Scientists discover huge statue of Egyptian pharaoh

New Delhi: Scientists in Cairo have discovered an extremely large statue, possibly depicting Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses the Great, has been unearthed in a muddy pit in a Cairo suburb.

The fragments of the quartzite statue were found by Egyptian and German archaeologists in the heavily populated Ain Shams and Matariya districts.

According to Egypt's antiquities ministry, the statue was discovered in a courtyard near the ruins of the sun temple founded by Ramses II, better known as Ramesses the Great.

"We found two big fragments so far, covering the head and the chest," said Dietrich Raue, head of the German archaeological team that discovered the statue.

"As of yet, we do not have the base and the legs as well as the kilt," said Raue, a curator at the Egyptian Museum of the University of Leipzig in Germany.

Raue estimates that the statue is about eight meters tall, 'Live Science' reported.

Although the researchers did not find any artifacts or engravings that could identify the subject of the colossal sculpture, its location in front of Ramesses II's temple suggests that it could have belonged to the pharaoh.

Ramesses II was the third king of Egypt's 19th dynasty, who ruled for 66 years.

(With PTI inputs)