Massive statue of pharaoh to be moved from central Cairo

An immense statue of Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II, standing in the most polluted spot in Cairo, will be moved to a museum closer to the pyramids.

The 125-tonne pink granite statue will be moved in the wee hours of Friday morning in a motorized convoy. The event is to be shown on Egyptian TV.

Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities decided to move the statue because it was deteriorating from Cairo's pollution and constant vibration from nearby trains.

Ramses II reigned over Egypt for 68 years, from 1304 to 1236 BC, and is believed to have lived to the age of 90. He may have been the pharaoh depicted in the biblical story of the Exodus.

He covered the country with monuments to his exploits. His mummy, on display in the National Museum in Cairo, is one of the country's biggest tourist attractions.

He was buried in the Valley of the Kings, but his mummy was later moved toDeir el-Bahri, where it was found in 1881.

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The statue was discovered in 1883 near Memphis, the ancient capital of the pharaohs. The 11-metre statue was moved to Cairo in 1954.

It stood in a square outside the city's main train station, one of the most congested parts of the city.Traffic overpasses and development moving into the square had gradually obscured the view of the statue.

The statue is moving 35 kilometres south through the city to the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is to open near the Giza Pyramids.

The council of antiquities has taken extreme precautions to ensure the move goes well, even doing a dry-run with a fake statue.

It has covered Ramses II with scaffolding and encased the statue in rubber and protective plastic.It will be transported upright,supported by two cranes as it travels.

Trees and other overhead obstructions on the route have been moved. The move is expected to take eight hours.

Once moved,the statue will be renovated as its new home is built. The museum, which also will house King Tutankhamun's mummy and other treasures, is not expected to open until 2010.