Rare Discovery: Massive Statue of Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Unearthed in Cairo Slums

A surprising find was unearthed in one of Cairo's slums. Archaeologist discovered a massive statue believed to be of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh.

Experts believe that the statue could be of pharaoh Ramses II. Ramses is one of the most popular ancient rulers of Egypt.

"We found the bust of the statue and the lower part of the head and now we removed the head and we found the crown and the right ear and a fragment of the right eye," Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said in an interview with Reuters.

The head alone is about eight meters. It took the German and Egyptian team a great effort to pull out the head by using a bulldozer to free the remnants from mixed mud and groundwater. The recent discovery is considered one of the greatest discoveries today and is regarded as "impressive" by experts.

"It was the main cultural place of ancient Egypt, even the bible mentions it," he said. "The sad news is that the whole area needs to be cleaned up, the sewers and market should be moved," Egyptologist Khaled Nabil Osman said in a statement.

Historically, Ramses ruled the country and Egypt holds a number of his effigies that archaeologists already unearthed around the country. Pharaoh Ramses the Great is known as the most powerful ruler of ancient Egypt. He ruled from 1279 to 1213 BCE.

Some notable statues are found in Luxor and Abu Simbel. Archeologists concurred that the statue head is that of Ramses due to the style that it posses. The depiction of the head is similar to how he was represented in previously known statues.

Aside from the massive gigantic head, parts of another statue were also discovered on the site. This means there are more to be discovered. Some even say that Egypt is still teaming with archaeological treasures that might remain hidden due to the political instability in the country.