New archaeological find in Luxor

Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, Chief of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said new archaeological finds were unearthed on the west bank of the River Nile in Luxor, including two huge statues of King Amenhotep III, father of King Akhenaton.

A statue of a queen that dates back to the same period century was also unearthed.

The new find was made at the Kom el-Hitan area, where there are remains of King Amenhotep III temple.

Hosni said the new find was unearthed by the Egyptian-German archaeological mission under German archaeologist Staedlmann, adding excavation works are under way in King Amenhotep III temple, near the two statues of Memnon.

The two statues of King Amenhotep III are the last thing that remained from his temple. The quartz-stone statues are 21 metres high and weigh 400 tonnes each.

SCA Secretary-General Zahi Hawas said that the Egyptian-German mission, since it began working in this area, unearthed several huge statues but the recent one was a major find.