Ramses flees for the suburbs

Ramses II, son of the Sun god, the greatest warrior king and the most prolific builder of ancient Egypt, has been defeated by the rumble and fumes of modern traffic.

His monumental pink granite statue outside Cairo central rail station has all but vanished within a sarcophagus of scaffolding erected to enable experts to prepare it for removal next year to a less polluted site outside the city.

Discovered in 1883 near Memphis, the ancient pharaonic capital, the statue was moved to Cairo in 1954 and has been a landmark ever since.

Posted by David on July 22, 2004 9:29 AM