Ramessu Statue, to be moved.
After discussing moving the red granite statue of Ramessu (II) for more than a decade, officials have finally decided that the statue, that is presently in Bab Al-Hadid Station Square in Cairo, is going to be moved to the Grand Museum of Egypt, located near the Great Pyramids, on the 25th August. This colossus is one of a pair (a replica is still laying on the ground, around which the Museum of Memphis is constructed), it was originally found in 1882 at the Great Temple of Ptah at Mit-Rahina, it was broken into pieces and attempts to re-erect the statue at the time failed. In 1955 the statue was relocated to the Square and re-assembled, using iron rods inside the body, where it has stayed until now. The reason for wanting the statue moved is that, after 50 years of standing in the city centre, the statue is suffering the ill effects of long term pollution damage and vibrations from underground trains. The movement of the statue has been planned by constructing an iron cage around it, which will be connected to steel beams, and transported on two flatbed trucks. Once it is in place the statue will be tested and renovated (this process taking approximately 6-12 months). The Grand Museum of Egypt isn't expected to be open for another 5 years.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2006
Update!
The Ramessu statue has now arrived at its new home, after a journey that took 10 hours. "It was a very successful journey and we did not stop for a second".... "The 10 hour journey was the best time of my life. I have never seen thousands of people singing all night and walking for miles just to say goodbye to the statue" said Ahmed al-Gharabawi, the main vehicle driver. It had been wrapped in protective plastic and scaffolding before it set off. A practise run had taken place last month to try to ensure that they would encounter no problems with the Ramessu (II) statue. The movement of the statue was filmed live on Egyptian television, and even though a planned ceremony had been cancelled because of the violence in Lebanon, tens of thousands of people came out in the middle of the night to watch Ramessu pass by and to pay their respects to the statue of 'Ramessu the Great' that had stood in the square for 50 years.
After the statue was moved, it was discovered that had it been left to stand in Cairo, it would've eventually toppled over, anyway, due to a spring discovered underneath. Therefore, the Ramses II statue is now in a far better place.