Current:Home > InvestArchaeologists in Egypt embark on a mission to reconstruct the outside of Giza's smallest pyramid-LoTradeCoin
Archaeologists in Egypt embark on a mission to reconstruct the outside of Giza's smallest pyramid
View Date:2024-12-23 20:50:59
Cairo — Archaeologists have launched a huge project to restore the smallest of Giza's three famous pyramids to what they believe it looked like when it was built more than 4,000 years ago. An Egyptian-Japanese archaeological mission announced the project to put back in place hundreds of granite blocks that used to form the outer casing of the pyramid of King Menkaure, the smallest of the three main pyramids on the iconic Giza Necropolis.
Dr. Mostafa Waziry, Secretary-General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in a video statement that it would be the "project of the century," calling it "Egypt's gift to the world in the 21st century."
Waziry said there were about 124 pyramids in Egypt, and the only one known to have been built with an outer shell of granite blocks was the one constructed for King Menkaure around 2,150 BC. He said that while only the bottom five to eight rows of blocks remain in place, there were originally 16 to 18 rows of the huge pieces of granite covering the sides of the pyramid.
- Cosmic rays help reveal corridor hidden in Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza
It's not known when or how the blocks fell. Some experts believe they toppled about 800 years ago — but they are still there, some of them buried or partially buried, all around the base of the pyramid.
The plan is for archaeologists to carefully dig them up and reinstall them. The team is also hopeful that they could unearth other valuable antiquities in the process, hidden around or beneath the blocks.
Some archeologists, however, including a former head of Egypt's antiquities ministry, aren't on board with the project, and expressed concern as the digging got underway.
Dr. Mohamed Abd El-Maqsoud, former Director of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector and a former senior official in Egypt's antiquities ministry, told CBS News that before the granite blocks are moved, they should first be studied extensively to verify that they were all even part of the structure to begin with.
He said some of them were very likely not part of the pyramid itself, but rather were used in the massive ramp that led up to it during construction more than 4,000 years ago. Some of the blocks, he said, appeared to have never been polished, which he would expect from an external component of the structure.
- 4,200-year-old queen's identity among remarkable new finds in Egypt
"I believe that not all the blocks near the pyramid were part of the exterior casing," Abd El-Maqsoud told CBS News. "Some of them belong to the funerary temple, some were never used because the king died, and his son didn't complete the project."
"The project is in its early stage of the studying and documenting and classifying the blocks, then they will share the results with an international committee," Waziry told CBS News. "No action will be taken until the study is completed and no blocks will be reinstalled until the committee determines so."
He said it would likely take about three years to complete the project, which would include studying the granite blocks using modern methods such as photogrammetry and laser scanning, before lifting and securing them back in place.
- In:
- Archaeologist
- Egypt
Ahmed Shawkat is a CBS News producer based in Cairo.
TwitterveryGood! (51939)
Related
- Donna Kelce Includes Sweet Nod to Taylor Swift During Today Appearance With Craig Melvin
- In a First, California Requires Solar Panels for New Homes. Will Other States Follow?
- 22 Father's Day Gift Ideas for the TV & Movie-Obsessed Dad
- Mom influencer Katie Sorensen sentenced to jail for falsely claiming couple tried to kidnap her kids at a crafts store
- Lee Zeldin, Trump’s EPA Pick, Brings a Moderate Face to a Radical Game Plan
- How Solar Panels on a Church Rooftop Broke the Law in N.C.
- South Dakota Backs Off Harsh New Protest Law and ‘Riot-Boosting’ Penalties
- Why Kim Cattrall Says Getting Botox and Fillers Isn't a Vanity Thing
- Former NFL coach Jack Del Rio charged with operating vehicle while intoxicated
- Read full text of Supreme Court student loan forgiveness decision striking down Biden's debt cancellation plan
Ranking
- Nearly 80,000 pounds of Costco butter recalled for missing 'Contains Milk statement': FDA
- The Ultimatum: Queer Love Relationship Status Check: Who's Still Together?
- 5 Ways Trump’s Clean Power Rollback Strips Away Health, Climate Protections
- Keystone Pipeline Spills 383,000 Gallons of Oil into North Dakota Wetlands
- Special counsel Smith asks court to pause appeal seeking to revive Trump’s classified documents case
- Prince Harry Chokes Up on Witness Stand Amid Phone-Hacking Case
- Vanderpump Rules' Lala Kent’s Affordable Amazon Haul is So Chic You’d Never “Send it to Darrell
- Danny Bonaduce Speaks Out After Undergoing Brain Surgery
Recommendation
-
FanDuel Sports Network regional channels will be available as add-on subscription on Prime Video
-
Matty Healy Sends Message to Supporters After Taylor Swift Breakup
-
Jackie Miller James' Sister Shares Update After Influencer's Aneurysm Rupture
-
Politicians Are Considering Paying Farmers to Store Carbon. But Some Environmental and Agriculture Groups Say It’s Greenwashing
-
'Unfortunate error': 'Wicked' dolls with porn site on packaging pulled from Target, Amazon
-
22 Father's Day Gift Ideas for the TV & Movie-Obsessed Dad
-
Ashley Tisdale Enters Her French Girl Era With New Curtain Bangs
-
State Department report on chaotic Afghan withdrawal details planning and communications failures