Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities announced on Saturday that it will form a committee to review the restoration of Menkaure’s Pyramid at Giza following public outcry over plans to restore it.
Publication of: change:
1 minute
A week ago, Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, posted a Facebook video showing workers installing granite blocks at the base of the shortest of Giza’s three pyramids.
The footage sparked a storm of criticism from Egyptologists who expressed concern that a major reconstruction of the famous monument is underway and that the preservation of its historic structure will be compromised.
In a bid to calm the debate in a country where tourism accounts for 10% of GDP, the ministry said it had set up a “scientific committee chaired by eminent Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass” to study the project. Announced. .
The committee is made up of “engineering and archeology experts” from Egypt, as well as the Czech Republic, Germany and the United States.
The committee’s final report will include “the necessary steps and procedures for coordinating with (United Nations heritage agency) UNESCO.”
The ministry said, “We will decide whether to proceed with the plan at a later date.”
However, construction work at the foot of Menkaure’s pyramid had already begun last week, an AFP reporter reported.
In its original construction, the base of the pyramid was covered with granite, but over time some of this covering was lost.
The renovation aims to restore the structure’s original style by rebuilding the granite foundation.
The issue of heritage protection in Egypt, home to the last of the seven wonders of the ancient world and the still-visible Great Pyramid of Giza, is often the focus of heated debate.
The recent widespread demolition of Cairo’s historic center has sparked a national movement against it, a rarity in a country where political opposition is largely prohibited.
(AFP)
