Monday, February 27, 2006

Pharaonic temple discovered in Cairo

http://tinyurl.com/ejf2e (The Globe and Mail)
"Archeologists discovered a pharaonic sun temple with large statues believed to be of King Ramses II under an outdoor marketplace in Cairo, Egypt's antiquities chief said Sunday. The partially uncovered site is the largest sun temple ever found in the capital's Aim Shams and Matariya districts, where the ancient city of Heliopolis — the centre of pharaonic sun worship — was located, Zahi Hawass said. Among the artifacts was a pink granite statue weighing 4 to 5 tonnes whose features 'resemble those of Ramses II,' said Dr. Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Also found was a two-metre-high statue of a seated figure with hieroglyphics that include three tablets with the name of Ramses II — and a 3-tonne head of royal statue, the council said in a statement."
See the above page for the full story and location.

Also covered by:
Yahoo! News (with thanks to Carolin Johansson for sending me the links)
Reuters
The Egyptian Gazette

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