The statues are incredibly tall, about 18 meters high.
They represent Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who reigned ancient Egypt some 3,400 years ago.
The statues were spared, although they are badly ruined.
Photo credit:Dan Kit/Flickr
There is an interesting legend behind the name of this monument.
Early Greek and Roman tourists who came to hear the sound gave the statue the name of Memnon.
Many early visitors didnt even know they were statues of a long dead pharaoh.
They thought the statues were of Memnon.
Strabo said it sounded “like a blow”.
The second century Greek traveler and geographer Pausanias compared it to “the string of a lyre” breaking.
Others described it as the striking of brass or whistling.
For more than two centuries the singing statues brought tourists from land far-off, including several Roman Emperors.
Many left inscription on the base of the statue reporting whether they had heard the sound or not.
About 90 inscriptions are still legible today.
A 19th century photograph of the Colossi of Memnon.
Photo credit:Ben Tubby/Flickr
Photo credit:zolakoma/Flickr
Sources:Wikipedia/How Stuff Works
