Colossi of Memnon, Luxor

Is it free to visit the Colossi of Memnon?

Yes. There's no ticket and no fee: the colossi aren't on the list of sites sold through Egypt's official ticketing system, and there's no ticket office on site. They stand in an open field beside the road, so you simply pull over and walk up.

There are no official opening hours either. Some guides quote 6:00–17:00, but that's unofficial — the statues are visible from the road at any time. You'll only spend money getting here: ferries and West Bank taxis take cash in Egyptian pounds, so carry small notes. Cards work at the ticket desks of the paid temples nearby, not with drivers.

What are the Colossi of Memnon?

They're two giant seated statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, set up around 1350 BC at the gateway of his mortuary temple. The temple has almost entirely vanished; the statues have stayed put for well over three thousand years and become the West Bank's best-known silhouette.

Each one rises about 18 metres with its platform and weighs an estimated 700 tonnes. The king sits with his hands on his knees, facing east towards the Nile and the rising sun. The two stand about 15 metres apart.

Their faces and upper bodies are badly weathered, so from a distance they read as rough blocks. The detail only appears up close: the small figures by the legs, the reliefs on the sides of the thrones and the ancient graffiti on the northern statue.

Is the Colossi of Memnon worth it?

As a stop on the way, absolutely: it costs nothing, takes a quarter of an hour and the scale is genuinely startling when you stand at the statues' feet. As a destination in its own right, no — there's nothing else here to see, and the paid temples nearby hold far more.

If you have only one West Bank morning, let the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's temple take the time, and slot the colossi in on the drive. With a second morning, pair them with Medinet Habu and the Ramesseum, each about a kilometre away as the crow flies.

The singing statue

In 27 BC an earthquake shattered the northern colossus, and afterwards it began to make a sound shortly after sunrise. The geographer Strabo heard it himself, and word spread across the Roman Empire. Emperors, officials and tourists came to listen.

The likely explanation is physical: as the sun warmed the cracked, dew-damp stone after a cold night, air and moisture escaped through the fissures. Around AD 199, under Septimius Severus, the upper part was rebuilt in sandstone blocks — and the statue never sang again. Today it is silent.

History of the Colossi of Memnon

Memnon has nothing to do with the statues. He was a hero of Greek myth, king of the Ethiopians and son of Eos, goddess of the dawn, killed by Achilles at Troy. Greek visitors decided the dawn sound was Memnon greeting his mother, and the name stuck. Locally the statues are called el-Colossat or es-Salamat.

Behind them stood Amenhotep III's mortuary temple, which covered some 35 hectares and was the largest at Thebes. Built on the edge of the Nile floodplain, it was wrecked by an earthquake around 1200 BC and later quarried for stone. Since 1998 an Egyptian-German mission led by Hourig Sourouzian has been excavating the field behind the colossi; in 2025 two alabaster statues of the king, around 14 metres tall, were re-erected deeper inside the temple.

Roman visitors carved their names and verses on the northern colossus's legs. The best known are by the poet Julia Balbilla, who came in AD 130 with Emperor Hadrian and his wife Sabina.

What to see

• The southern colossus — carved from a single block and the better preserved; the throne and legs are clear.
• The northern colossus — the "singing" one; above the waist it's rebuilt in Roman-era blocks, visible as stepped courses.
• The small figures — Queen Tiye and the king's mother Mutemwiya, barely knee-high beside him.
• Hapi, the Nile god, on the throne sides, tying together the plants of Upper and Lower Egypt.
• Greek and Latin graffiti on the northern statue's legs — walk all the way round.
• The excavation field behind, with fallen statues and pylon foundations, fenced off but visible.

Best time to visit

Early morning is best. The statues face east, so low sun picks out the faces and reliefs, the heat is bearable and the tour coaches haven't arrived. At midday the light is flat and there's no shade at all.

Late afternoon puts the colossi in shadow, but the Theban hills behind them glow — a good moment if you're passing on the way back to the ferry. A guided West Bank tour usually stops here first thing and explains the reliefs on the spot.

Colossi vs nearby temples

Temple fares and hours from Egypt's official ticketing system (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities). Visit times are YesGo estimates.

Luxor history: compare and choose

All historic sites in Luxor rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Nearby — add to your day

39

Ramesseum

Luxor, Egypt

45 min · EGP 220, students EGP 110 · 14 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Ramesseum

36

Medinet Habu

Luxor, Egypt

1 h 30 min · EGP 220, students EGP 110 · 17 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Medinet Habu

33

Valley of the Queens

Luxor, Egypt

1 h · EGP 220, Nefertari closed · 33 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Valley of the Queens

44

Temple of Hatshepsut

Luxor, Egypt

1 h · EGP 440, students EGP 220 · 34 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Temple of Hatshepsut

How to do it right

• Tell your driver at the start that you want to stop here — most pull over anyway, but some skip it when racing to the Valley of the Kings at opening.
• The easiest moment is on the way back to the ferry: valleys in the morning, colossi at the end, after the groups have gone.
• Walk round the northern colossus — the Roman graffiti on its legs is more interesting than the front view.
• For a shot with both statues and the hills, step back towards the road.
• There's no shade at all; at midday ten minutes is plenty.
• Back on the East Bank in the evening, finish at Luxor Temple, floodlit and right by the ferry landing.

Questions