Farmer Unearths Stunning Ramesses the Great Statues, Igniting Ancient Egyptian Mystery
Ever wonder what happens when you’re just minding your own business, surveying your land, and suddenly you stumble upon a mysterious pink rock that’s clearly not from around here? Well, that’s exactly what happened to Khaled al-Shahat, an Egyptian farmer who, by the wildest twist of fate, uncovered not one but two enormous statue heads of Ramesses II—yes, the ancient pharaoh who ruled over 3,200 years ago and apparently had quite the flair for colossal art. Talk about finding a needle in a haystack! These towering heads, complete with royal insignia, hint at statues that might’ve once towered nearly 30 feet tall—leaving me to wonder: what other hidden giants are waiting just beneath our feet, begging to rewrite history? Grab your virtual shovels; this discovery is just the tip of an archaeological iceberg. LEARN MORE
Khaled al-Shahat was surveying his property in Behbeit El-Hagar when he found a peculiar pink rock that looked out of place — and soon led to the discovery of two enormous statue heads.
Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesAfter the farmer found a rock with hieroglyphics on it, he contacted archaeological officials who fully unearthed two statue heads of the beloved pharaoh who ruled 3,200 years ago.
An Egyptian farmer named Khaled al-Shahat was surveying his land in the Nile Delta when he spotted something out of the ordinary: a pink rock peeking out from beneath the dusty ground.
After alerting the authorities, archaeologists came to his land in the village of Behbeit El-Hagar and discovered the remains of two statues of Ramesses II, the legendary ancient pharaoh who had one of the longest reigns in Egyptian history.
The Accidental Discovery Of Two Statue Heads Depicting Ramesses The Great
Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesWith the heads measuring about five feet tall, experts estimate that the complete statues would have reached heights of almost 30 feet.
“I was working on my land on Friday when I came across an unusual stone,” al-Shahat told CBS News. “I informed the relevant authorities, and they came to examine it.”
According to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, archaeologists found two heads that once sat atop grandiose statues paying tribute to the ancient pharaoh Ramesses the Great.
Based on the size of one head, which measures about five feet high, archaeologists determined that the larger of the two statues stood around 28 feet tall in its glory days.
This statue head was also wearing the double crown that symbolizes the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. The team furthermore discovered an upper fragment of this statue’s back pillar, which features a hieroglyphic inscription that identifies the pharaoh’s Horus name (a particular kind of royal moniker used in ancient Egypt) as “Hor-Ka-Nakht-Mery-Maat.”
Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesA pink granite block was found near the statue remains, featuring the inscriptions “Nesw-Bity” (King of Upper and Lower Egypt) and “Sa-Ra” (Son of Ra, the sun god).
The archaeologists also discovered an eight-foot section of a second statue that likewise depicts Ramesses II. The base and legs of the statue were missing, but the head was present and wearing a “nemes,” a striped headdress worn by pharaohs.
The pink granite that al-Shahat had originally spotted was one tiny piece of a four-foot block that was found about three feet away from the second statue’s remains. The block is engraved with two hieroglyphic inscriptions that describe the pharaoh as “King of Upper and Lower Egypt” and the “Son of Ra,” an ancient Egyptian sun god.
Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesKhaled al-Shahat was honored by the Egyptian government for his handling of this historic discovery.
In honor of this historic discovery, Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiquities gave al-Shahat a plaque of appreciation and awarded him and his wife a trip to Saudi Arabia to complete the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca.
“I was surprised and happy when they discovered more antiquities,” al-Shahat told CBS News. “They told me this might change the history of the area.”
What This Find Could Reveal About This Site’s Importance During Ramesses II’s Reign
These new discoveries join a vast catalog of artifacts related to Ramesses II, widely believed to be ancient Egypt’s most important and longest-serving pharaoh, with a reign that stretched from around 1279 to 1213 B.C.E. While Ramesses II was on the throne, Egypt was at the height of its power, with an empire that stretched into modern-day Syria.
A legend even in his own time, Ramesses II had countless buildings erected and dedicated to him during his reign. Many of them have since been found throughout Egypt, including the famous temples at Karnak and Abu Simbel.
Meanwhile, untold numbers of statues depicting Ramesses II were built both during and after his reign. To be sure, this is far from the first time, even in recent years alone, that a statue of Ramesses the Great has been uncovered.
The missing upper half of a colossal Ramesses II statue was discovered in the Minya Governorate in 2024 — 94 years after the bottom was first unearthed. Meanwhile, another Ramesses II statue was found right under the streets of Cairo in 2017.
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