Grandeur of Amenhotep restored
Nevine El-Aref , Friday 19 Dec 2025
The Funerary Temple of Amenhotep III on the West Bank of the Nile at Luxor has reclaimed much of its original grandeur with the re-erection of two of the king's colossal statues.
On Luxor's West Bank, a long-silenced monument is reclaiming its voice as newly reconstructed reliefs and statues at the Funerary Temple of King Amenhotep III mark a decisive step towards restoring one of ancient Egypt's grandest sacred landscapes.
Built in the first half of the 14th century BCE at the zenith of ancient Egypt's power and prosperity, the Funerary Temple of Amenhotep III, known in antiquity as the "Temple of Millions of Years", once stood as the largest of its kind, a monumental expression of royal authority, artistic mastery, and religious devotion.
Centuries of flooding, earthquakes, and stone quarrying have reduced much of the complex to scattered fragments.
In the 19th century CE collectors excavated the site and selected several of its royal statues and smaller divine effigies and goddess Sekhmet statues, which are now dispersed in the hands of private collectors or exhibited at museums abroad. At the beginning of the 20th century the Egyptian Antiquities Service inspected the site, and the last season of excavation work was carried out in collaboration with the Swiss Institute in 1964 and 1970 and the results published in 1981.
Since then, the site has been abandoned, and the visible remains of the Temple were lying fragmented in a poor conservation condition or buried in salty water, invaded by vegetation and threatened by encroachment and vandalism until 1998, when the Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project (CMATCP) began.
The project is the result of long-standing collaboration between Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo, the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz which joined the project this year, and international partners including the World Monuments Fund and World Monuments Watch, the American Research Center in Egypt, the Foundation Gandour pour L›Art, Association des Amis des coulisses de Memnon, Memnon Verein. Its objective has been to rescue, document, and restore what remains of the once-magnificent Funerary Temple of Amenhotep III.
Today, within the framework of the CMATCP a meticulous, science-led reconstruction effort is reversing that losses, piece by piece, with recent restorations signalling renewed momentum toward the Temple's broader revival. Fragmented blocks are being documented, analysed, and carefully reassembled to restore scenes depicting royal rituals, divine affiliations, and the ideology of kingship that defined Amenhotep III's era.
A pair of quartzite seated colossi have been raised at the gate of the second pylon, two quartzite standing royal statues have been lifted at the north gate of the temple precinct, and a standing colossus and a monumental stela have been reassembled and lifted in the peristyle court. Some 280 statues of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet have been found, documented and restored, awaiting to be put on display.
Early this week, the project reached a symbolic high point with the re-erection of two colossal statues of the king after nearly 20 years of excavations, documentation, restoration and reassembly, returning monumental royal images to their original setting at the temple's third pylon for the first time in generations.
The re-erection of these two colossi began in 2006, when conservation teams undertook an extensive programme of cleaning, restoration, and 3D digital documentation, carefully reassembling the dispersed blocks.
"These two colossi once stood in commanding symmetry at the gate of the temple's third pylon, forming one of the most distinctive sculptural ensembles of Amenhotep III's reign," said Hourig Sourouzian, director of the CMATCP.
Unlike most colossal statues of the period, which were typically carved from quartzite or sandstone, these figures were hewn from luminous Egyptian alabaster quarried at Hatnub in Middle Egypt, a rare and technically demanding choice that underscored both the king's wealth and the exceptional craftsmanship of his ateliers, she said.
Remarkably, the statues were not carved from single blocks alone but were partly completed through separately sculpted elements ingeniously slotted into a monolithic alabaster core, revealing an advanced understanding of stone working and assembly.
Each colossus, together with its alabaster plinth, originally rested on a massive pedestal of inscribed granodiorite blocks bearing texts that recorded the name of the temple and the source of the alabaster.
Around 1200 BCE, a powerful earthquake toppled the statues, leaving them shattered across the site; over time, parts were quarried away and the pedestals dispersed, with several blocks reused at Karnak. These displaced elements have since been retrieved and reintegrated into newly constructed pedestals as part of the modern restoration.
Today, the northern colossus reaches a total height of 14.5 metres, including plinth and pedestal, while its southern counterpart stands at 13.6 metres, both weighing 400 tons.
ROYAL IMAGE: The king is depicted enthroned in timeless majesty, hands resting flat upon his thighs, wearing the nemes headdress surmounted by the ancient Egyptian double crown, a pleated royal kilt, and a ceremonial striated beard, with the traditional bull's tail completing his regalia.
The composition is enriched by accompanying royal figures: beside the king's right leg stands his royal consort Queen Tiye clad in a close-fitting gown and holding a floral whisk and papyrus. On the southern colossus, she appears with a wide enveloping wig adorned with a vulture headdress and lotus fillet, once crowned by a modius supporting two tall plumes.
Near the king's left leg originally stood a statue of his mother, Queen Mutemuya, now lost, while between the king's legs remains the figure of Princess Isis, also bearing the honorific title of royal consort.
The throne sides are carved with the powerful sema-tawy motif symbolising the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt and shown through two Nile gods binding the papyrus and water lily. Subtle yet evocative traces of original pigments, reds and yellows on the queen's coiffures and collars, red on the uraeus once fixed to the brow of the northern colossus, offer rare glimpses of the statues' original polychromy, reminding visitors that these alabaster giants once stood not only as feats of scale and stone, but as vividly coloured embodiments of royal power and divine order.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy described the latest restorations as more than a technical triumph, describing them as a reaffirmation of Egypt's enduring responsibility towards its ancient legacy.
"These works represent a major achievement, and their re-erection is aimed at preserving and reviving one of the most important landmarks of ancient Egyptian civilisation," Fathy said, adding that the Project "reaffirms Egypt's unwavering commitment to protecting and safeguarding its cultural and archaeological heritage in accordance with the highest international standards."
He noted that the re-erection of both colossi reflects the depth of dedication shared by the multidisciplinary teams behind the project, emphasising that the results achieved so far are a source of national pride. He stressed that the progress made is rooted in a profound belief in the mission itself and in the exceptional historical weight of Egyptian civilisation, whose monuments continue to command global respect and scholarly attention.
"What we see today is the product of conviction, patience, and respect for history," he remarked, pointing to the restored elements rising once more from the West Bank landscape.
He also highlighted the long-standing Egyptian-German cooperation underpinning the project, describing it as a model of effective and balanced international partnership. He expressed the hope that this collaboration would continue in the years ahead, strengthening joint efforts to safeguard World Heritage Sites and advance scientific conservation practices that meet the highest professional benchmarks.
RESTORATION: Fathy paid tribute to the workers and specialists on the site, commending their perseverance under demanding conditions.
He noted that the handling and repositioning of thousands of tons of stone underscored the scale and complexity of the task and affirmed his full appreciation for the dedication and professionalism demonstrated throughout the project.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the SCA, underscored that all the restoration work was carried out in strict accordance with internationally recognised conservation standards. He explained that the materials used were carefully selected to be fully compatible with the original stone, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the monuments while taking into account the site's environmental and climatic conditions.
Khaled described the reinstallation of the statues as a pivotal milestone within a wider integrated strategy to revive and enhance archaeological sites across Luxor's West Bank. He noted that this approach extends beyond a single monument, pointing to ongoing projects such as the restoration of the first pylon of the Ramesseum Temple, as well as advanced scientific studies evaluating the conservation status of Queen Nefertari's tomb, with the objective of reopening it to visitors under carefully controlled conditions.
Director of the German Archeological Institute in Cairo, Dietrich Raue described the undertaking as one of the largest and most significant joint archaeological projects of its kind, involving an exceptionally broad range of complex works executed through close and sustained cooperation.
He emphasised that the achievement was the result of a collective effort by an international and national team of Egyptian and foreign specialists, highlighting in particular the role of the American Research Centre in supporting the groundwater reduction project across the area, a decisive intervention that reduced the site's groundwater level by nearly three metres.
This engineering feat proved critical in stabilising the ground and enabling the safe recovery and long-term preservation of monuments that had remained submerged for centuries beneath accumulated silt and moisture.
Nairy Habikian, an architect and manager of the site, highlighted the complex challenges that have shaped the Project over the past years, pointing in particular to the persistent fluctuation of groundwater levels, both rising and falling, which posed a constant threat to the stability of the archaeological remains.
Addressing this issue, she explained, had required carefully calibrated engineering and technical solutions to ensure the long-term protection of the site.
Beyond its conservation objectives, Habikian emphasised that the project has played a vital role in building national expertise. More than 30 Egyptian conservators were trained and professionally qualified, while approximately 10 architects were integrated into archaeological work, reflecting a purposeful investment in human capital.
This progress, she noted, was achieved through a dynamic and complementary partnership that effectively combined Egyptian and international experience.
She also commended the cooperation between the SCA and the German Archaeological Institute, in place since 1998, describing it as a cornerstone of the project's success. According to Habikian, the outcomes achieved at the site represent an unprecedented advance in both restoration and capacity building, offering a model for joint archaeological work and international collaboration.
This week's ceremony also carried a deeply human dimension, as Fathy paid tribute to Sourouzian, honouring her decades-long dedication to the site. In recognition of her exceptional contributions, she was presented with a certificate of appreciation and a replica of the goddess Sekhmet, an emblematic choice, given that more than 280 statues of the lion-headed deity were discovered, restored, and meticulously documented during the course of the project.
Together, these achievements underscore a broader vision that extends beyond the restoration of individual statues or structures. They reflect a sustained commitment to safeguarding Egypt's archaeological heritage through science-driven conservation, international collaboration, and the cultivation of national expertise.
As the colossi of Amenhotep III once again command the West Bank skyline, they stand not only as resurrected monuments of a glorious past, but also as enduring symbols of a living heritage, one carefully preserved for future generations and firmly reintegrated into the cultural and historical narrative of Luxor and the world.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 18 December, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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