My travel to Luxor - Part 3

The Colossi of Memnon

In the immense plain around Thebes between the Nile and the Vally of the Kings, one can still admire what remains of the monumental avenue which used to lead to the temple of  Amon - Ofis III. the temple has unfortunately disappeared and what remains are commonly referred to as the 'Colossi of Memnon". These two gigantic statues, 20 meters high with feet 2 meters long and 1 meter thick, were cut out of single blocks of sandstone and represent Pharoaoh seated on his throne with his hands on his knees. The more southerly colossus, although appreciably damaged, has suffered less than the other one. Certain legends have become attached to the later.  It would seem that in the year 27 B.C. an earthquake which shook all the monuments at Thebes split open this enormous block of stone and the upper half, down to the waist, fell to the ground. However some historians attribute this damage to the vandalism of Cambyses, which seems more likely as Egypt has never been a country prone to earth quakes.