite from the quarries of Al-Jabal Al-Ahmer (the red mountain), which is near Cairo and 675 km from Luxor.
From the building site to Luxor “Thebes,” they took a boat made of 8 boats joined together.
The statues were broken when the Nile flooded every year, and in 27 BC, an earthquake destroyed them.
Amenhotep III’s people built it.
goal of the Colossi of Memnon
to keep watch at the entrance to the memorial temple for Amenhotep.
King Amenophis III is shown here on his throne by these statues.
The Colossi of Memnon are 14 metres tall and weigh 700 tonnes. Their bases are 4 metres tall and weigh 600 tonnes.
Find out more about the Temples of Abu Simbel, which are 18 m tall and weigh 1300 tonnes.
They used to be 21 m tall, but they lost parts of their heads over time.
Two small statues of “Mutemuia” and “Tiy,” the statues’ mother and daughter, stand next to the statues’ legs.
There are hieroglyphic writings and symbols of the god Hapi on the thrones of the statues.
The Colossi of Memnon make a
Every morning for a long time, the huge statues at Colossi of Memnon made a sound that sounded like a moan or a song.
It was said that the sound was the goddess Aurora crying because her son Memnon had died.
But the cracks in the stone are what are making these sounds, and when they were fixed, the sounds stopped.
How did it get the name Colossi Memnon?
The first Greeks gave Memnon’s name to the statues of Amenophis III.
The legend says that Memnon was the child of the goddess Aurora and the god Titon.
Memnon became King of Ethiopia and then fought in the Trojan War.
Memnon was killed by Achilles, and the sound of the Colossians is the moaning of his mother Aurora at dawn.
What did people do with the Colossi of Memnon?
The Colossi of Memnon were built to protect the great temple at Luxor, which was the tomb of Amenophis III.
This temple was made of adobe, and it had a lot of statues and other monuments.
Since the temple was destroyed in 1200 B.C., its walls, statues, and other decorations are no longer there.
The mud from its ruins was used to build other temples in Luxor.
There are six statues. The second pair is 15 metres tall, and the third is also 15 metres tall.
But the Colossi of Memnon are the most well known.
Quartzite sandstone blocks were used to make the Colossi.
Explore Egypt with Egypt via travel.
Check out Egypt via travel packages or Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan and choose a dream trip organised by Egypt via travel to see most of Egypt’s temples and learn about the magical civilization of this pharaonic land.
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