A strange stone found by an Egyptian farmer leads to the treasures of Ramesses II

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The story began with a report from an Egyptian citizen who found a strange stone bearing inscriptions while working on his agricultural land in Gharbia Governorate, before his discovery led to the discovery of the remains of two huge royal statues, one of which was of King Ramses II, along with a block of pink granite bearing his royal titles.

During rescue excavations in the village of Behbeit Al-Hajara in Gharbia Governorate, the Egyptian archaeological mission succeeded in uncovering the remains of the two statues, while it is likely that the second one also dates back to Ramesses II, one of the most famous kings of ancient Egypt.

The discovery came after a citizen found a stone block bearing inscriptions while working on a plot of land he owned in front of his house in the village. He took the initiative to inform the specialized archaeological inspection, who confirmed the archaeological nature of the discovered block.

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities stated that the authorities took the necessary legal measures, wrote reports to prove the incident, and also formed an archaeological committee and a specialized work team from the Supreme Council of Antiquities to begin rescue excavations at the site, which resulted in this important discovery.

Dr. Hisham Al-Laithi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, revealed the details of the new discoveries, explaining that the first piece is a huge head of the statue of King Ramses II, about 1.60 meters high.

The king appears wearing the double crown, which symbolizes the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt.

The mission also found the remains of the upper part of the statue's back column, which bears an inscription with the Hurrian title of the king, which is "Harka Nakht Meri Maat."

It is estimated that the original height of the statue, including its base, may have been about 8.5 metres.

As for the second discovery, it was the discovery of the largest part of a royal statue, about 2.40 meters long, and it is likely that it also belongs to King Ramesses II.

The statue is missing its legs and base, while the king appears wearing the royal headdress known as the "mongoose", with the head retaining clear facial features and in a good state of preservation, similar to the features of the first statue.

The Ministry explained that the stone block found by the citizen is made of pink granite, is about 1.30 meters long, and is located approximately one meter north of the second statue.

The block bears the remains of hieroglyphic inscriptions that include two of King Ramesses II's titles: “Nso Beti,” meaning “King of Upper and Lower Egypt,” and “Sa Ra,” meaning “Son of Ra.”

For his part, Sherif Fathi, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, expressed his appreciation for this discovery, stressing that it represents an important addition to the archaeological discoveries in Egypt, and contributes to shedding more light on the history of the Bahbeit al-Hajar region and its archaeological and cultural importance.

The Minister pointed out the Ministry's keenness to continue research and excavation work in various archaeological sites across the Republic, in parallel with efforts to protect and preserve heritage.

He also appreciated the awareness of the citizen who took the initiative to report the stone block immediately after it was found, stressing the importance of society’s role in protecting and preserving the Egyptian cultural heritage for future generations.

The Behbeit Al-Hajara area in Gharbia Governorate is one of the important archaeological sites in the Egyptian Delta, and is famous for the remains of a huge temple dedicated to the worship of the goddess Isis, in addition to the granite blocks and architectural elements it contains, which reflect the religious and architectural importance that the region had in ancient Egypt.

Ramses II, the third king of the Nineteenth Dynasty, is considered one of the greatest and most powerful rulers in the history of ancient Egypt. His reign extended for about 66 years, from 1279 to 1213 BC, and is one of the longest periods of rule in ancient Egyptian history.

Ramesses II gained wide fame thanks to his military campaigns aimed at strengthening Egyptian influence in the Levant, the most prominent of which was the famous Battle of Kadesh against the Hittites, which was later followed by a peace treaty that is considered one of the oldest known written peace treaties in history.

Ramesses II's achievements were not limited to military activity, but his name was associated with a major architectural boom that ancient Egypt witnessed.

He built many temples and huge facilities, most notably the Abu Simbel and Ramesseum temples. He also expanded the Karnak and Luxor temples, in addition to establishing his new capital, “Bar Ramesses,” in the Delta region.