Transportation of King Ramses II Statue

DiamondAward 2009 

1. Company Name and address: 

Market Leaders ML MARKET LEADERS, member of CSDA 

14 El Makrizi St. Manshiet EL Bakry, Cairo 11331, Egypt 

Tel: +2 02 24 53 07 63 

Fax: +2 02 24 53 09 17 

Mobile: +2 010 41 64 46 7 

Email: mleader2000@hotmail.com 

2. Person responsible for submission 

Eng. Mohamed Labib Hassan, Market Leaders Managing Director, Cairo, Egypt 

3. Contribution of the company to the job presented below 

Consultants engineer and supervisor on all core drilling, mounting of the reinforcement 

steel bases and wall + wire sawing of the concrete base of the statue 

4. Description of the entry: 

Transportation of King Ramses II Statue 

The great King Ramses II ruled Egypt 67 years during the 19th Dynasty (1279-1212 BC). 

During this time period, being powerful and ambitious, he expanded Egypt’s empire and 

constructed many temples all of which overshadow many of the others before him. 

King Ramses II statue was discovered in the in Mit Rahina in Giza approx 1885. 

After the Egyptian revolution (1952) President Nasser requested in 1956 to move this 

statue from Mit Rahina to Bab El Hadid Square (Main Railway Station Square in Cairo). 

They moved the statue and fixed and renamed the Square with Ramses Square. 

King Ramses II statue is one of the most famous Egyptian Pharaoh statue which high artist 

graved on a granite block shown his power, history. This huge statue is approx 20 meter 

(67 feet) height and weight 120 ton. 

In 1957 they buildt around the statue water falls with color lights in the evening. 

The Square became the most famous and second biggest Square in Cairo. 

In early 1980 they buildt bridges around the Square. Ramses square became too noisy, 

high vibration due to cars, trucks and railway transportation with high pollution. 

In 2005 the Ministry of tourism was afraid about the statue to be destroyed due to the 

noisy, vibration, Cars pollution and water from the water falls. Accordingly they decided to 

move the statue to Giza City Next to the Pyramids approx 30 miles away. 

This Project was very risky because it's high value. 

In early 2006 the Ministry of tourism announced for International tender for the complete 

project to Transport of Great king Ramses II statue. 

The best, lowest cost and less risky offer has been submitting by Arab Contractors Co. 

(Public Egyptian Contactors Co.) Arab Contractors appointed Dr.Ahmed Hussien from Ain 

Shams University to be responsible for the complete design, follow up steps and transportation 

who make very special design to move the statue standing and not lying.

Eng Mohamed Labib from Market leaders was the consulting engineer for core drilling and 

wire sawing of the concrete base of the statue. 

Preparation 

We started testing the concrete base using many core drilling, wall sawing and wire saw in 

different location of the concrete base far away from the main statue base. 

The main concrete base under the statue is 4.80 L x 2.20 W x 4.00 height meter. 

They checking every cm in the statue to record all notch or drill or scratch and have thousands 

of photos for all parts of the statue. 

Using Radar scanning the statue and the concrete base. 

Fixing of Vibration sound sensors 27 sensors around the statue two weeks prior to any 

work to record the live vibration of the statue and to make sure that all work will be done 

on the statue not exceeding the normal street noise level. 

Two complete hydraulic system just hinging the cage with eight hydraulic telescopic cylinders 

5” stroke and 100 ton capacity. 

Four column fixing to the cage and four outer columns holding the outer sides of cage. At 

each column have many wood plates with one inch thick under the hydraulic jacks. 

Starting work 

They fixed a thick steel plate of one inch thickness around the concrete base using one 

inch core drilling and steels thread bars to hold the concrete base as one piece. Then injection 

the concrete with High strength concrete (grout). 

Coring 8 holes each 10" diameter below the steel plate and fixing 8 reinforcement steel 

supports, which will be carrying the complete statue cage. As well as hinged the complete 

cage system with two big bearing to have statue flexible movement vertically and horizontally 

in all position and making sure that statue will be stand at vertical position during 

transportation, trucking the bridge and when driving down of the exit bridge. 

Wire saw 

Wire saw was the most dangerous work part because statue is 67 feet height with 120 

tons of weight plus 20 tons for the concrete remain base all concentrated on 4.8 meter 

long x 2.2 meter width of concrete base. 

It is very sensitive to make sure no inclination of the statue even for one degree especially 

with such high height and heavy load on a small base of the statue. 

We started wire sawing the upper level of concrete base just below the carrying support by 

10" using two wires saw machines one at each side of the statue after divided the concrete 

base to two equal parts. 

Start wire sawing from the middle of the base to the outer side with both machines at the 

same time. After every 1/2 hour sawing inserting steel plate from all side with 10 mm 

thickness and 200 mm width and 500 mm long replacing the wire cutting clearance. To 

make sure that statue will not be inclined during the wire cutting or after the last step of wire 

cutting. Wire cutting took approx 6 hours. 

Market Leader of Cairo entry to DiamondAward 2009 page 2/17

After that wire cutting two other levels at the middle and at the base bottom. 

After wiring using concrete crusher to break the concrete under the base and removed it. 

Then they started to use hydraulic jacks to lowering the statue from 4 meter height to 50 

cm height as low height. 

Then coupled the cage from both side with special design low beds trailer one from each 

side and the cage is vertically stand and flexible movement. Each trailer has four axles and 

each axle four wheels. 

Coupled the semi trailer to huge truck tractor and pulling the complete train 180 ton. 

And starting moving 12.00 AM Thursday night August 25th 2006 passing inside the down 

town streets with more than 1/2 million Egyptians around greeting the grandfather King 

Ramses and see the fantastic job done till they reached the Ring road bridge at 5.30 AM , 

then ramp the bridge, driving for 8 Km till reach the ram in Giza and driving in Giza Street 

passing by the Pyramids till reach at last destination in Giza at 10.00 AM where Minister of 

culture, Minister of tourism and many ambassadors waiting for the great king Ramses II arrival. 

It was a great chance to sharing as consulting engineer of the coring, floor saw, wall saw 

and wire sawing on such huge project. 

Report by 

Eng Mohamed Labib Hassan 

Market Leaders Managing Director 

Notice 

Please accept my apologize if my English words or grammar have some mistakes and not 

perfect 


DiamondAward 2009 

Transport of King Ramses II Statue in Cairo / Egypt 

Submitted by ML Market Leaders, Cairo / Egypt for DiamondAward 2009 

October 31, 2008 

Photo documentation 

Caption below photo 

Photo 1 - King Ramses II Statue in Ramses Square since 1955 

Photo 2 - King Ramses II Statue in Ramses Square since 1955

Photo 3 - Front View of King Ramses II 

Photo 4 - Rear View of King Ramses II 


Photo 5 - Side View of King Ramses II 

Photo 6 - King Ramses II Base 


Photo 7 - Hydrostress Wall Saw 

Photo 8 - Weka core drilling motors 


Photo 9 - Base Reinforement 

Photo 10 - Weka Core drill motor 


Photo 11 - Ramses inside Cage 

Photo 12 - Core drilling at Ramses Base Tyrolit core bit 


Photo 13 - Mounting Reinforcement after core drilling 

Photo 14 - Mounting Hydrostress wire saw cutting upper level 


Photo 15 - hydrostress wire sawing I 

Photo 16 - hydrostress wire sawing II 


Photo 17 - Final wire sawing in 2nd level 

Photo 18 Hydrostress wire saw cutting 3rd level 


Photo 19 - Hydrostress Wire saw cutting lower level 

Photo 20 - Tyrolit Wire sawing 


Photo 21 - Ramses Statue after removed concrete base 

Photo 22 - Ramses without base 


Photo 23 - Ramses II say goodby to Ramses Square 

Photo 24 - Ramses II ramping from ring road 


Photo 25 - Ramses II moving to Pyramids Road 

Photo 26 - Ramses II in his final stage to the new museum 


Photo 27 - Minster of Culture,Antiques, Cairo &Giza Governor, Ibrahim

Transportation of King Ramses II Statue

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