The 18-metre Colossi of Memnon, guarding the entrance to the Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep and depicting the pharaoh Amenhotep III, face east

The 18-metre Colossi of Memnon, guarding the entrance to the Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep and depicting the pharaoh Amenhotep III, face east. Built of sandstone in 1350 BC in the necropolis of the city of Thebes.

During an earthquake in the year 19 the northern colossus cracked, and from then on it began to emit a whistling sound at dawn. It came to be called the singing statue, and the pitch of the sound it produced was taken as the standard for musical instruments. The ancient sculpture still sounds in our own day in the early mornings, which is attributed to currents of air passing through its internal cavities when there is a certain difference in temperature between the outside and the inside.