Egpyt has scrapped the plan to restore the cladding on one of three great pyramids of Giza, said a committee formed by the country’s tourism minister in a statement on Saturday (Feb 17).
The head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, had made the announcement of the Menkaure pyramid’s renovation in the month of January, dubbing it “the project of the century”.
The renovation work, which was aimed at restoring the structure’s authentic style by revamping the granite layer, triggered a severe backlash.
This further prompted Egypt’s antiquities ministry to review the project and set up a committee to do so.
The ministry had then made an announcement saying that it set up a “scientific committee chaired by… Zahi Hawass”, a renowned Egyptian archaeologist, to review the project.
The committee it said comprised “experts in engineering and archaeology” from the Czech Republic, Germany and the United States, as well as Egypt.
The committee’s final report will include “the necessary procedures and steps to coordinate with (the UN heritage agency) UNESCO”.
“A decision will be made on whether to proceed with the project or not,” it had earlier said.
At the time the pyramid was built, it was sheathed in granite. However, with the passage of time, pilfering and weathering led to the depletion of its many layers, leaving only seven of them in modern times.
Waziri had said that the project to replace the granite would proceed only after a year of scanning and documentation.
What did the reviewing committee say?
The reviewing committee on Thursday said that it has unanimously come to a decision to not go ahead with the restoration plan stating that it would ruin the structure.
“The Menkaure Pyramid Review Committee has unanimously objected to the reinstallation of the granite casing blocks, scattered around the base of the pyramid since thousands of years ago,” the committee said in a statement on Thursday.
The head of the committee Hawass, said that it would be impossible to figure out the original placement of each block. Replacing them would also require cement, which would ruin the pyramid.
“What I want to say is don’t worry, the pyramids of Giza are safe, and nothing will happen to them,” Hawass told news agency Reuters. “People everywhere are calling me, writing letters, emails. They are worried. Don’t be worried at all, the pyramids are safe, and no one can touch the pyramid of Menkaure.”
The seven-member committee had initially given the consent to unearth Menkaure pyramid’s boat pits, alike the Pharaonic bark pits discovered alongside Khufu’s pyramid adjoining Menkaure’s, but only after a “clear and detailed scientific study”.
“In archaeology, don’t be in a hurry. If you are in a hurry, you will ruin the site,” Hawass said. “It is important for any kind of work to be done at the site of the pyramids, is to make a study and to tell us what to do.”
(With inputs from agencies)
