Ramses II Statue
- Address:Giza Plateau, Cairo
- Admission:Free
8:09 PM Friday, May 25
Partly sunny. Extremely hot.
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Ramses II was a the longest serving pharaoh in Ancient Egypt, reigning from 1279 BC to 1213 BC, a total of 66 years and 2 months. This made him a very powerful and significant man in history and it's not surprising he left behind so many huge statues of himself. One of these is the freestanding red granite statue reaching 36 ft (11 m) in height discovered by Giovanni Battista Caviglia in 1820 in Memphis, the ruined ancient capital city. It was broken into 6 pieces but in 1955 Egyptian President Nasser had it restored and installed in Cairo at Ramses Square. Pollution took its toll on the 3,200 year old sculpture however and in 2006 it was moved to Giza where it will be installed in the new Grand Egyptian Museum when that opens in 2013.
Other statues of Ramses II are found at Abu Simbel and Luxor. The British Museum also has one which was found at Thebes.
Latest Reviews All Ramses II Statue Reviews »
The tour was great, we wanted to go inside the big pyramid but couldn't get tickets, they get sold out very quickly. Instead, we bought tickets for the smaller pyramid, the tour guide told us it was exactly the same. The tour guide was very nice, she helped us get some really nice pictures. She asked us if we wanted to go to any shops, something we weren't asked before in other tours, I think that was good because we got to spend more time in other places. We really enjoyed the tour, these are places you could go by yourself but if you don't have enough time and don't feel like bargaining this tour is a must. Continue Reading »
Note Sign up for the "Giza, Sphinx, Memphis and SAKKARA" tour. Our tour guide was awesome. When she picked us up, she gave us a great history on the pyramids and timeline. She also explained that Sakkara was the oldest pyramid and that we could see Dahshur pyramid from there if we wanted to change our itinerary. It was great being on a private tour with just our family, the guide and driver. I am SOOOO glad we did it this way rather than go on a traditional tour with a busload of people. You get to spend as much time as you want, where you want. Also, you get to go shopping during the tour and our guide was very flexible about lunch which was a plus since we had our 8-year old with us. One note - if you want to ride the horses or camels, have your guide negotiate a good price for you. Also, you can go into the Great Pyramid, but make sure you let the travel agency know when you set up the pick-up time for this tour. The guide needs to get your tickets early it is an extra charge. They only allow 300 people inside the pyramid per day 150 in the morning, 150 in the afternoon. Unfortunately, we didn't know this and missed it - but apparently it is just an empty area anyway. Continue Reading »
Be prepared for the obligatory shopping stops that eat away some of your time, and the aggressive but not dangerous merchants that are present at all the sites. Great guide and driver. Skip the lunch Continue Reading »
Practical Info
The plateau of Giza is the site of the pyramids and the future location of the Grand Egyptian Museum. Until then the statue of Ramses II is undergoing restoration. Giza is best reached by tour bus or taxi.
