CAIRO, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Two towering alabaster statues of ancient Egyptian King Amenhotep III were formally unveiled on Sunday, marking a major milestone in a decades-long conservation effort at the pharaoh's sprawling mortuary temple on the west bank of Luxor.
The colossal monuments, which depict the king seated, have been restored, reassembled, and returned to their original positions at the temple's third pylon, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced in a statement.
Dating back to the 14th century B.C., the restored figures stand as imposing testaments to the New Kingdom's architectural ambition, each measuring around 14 meters in height.
The re-erection ceremony was attended by Sherif Fathy, Egypt's minister of tourism and antiquities, who hailed the conservation work as "a major achievement and a distinguished effort aimed at preserving and reviving one of the most important landmarks of the ancient Egyptian civilization." He emphasized the project's contribution to solidifying Luxor's standing as a premier global cultural and tourism destination.
The meticulous restoration was executed under the auspices of the Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project. Launched in 1998, the initiative is a collaboration between Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, noted that the comprehensive work, from restoration, documentation, to reassembly and re-erection, took nearly two decades. He assured the public that the process adhered to "the latest scientific methods and internationally approved standards in the field of archaeological conservation." ■