Giant 3,000-year-old statue of Pharaoh Ramses II found buried in a Cairo slum is hailed as ‘one of the most important discoveries ever’ Archaeologists from Egypt and Germany have found a massive 26ft statue submerged in ground water in a Cairo slum. The discovery, hailed by the Antiquities Ministry as one of the most important ever, was made near the ruins of Ramses II’s temple in the ancient city of Heliopolis, located in the eastern part of modern-day Cairo.