A Resident’s Find in Egypt’s Nile Delta Led to a 1.6-Meter Ramesses II Head From a Statue Estimated at 8.5 Meters

A resident of Behbeit El Hagar in Gharbia province, in Egypt’s Nile Delta, found a carved stone block on land in front of his home and alerted antiquities officials. Rescue excavations by an Egyptian team working for the Supreme Council of Antiquities then uncovered a 1.6-meter head of Ramesses II, a second royal statue section and an inscribed granite block, according to the Egyptian Gazette.

A head from a statue about 8.5 meters tall

The first statue is a head of Ramesses II that stands 1.6 meters high and wears the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. A fragment from the back pillar carries part of the king’s Horus name. From the scale of the head, archaeologists estimate that the complete statue stood about 8.5 meters tall, including its base.

A second statue and an inscribed block

The team also found a larger surviving section of a second royal statue, about 2.4 meters high, without its legs and base. Its face is clearly visible, and the king wears the nemes, the striped royal headdress. Its features resemble those of the first figure, and archaeologists think it also depicts Ramesses II. A 1.3-meter block of pink granite carries fragments of hieroglyphs that name Ramesses II as King of Upper and Lower Egypt and Son of Ra.

What remains unknown

Excavations continue, and the finds are still under study. The report gives no specific date for the objects beyond attributing them to Ramesses II. Archaeologists plan further work to learn how the statues relate to one another and to the ancient buildings at the site. Behbeit El Hagar is already known for a major temple dedicated to Isis and for granite architectural blocks.

Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy praised the resident for reporting the find and said public awareness is vital to protecting the country’s heritage.

Source: Egyptian Gazette, 13 October 2026.