Ramsis II wife statue unearthed
Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni said the lower part of a huge statue of one of the wives of king Ramses II was unearthed in Tal Basta in Al-Sharqiya governorate, 100 kilometers north of Cairo. The upper part of the statue was excavated some six months ago, added Hosni, noting the statue was discovered in front of the Ramses II temple in Tal Basta, which ancient Greek historian Herodotus described as one of the most beautiful temples in Egypt, where religious ceremonies were used to be held and attended by thousands of ancient Egyptians. Zahi Hawwas, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said the 100-tonne, 11-metre-high and three-metre-wide rosy granite statue was unearthed by the Egyptian German mission working in Tal Basta, adding an egyptian company was assigned to move the statue from its current location. Hawwas said the parts of the statue would be re-installed and restored to be placed of the archaeological area. The statue is one of the biggest of an ancient Egyptian royalty found in the archaeological site in the delta, northern Egypt. The source: The Egyptian State Information, 6-11-02.