Colossi of Memnon, Luxor

The great Colossi of Memnos, set by the faraon Ehnaton. They are on the way to Karnak, quite close and usualy on the organized tours, this is the first thing you'll be taken to see. All the buses are going there together, more than 200 buses in the queue, accompanied by the police, after the tragic event of the death of tourists in Luxor in 1997.

The Colossi of Memnon are two giant statues on the west bank of Luxor. They are made from quartzose sandstone and stand about 23 metres tall.

They were originally built to guard a temple, that no longer exists, and these days look quite magnificent standing alone by the side of the road. Each statue is seated and rests on a huge granite plinth.

There are a few other remains at the site, including two headless sphinxes.

You can't miss these huge statues, as they are on the main road, and it is easy to pull into the parking area for a quick look, and some photos of course!!

These two large statues (each 17 metres high) are all that remains of the largest Theban temple, the temple of Amenophis III. These statues became a popular sight, due to a strange phenomenon: one made like a groaning sound at dawn, which the ancient Greeks interpreted as a call from the hero Memnon, to his mother Dawn. The sound was really caused by the air warmed by the sun passing through a crack in the statue, and stopped once the monument was restored in the 2nd Century AD

Two huge sculptures in the middle of nowhere. Once there was a temple behind them, but only these two stone-guards have survived the long long years. It was a tourist attraction already in the Roman era! As the story says, in the old time one of the sculptures "cried" every morning as the sun rose.

This is the best way to see the Collossi of Memnon..... from the air.
We went on a hot air balloon ride with Hod Hod Balloons. the best company to use.

This is one of the amazing sights we saw from the air.

Perhaps the most imposing monument on the West Bank at Luxor are the famous 'Colossi of Memnon'. These massive statues which once flanked the entrance to Amenhotep III's mortuary temple now stand virtually alone in a field at the side of the road to the valley of the kings. Unfortunately the condition of the statues is not good. This is mainly caused by the soft nature of the stone from which they are made, combined with ancient Earthquake damage. Rising groundwater levels may also pose a risk to the site.

The Legend of Memnon

The Memnon legend was attached to the northern (right one) of the two statues by the Greeks. A fissure ran through the statue and when the ancient stone was warmed by the early morning rays of th sun it was heard to give an eerie moan. The Ancient Greeks thought that the statue represented King Memnon, and the sound was him greeting his mother Eos.

Unfortunately attempts were made to repair the statue by the Romans, and since this time the Colossi have been silent.

These two giant statues of Amenhotep III are all that remains of a large mortuary temple at the side of the road on the west bank.
Standing at 59feet and although damaged by earthquake, flood and the elements the colossi are an impressive sight surrounded by fields of sugar cane.
The smaller figures carved at the feet of Amenhotep sre his wife Tiye and his mother Mutemuia.

Along our way back from Hatshetsup's Temple and the Valley of the Kings, we stopped along at what appeared to be a small rest stop. It was actually an area dedicated to the Colossi of Memnon.

Ancient Egyptians called the southern of the two statues "Ruler of Rulers". Later travelers called them "Shammy and "Tammy", which may have been a corruption of the Arabic words for "left" and "right". Today they are known locally as "el-Colossat", or "es-Salamat".