24 Aug 2006

Cairo: Sayed Hamdan, a roving photographer, says he cannot imagine central Cairo without the statue of Ramses II.

Arrangements are under way to move the statue from Cairo's main rail station to Egypt's Grand Museum near the Giza Pyramids on Friday.

"I have been seeing the statue for the past 40 years," adds Hamdan, 55, with a quavering voice. "It is where I used to earn my living by taking photos of Egyptian and foreign visitors. ... Now it is a matter of the past. I have to look for another place."

Officials confirm that the relocation, costing an estimated 6 million Egyptian pounds (about Dh3.86 million), is prompted by the high levels of pollution in the present place.

"Since I was a child, I have been seeing the Ramses every day," recalls Fadel Abbas, who owns a souvenir stall nearby.

"The statue is a landmark of the Ramses Midan (Square). When he goes, the area will lose its allure," Abbas told Gulf News, looking at the monument in an iron cage in preparation for its relocation.

Transportation of the statue will take place early tomorrow, which is a public holiday in Egypt, to ensure a smooth journey for the Pharaoh. A rehearsal with a replica of the statue was successful last month, according to officials.

Over recent years, the area, named after Ramses, has become one of the Egyptian capital's most congested areas.

Repeated bids to revamp the square failed to improve the situation.

In late 1980s, a subway service was launched to ease the traffic on the Cairo streets. But experts say vibrations caused by the subway near the Ramses statue is another reason prompting the relocation.

"Bringing the statue from its hometown in Giza in 1954 to its present location was a major mistake in the first place," Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council for Antiquities, told a recent press conference in Cairo. He added that the relocation of the statue would start a campaign to shift other antiquities from public squares and parks.

Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, is believed to have ruled Egypt from 1279 BC to 1213 BC.

By Ramadan Al Sherbini

Gulf News 2006. All rights reserved.