One of the biggest tourist attractions in Luxor, the Colossi of Memnon gained its popularity due to its majestic appearance and for the mysterious sounds emitted by the northern colossus statue at every sunrise.
Two magnificent twin statues image of pharaoh Amenhotep III and two smaller statues carved by his feet (one being his wife and the other his mother), stands graciously in the horizon of the magnificent Luxor horizons.
The Colossi of Memnon is located in the West Bank of Luxor, Egypt.
The two statues, each measuring 60 feet tall, stands in the entrance of Amenhotep III’s mortuary temple. They are famously named by the name of Colossi of Memnon due to a phenomenon produced by one of the statues after an earthquake.
Originally built in the Theban Necropolis in the west of the Nile River in the modern city of Luxor, the Colossi of Memnon, two colossal statues made of quartzite sandstone, which archaeologists believe was quarried at El-Gabal el-Ahmar, located near modern Cairo and then transported 420 miles overland to the ancient city of Thebes, remain after thousands of years.
Pharaoh Amenhotep III reigned in Egypt during the 18th Dynasty from 1386 to 1349. During his kingdom, Egypt experienced a time of great prosperity and artistic progress, this era was known as the Old Kingdom. During the Old Kingdom, the architectural work improved tremendously in Egypt, and most of these monuments are still standing today.
Many of these majestic monuments were built during Amenhotep III’s 39 years of reign including the Colossi of Memnon which construction was completed by 1350 BC. The Colossi of Memnon was constructed in front of which once was Amenhotep III’ temple (destroyed by an earthquake soon after its completion). Amenhotep Temple served as a funerary temple to the Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Due to an earthquake at 27 BC the Colossi of Memnon was partially destroyed and then restored by Roman emperors during the Roman Empire in ancient Egypt.
Its modern Arabic name is Kom el-Hatan but the Colossi of Memnon is better known for its Roman name, the Temple of Memnon. A hero of the Trojan War, Memnon was a king of Ethiopia who traveled with his army from Africa to Asia Minor to help defend the beleaguered city under attack but it was slain by the Achilles.
Memnon’s name whose means the steadfast or resolute, was the son of Eos, known for being the goddess of dawn. Memnon was associated with the Colossi many years after its construction due to the cry at dawn of the northern statue also known as the “Vocal Memnon.” Memnon’s eventually became known as the “Ruler of the West.”
Memnon as per Greek mythology is said to be the son of Eos, the goddess of dawn.
It was acting as guardians to the Temple of Amenhotep III. The Colossi of Memnon was meant to protect the Pharaoh’s temple from evil. Even though after the temple was destroyed by a severe earthquake, the Colossi of Memnon remains standing strongly for thousands of years.
Due to an earthquake at 27 BC, the northern Colossus was partially destroyed, collapsing from the waist up and cracking the lower half. Following this event, the remainings of the northern colossus started to “sing” an hour or two before sunrise, right at dawn.
The sound was mostly heard in the months of February or March but this might have been because those were the months were people were mostly reported to visit the statues. The sound was described as a “blow” according to the Greek historian and geographer Strabo, who heard the sound on his visit to the Colossi of Memnon in 20 BC.
The legend about the “Vocal Memnon” says that it brought good luck to those who listened to its strange sounds. This rumor became known outside of Egypt, which brought many foreign visitors, including several Roman Emperors in search of the blessing that the “Vocal Memnon” could bring.
Since its popularity, many through history and to modern days have tried to demystify the “Vocal Memnon” but no explanation has yet been proved to this day and they remain yet as another mystery of the ancient Egyptians civilization.
Discover the majestic Colossi of Memnon by taking a Nile cruise from Luxor or vice versa.