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Tuesday, 16 September 2008

Rames II temple discovered in Cairo

Source: ABC

An Egyptian archaeological team has unearthed a temple and parts of a statue belonging to one of Egypt's most famous pharaohs, in a rare find inside the capital, the official MENA agency has reported.

A temple built for 19th dynasty King Ramses II was found in the Ain Shams area in east Cairo, MENA said. "The team also found parts of a giant statue of Ramses II, and large slabs of limestone used to build the temple."

In 2006, one of Cairo's landmarks, a colossal 100 tonne, 11 metre high pink granite statue of Ramses II, was moved from the polluted city to a spot near the pyramids and closer to its original site. Ramses II reigned over Egypt for around 68 years, from 1304 to 1237 BC and is believed to have lived to the age of 90.

He covered the country with monuments to his exploits and his mummy, on display in the National Museum in Cairo, is one of the country's biggest tourist attractions.