In a wonderful ceremony, Ramses II’s colossal statue was paraded to its new location at the entrance hall of the Grand Egyptian Museum, where it will remain standing to welcome the visitors to the museum that is expected to be open in 2018. The statue used to stand in the heart of Cairo, since 1956, in Ramses Square, next to the historical train station. In 2006, Dr. Hawass, as the Head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and Minister Farouk Hosny, the then Minister of Culture, organized the moving of the colossal statue to a location next to the Grand Egyptian Museum, to wait for the final preparation of the hall that will ultimately host the statue. Since 2006, it has been standing near the construction site of the Grand Egyptian Museum, until last week, when it was moved in a spectacular parade, fit for a king. Dr. Hawass attended the ceremonies and spoke to the press about the importance of Ramses II and the huge statue that once upon a time adorned the temple at the ancient city of Memphis.
