Statue of Ramesses II

[1] The statue was discovered in 1882, broken into six pieces, at Mit Rahina near ancient Memphis, Egypt, where it lay for several decades.

There the statue was restored to its full height and erected on a three-metre pedestal at the edge of a fountain.

[2][3] In 2006, the Egyptian government decided to relocate the statue to a more appropriate location, as Ramses Square turned out to be an unsuitable location, where the statue was exposed to corrosive pollution and constant vibration from traffic and subways.

To test the proposed relocation process, a replica was made and transported along the planned route to Giza several weeks before the actual scheduled move.

Two flat-back trucks carried the weight of the statue and its support structures as it travelled in a vertical position.