CAIRO — Mustafa al-Waziri, the Secretary-Normal of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), not too long ago revealed the invention of recent stone ram heads throughout excavation work on the Avenue of Sphinxes (often known as el-Kebash Street).
In a Facebook post on Oct. 7, Waziri posted images of the newly discovered stone ram heads and different stone statues.
“The archaeological mission working in el-Assasif space on the western mainland within the Luxor governorate discovered three ram heads. The mission continues its excavation work within the space as a part of the venture to revive el-Kebash Street, which is predicted to open within the coming weeks,” Waziri informed Al-Monitor.
One of many heads he stated, belongs to King Amenhotep III, “because the ram head accommodates the horn, the attention and the outlet by which the cobra is positioned.” Amenhotep III’s crown had holes for the snake.
“The ram heads are anticipated to be positioned on the our bodies of the statues alongside the street,” he famous.
In a Fb statement on Oct. 11, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities introduced “the beginning of restoration work on the newly discovered stone ram heads on the Nice Processional Means [another name for el-Kebash Road], as a part of the archaeological excavations ongoing south of the Karnak temples on the gate of Ptolemy III Euergetes.”
The 3,000-year-old Nice Processional Means (el-Kebash Street) connects the Luxor Temple with the Karnak Temple. The sandstone street is lined on either side with statues within the type of a sphinx with the top of a ram.
“El-Kebash Street is an open museum that connects the Karnak and Luxor temples, stretching over 2.7 kilometers,” Waziri informed Al-Monitor. “98% of the works are accomplished” on restoring the street. “The cleansing and restoration of the temples on the location are at present being carried out. To this point, the colours that had been first used after the development of the temples by historical Egyptians have been restored.”
The opening ceremony, he stated, can be “a historic occasion to spotlight the sweetness, appeal, and historical past of Luxor, and its vacationer and archaeological potentials to the world, with the intention of attracting vacationers from all around the world.”
On Oct. 8, the each day Egyptian information web site Youm7 published current images of el-Kebash Street at nighttime, explaining that gentle gear has been put in on either side of the street. In the meantime, videos of rehearsals for the opening ceremony made the rounds on social media.
Mustafa al-Saghir, who’s overseeing el-Kebash Street venture, praised the event initiatives and concrete shift within the areas surrounding archaeological websites, which helps enhance the vacationer expertise. “The el-Kebash Street restoration venture will contribute to reviving cultural and archaeological tourism in Luxor,” Saghir informed Al-Monitor.
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has not but introduced a last date for the opening of el-Kebash Street. However in accordance with local newspapers that quoted authorities sources, the opening ceremony will happen on Nov. 4 throughout a big pharaonic celebration within the presence of international ambassadors and Egyptian officers and can be broadcast reside by native and worldwide media retailers.
On Sept. 29, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anani met with the corporate in command of the opening ceremony and with the archaeological committee in command of the restoration venture. Through the assembly, he displayed a collection of uncommon images from the nineteenth century displaying the historical past of the Karnak and Luxor temples, and the street connecting the 2. The images can be part of the exhibition in particular spots alongside the street.
Abdel Rahim Rihan, an Egyptian archaeologist, informed Al-Monitor, “The invention of the brand new stone ram heads within the excavation space in Luxor is one other commercial for one in every of Egypt’s largest initiatives in Luxor.”
The ram was a logo of the god Amun Ra, Rihan stated, and “Among the statues alongside the street present Amun Ra crouched on a excessive base, with the physique of a lion and the top of a ram. The identify of the king and his titles are engraved on the backside of the statue [for protection].”
The opening ceremony, Rihan stated, needs to be “a significant unprecedented celebration alongside el-Kebash Street, in addition to the Opet Festival, which was an historical celebration that was held yearly within the metropolis of Thebes.”
Hussein Abdel Basir, an Egyptologist and director of the Museum of Antiquities of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, informed Al-Monitor that the invention of the brand new stone rams “provides extra significance to el-Kebash Street’s opening ceremony” and might appeal to extra vacationers to Luxor.
He expects “the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to arrange an enormous occasion, just like the procession of the royal mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Sq. to the Nationwide Museum of Civilization.”
