Second part of ancient Egyptian statue lifted from site
The three-ton torso of a massive statue that may be of one of Egypt's most famous pharaohs was lifted Monday from mud and groundwater where it was recently discovered in a Cairo suburb.
The torso was pulled by a crane as dozens of workers supported it while being moved to dry land where it was covered by a white fabric.
The first part of the colossus—a large portion of the head—was pulled up Thursday.
The Ministry of Antiquities said the statue's parts would be assembled at the Egyptian museum in central Cairo, where they would be pieced together and restored before being moved to the yet-to-open Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Pyramids.
The statue is likely of Ramses II, who took the throne in his early 20s and ruled Egypt for 60 years more than 3,000 years ago. He is credited with expanding ancient Egypt's reach as far as modern Syria to the east and modern Sudan to the south.
The expansion earned him the title "Ramses the Great."
The statue was discovered last week by a German-Egyptian archaeological team in the Cairo district of Matariya.
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Antiquities officials watch a massive statue, that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the country's most famous ancient rulers, as it is pulled out of groundwater in a Cairo slum, Egypt, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) -
A massive statue, that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the country's most famous ancient rulers, is surrounded by antiquities workers after it was pulled out of groundwater in a Cairo slum, Egypt, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) -
Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anani, second left, and German ambassador to Egypt Julius Georg Luy, left, watch a massive statue, that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the country's most famous ancient rulers, after it was pulled out of groundwater in a Cairo slum, Egypt, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) -
Antiquities workers cover a massive statue, that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the country's most famous ancient rulers, after it was pulled out of groundwater in a Cairo slum, Egypt, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) -
Dr Dietrich Raue, University of Leipzig professor and the German team lead, kneels on the ground as he watches a crane lifting a massive statue, that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the country's most famous ancient rulers, as it is pulled out of groundwater in a Cairo slum, Egypt, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) -
Antiquities workers and reporters are seen at the site where a massive statue, that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the country's most famous ancient rulers, is pulled out of groundwater in a Cairo slum, Egypt, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) -
Karim Araby, 27, films a massive statue, that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the country's most famous ancient rulers, as it is pulled out of groundwater in a Cairo slum, Egypt, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) -
Antiquities workers cover the head of a massive statue, that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the country's most famous ancient rulers, which was found in groundwater in a Cairo slum, Egypt, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) -
Residents gather to watch as a crane lifts parts of a massive statue, that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the country's most famous ancient rulers, as it is pulled out of groundwater in a Cairo slum, Egypt, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) -
Residents greet antiquities officials after a crane lifts parts of a massive statue, that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the country's most famous ancient rulers, out of groundwater in a Cairo slum, Egypt, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) -
Residents celebrate after a crane lifts parts of a massive statue, that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the country's most famous ancient rulers, out of groundwater in a Cairo slum, Egypt, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) -
Antiquities workers celebrate after a massive statue, that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the country's most famous ancient rulers, was pulled out of groundwater in a Cairo slum, Egypt, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
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