Colossi of Memnon dates back to the 18th Dynasty to the reign of King Amenhotep III. It is located in front of the funerary temple of Amenhotep III on the west bank of the Nile River in the city of Luxor.
The height of the statue is 20 meters. They are made of sandstone cut from Selsa Mountain.
The northern statue represents King Amenhotep III with his mother, but the southern statue depicts Amenhotep III with his wife and daughter.
Colossi of Memnon is famous due to the legend of the northern statue
This legend said that an earthquake that occurred in 27 BC caused cracks in the northern statue. These cracks used to make crying sounds when the air of dawn passed through the statue. Because of the dewdrops in the morning, drops formed as tears on the statue, which made the Greeks associated the crying sounds and the drops of dew with the crying of Memnon’s mother, the Greek hero who was killed in the Trojan War. So the two statues were called the Colossi of Memnon.
The Roman Emperor Septimius Severus restored the northern statue in199, so the crying sounds had stopped.
you can visit Colossi of Memnon with Cairo and Luxor Tour in 5 Days
