Foundation of Ramses II Obelisk installed in Tahrir Square

CAIRO - 2 February 2020: ET reveals a number of photos of Ramses II obelisk after being installed in Tahrir Square, one of the most famous squares in Egypt and the world.

The foundation of the obelisk was relocated to Tahrir Square from its original location in San el-Hagar archaeological region in Al-Sharqia Governorate on August 29, 2019, within the framework of the state’s plan to expose Egypt’s unique civilization to the world, and also in efforts to restore and beautify Tahrir Square.

The Ramses II obelisk was restored. Its base was installed first and then the obelisk will be installed after that. Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled el-Anani said that there is no danger to placing Ramses II obelisk in Tahrir Square.

“We will not place a single brick in any location in Egypt if there is any risk factor in doing so, as we are the guardians of the ancient Egyptian civilization, and we cannot put it at risk.” commented Anani.

Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri explained that the transfer process took place amid tight security measures by the Tourism and Antiquities Police, after the approval of the Permanent Committee of the Egyptian Antiquities within the framework of the government's plan to develop and renovate Tahrir Square to be a new toursitic hotspot within the archaeological and tourist attractions in the city of Cairo.

The different parts of the obelisk will be subject to restoration and re-assembly by a specialized team of restorers from the Ministry of Antiquities in Cairo, prior to permanently locating it in Tahrir Square.

Director of the Scientific Office of the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mohamed el-Saidy noted that the obelisk moved from San el-Hagar archaeological region in Al-Sharqia Governorate was divided into 8 parts. The upper part is pyramid shaped. When all the pieces are put together, the obelisk will reach a height of about 17 meters and will weigh about 90 tons.

It is carved from pink granite stone and is distinguished by the beauty of its inscriptions which depicts King Rameses II standing in front of a deity, in addition to the various titles of the king.

It is worth noting that the Ministry of Antiquities completed last September the works of the first stage of the development project of the ancient area of San el-Hagar. It restored, assembled, and erected two obelisks, two columns, and two statues at the Ramses II Temple, in addition to the restoration and lifting of some antique parts lying on the ground -since their discovery- on the terraces to protect them. The ministry also started financing the work of the second stage of the restoration, assembly and erection of a number of other obelisks, statues and columns in the ancient San el-Hagar area, which is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in the Delta and Al-Sharqia Governorate.

A few months ago, the Egyptian-French cooperation project was launched to raise the efficiency of services in the region, where France was able to provide a large amount to finance the development project, which will include the establishment of a visitor’s center in the region to provide instructions and facilities, in addition to developing informative panels on the site and creating electronic pages that provide more information and archival pictures illustrating the history of the area since it was discovered.