The 26-foot-tall limestone statues depict King Amenhotep III as a Sphinx, a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human. Amenhotep is depicted with a royal beard and wearing a mongoose headdress and a wide necklace, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The statues were discovered half-submerged in water by an Egyptian-German team of archeologists. Three granite busts of the goddess of war, Sekhmet, were also discovered. The goddess is often depicted as a lion and is associated with healing. She was believed to lead the pharaohs in warfare, protect them in life, and guide them to the afterlife.
The large sphinxes indicate the location of a procession road. After restoration, the sphinxes were found to have the “beloved of the god Amun-Re" written on their chest. Amun-Re was a major god and was worshiped as the creator deity.
King Amenhotep III was the ninth pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. His reign lasted close to four decades, beginning around 1390 BC. Amenhotep ruled at the height of ancient Egypt’s international prestige and power. Over 250 statues of him have been identified, the most of any pharaoh.
The funerary complex for Amenhotep was built close to the Nile around the ancient Egyptian capitol of Thebes. It was destroyed by a massive earthquake in ancient times. Over the years, the desert covered the remains.
The site has been continuously excavated and restored since 1998 by archeological teams under the supervision of Egypt’s tourism ministry.