Government aims to recreate an outer shell of granite on the Pyramid of Menkaure’s four sides, in collaboration with Japan
A project to restore the smallest of the Giza pyramids has received mixed reaction in Egypt, with some people doubting the practicality and others outraged.
The project aims to recreate an outer shell of granite on the Pyramid of Menkaure’s four sides, and is a collaboration between the Egyptian government and Japanese archaeological experts.
Experts want to reconstruct the cladding from blocks that are currently scattered around the structure, believed to have collapsed in an earthquake less than a thousand years ago.
It has been described as “the project of the century” by Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Antiquities Council – the body that oversees archaeological projects across the country.
The government hopes that the restoration will boost tourism revenues, one of the cash-strapped country’s most vital sources of foreign currency.
A video on Facebook showed workers placing granite blocks at the base of the pyramid.
But some people reacted with criticism.
Egyptologist Monica Hanna wrote online that “all international principles on renovations prohibit such interventions”.
“When are we going to stop the absurdity in the management of Egyptian heritage?” she asked.
Others said the restoration was a waste of money, given the continuing economic crisis.
“The fact that you pay the worst price for the worst internet quality when it is a limited bundle to begin with is more crazy to me than tiling the pyramids,” wrote X user Hozifah on Sunday morning, referring to the 33 per cent increase in internet prices that came into effect on January 5.
But Mr Waziri has been on a charm offensive, assuring Egyptians the restoration project will not use any new materials.
On Saturday he told a state-affiliated talk show, Al Kholasa, that the project only aims to restore the outer casing of the pyramid from its original stones, which are either underground or among many scattered around Giza’s pyramids today.
In a phone-in to Al Hekaya, another talk show, he explained that the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre, the two larger ones, were once entirely encased in an outer shell of limestone that also fell over the millennia.
“However, the shell on the third pyramid, that of King Menkaure’s, which was made of granite, did not cover the pyramid entirely, it went up to about 16 rows or about half-way,” Mr Waziri said.
“The casing crumbled during an earthquake less than a thousand years ago.”
The project will start with a scan conducted by the Japanese side, which will take one year to complete, Mr Waziri told host Amr Adib on Friday.
The scan will determine which rocks fit into which side of Menkaure’s pyramid.
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