Memnon Statues; It is located in Luxor, Egypt, known as the world’s largest open-air museum. They are two large stone statues made to protect the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep after his death. The largest temple of the Theban Necropolis, the Temple of Amenhotep was destroyed after the earthquake, only its huge statues remained. These statues, which are depicted with their hands on their knees, are positioned facing the Nile. It is said that one of these statues sings before it is repaired. How the song, which is said to be heard by many people, is possible has been the subject of research for a long time.
The Menmon Statues, built in 1350 BC, are the reigning ruler of Egypt III. It represents Amenhotep and his wife Tiye. On the front throne next to the legs of the seated statues, two shorter figures are carved. These figures depict his wife Tiye and mother Mutemwiya. On the statues there are 107 inscriptions from the Roman period in Greek and Latin, dated between 20 and 250 AD. Because of these inscriptions, the statues were thought to refer to the Greek mythological King Memnon. For this reason, it was called the Memnon Statues.
Characteristics of the Temple of Amenhotep and the Statues of Memnon
Memnon Statues; It was made from quartzite sandstone blocks mined near Cairo and transported overland to the city of Luxsor. Together with the stone platforms on which they stand, the statues reach a height of about 4 meters and an estimated weight of 720 tons each. The features of the waist part of the statues, which are in a very damaged condition, are almost unrecognizable. While the statue on the south side consists of a single piece of stone, there is a wide crack on the underside of the statue on the north. At the same time, the waist of this statue consists of 5 rows of stones with different types of sandstone.
These colossal statues, built to guard the entrance to the memorial temple of Amenhotep, were erected while the pharaoh was alive. These statues were worshiped as an earth god before and after the death of Pharaoh Amenhotep. It was built as a temple complex in the time of Amenhotep, Karnak TempleIt is even greater than . This temple, which is the largest and richest in Ancient Egypt, covers an area of 35 hectares. After the construction of the temple, no temple of the Egyptian pharaoh could match this temple.
Today, very little remains of the Temple of Amenhotep. The foundation of the temple, located near the Nile River, has rotted due to the floods. As a result of a later earthquake, nothing remained except for the two gigantic statues at the entrance. Many cracks were opened in the ground with the earthquake. For this reason, it is thought that many statues were buried. Some of the sculptures unearthed as a result of the excavations and restoration processes were erected, and some of them are exhibited in the Luxor Museum.
The Secret of Memnon Sculptures Singing
After a great earthquake in 27 BC, the northern statue was shattered. The top of the statue has collapsed, and the lower half is cracked. The lower part of the fragmented statue; It has been known to sing, always within 1 or 2 hours after sunrise, usually just at dawn. It is known that the sound coming from the statue is mostly heard in February and March. The Greek historian and geographer Strabo stated that he heard the interesting song from the statue for the first time in 20 BC during a trip.
Not exactly a song, but a high-pitched voice resembling a woman’s voice comes from the statue. It is reported that Emperor Hadrian and his wife, Queen Sabina, also witnessed the voice that many travelers later said to have heard. Roman noble Julia Balbilla, who visited the statue in 130 AD, likened the sound to “ringing bronze” in the poem she wrote on the leg of the statue. According to the belief, this sound is made to greet Eos, the mother of Ethiopian Memnon, who was killed by Achilles in the Trojan wars. Memnon; Troy He is the hero of the epic called Aithiopis, which deals with the aftermath of the part of the war described in the Iliad.
The sound coming from the statue was interrupted by the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus in 200 AD when the statue was repaired. The disappearance of the sound that occurs after an earthquake after its repair has enabled sound researchers and scientists to put forward some theories. According to one of these theories; Due to the cracks in the sculpture, the wind creates echoing sounds. According to another theory, the stones that are heated by the effect of the heat during the day make these sounds due to the natural contraction in the coolness of the evening. Although it is not known exactly how the sounds are formed, it is known that these sounds are cut off after the repair.
