A TEAM of Egyptian and German archaeologists has discovered a towering 26-foot (6.1-meter) statue in a Cairo slum, a presumed depiction of Pharaoh Ramses II, Reuters reported Thursday.

    The colossus, found submerged in mud where the ancient city of Heliopolis once stood, is “one of the most important discoveries ever,” according to the Egyptian Antiquities Ministry.

    The massive quartzite figure is “most probably Ramses II,” Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said Thursday at the site of the statue’s unveiling, adding that the identity would have to be later confirmed once more of the statue is uncovered.

    “On the discovered portions there is no inscription found that would make it possible to determine which king it is,” Anani explained in a Facebook post Thursday. “But its discovery in front of the gate of the temple of Pharaoh Ramses II suggests that it is likely him.”

    In addition to the larger-than-life statue researchers also found a life-sized limestone statue of Pharaoh Seti II, Ramses II’s grandson.

    Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great ruled more than 3,000 years ago in the 19th Dynasty. He is considered by historians to have been the most powerful and revered leader of ancient Egypt. Leading several military expeditions, he expanded the Egyptian Empire, stretching from Syria in the east to Nubia (today’s northern Sudan) in the south. The area where the two statues were uncovered is currently the working-class neighborhood Matariya, located in the eastern part of modern-day Cairo. (SD-Agencies)