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Nice to look at even without granite: the pyramids of Giza

Photo: IMAGO

It's supposed to be the "project of the century": granite blocks that once adorned the lowest third of the Menkaure pyramid in Giza could soon adorn it again. The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, announced this via video on Facebook last week.

The Menkaure Pyramid is the smallest of the Giza monuments. Many of the granite slabs are currently scattered around the pyramid. The project involves an international team of scientists deciding whether or not to restore the granite blocks after at least a year of research.

However, not all archaeologists are enthusiastic about the initiative. Some fear that Giza could turn into a replacement Disneyland when the granite slabs are back on the pyramid. Over the centuries, they had fallen down due to earthquakes, for example, but were also removed to make way for nearby monuments and houses.

Controversy over the restoration of archaeological sites is not just in Giza. Even with the Mayan pyramids in Mexico or complexes such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, there is always debate about whether the historical sites should be restored to their splendor or whether they should be left as untouched as possible - and the results vary depending on the location.

Which stone was where?

Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, has positive things to say about the Giza project, unlike some colleagues: "Scanning and documenting the pyramid and the blocks on the ground is very useful," she told New York Times «. If the team could put the fallen blocks back in place, and do so in a reversible way, it would make “extremely sense.” However, you have to make sure that the pyramids can actually carry so much additional weight.

There are apparently doubts as to which of the stones lying on the ground were actually on the pyramid. In ancient Egypt, they were probably only polished after they were placed on the structure - and many of the stones lying around the Giza plateau are not polished.

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