Rebuilding granite blocks around pyramid ‘as absurd as straightening the Tower of Pisa’

Egyptologists question the need to recreate cladding in Giza restoration project and say structure should be preserved as it is today

A plan to cover a Giza pyramid with granite cladding has been called “absurd” after its proponents promised it would deliver “a gift from Egypt to the world”.
The project aims to restore the Pyramid of Menkaure, the smallest of the three pyramids at Giza, to its original glory over a three-year period.
The structure was originally cased in 16 layers of granite blocks, but only seven remain today.
Their restoration, which has sparked controversy among archaeologists and Egyptologists, has been hailed by supporters of the plan as a historic move to restore a wonder of the ancient world.
Mostafa Waziri, the head of Egypt’s supreme council of antiquities, said the project would offer modern visitors a glimpse of the structure’s original magnificence.
He has described the plan as “a gift from Egypt to the world”. It is set to coincide with the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is expected to open later this year, more than 20 years after construction began.
However, the project has drawn sharp disapproval from some quarters, with some critics likening it to “straightening the Tower of Pisa”.
Monica Hanna, an Egyptologist, questioned the need for the cladding and demanded a more conservative approach be adopted, one focused on preserving the structure as it is today, rather than attempting to recreate its original appearance.
“When are we going to stop the absurdity in the management of Egyptian heritage?” she said, arguing that international principles of archaeological restoration generally prohibit such extensive interventions.
In response to the criticism, the Egyptian mnistry of antiquities said it had formed a committee of experts to examine the project, throwing its future into uncertainty. It is expected to issue a verdict on the plan in the coming days.
Zahi Hawass, also an Egyptologist, told The Telegraph that roughly one-third of the Menkaure pyramid was originally clad with 16 granite blocks.
It was never fully encased because of the demise of Menkaure, the pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty that the pyramid was named after.
Built around 2,500BC, the Pyramid of Menkaure originally stood some 65 metres tall. Over time, it has been gradually whittled away by erosion and vandalism.
The plan to restore its granite cladding forms part of a larger “project of the century” initiative to develop the Giza Pyramids area, a Unesco World Heritage Site and the world’s most iconic archaeological destination.
The broader plan includes building the Grand Egyptian Museum, upgrading local infrastructure, and establishing new and improved visitor facilities.
Cairo has touted the museum as the largest in the world devoted to a single civilisation. A vast structure near the Giza pyramids that has been under construction since 2005, its opening has been repeatedly delayed.
Officials hope the $1.2 billion attraction will provide a major boost for Egypt’s tourism industry, a crucial source of foreign currency and jobs for the country’s struggling economy, once it finally opens its doors.
The issue of heritage preservation in Egypt is often the subject of heated debate.
Recent destruction of entire areas of Cairo’s historic area led to powerful mobilisations by civil society groups, many of which are largely banned from political activity and now concentrate the bulk of their disputes with president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s government on urban planning and heritage issues.
The debate has lately focused on the 15th-century Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi mosque in the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest.
Local authorities announced an investigation after a contractor in charge of renovation decided to redecorate the ornate, carved and coloured ceilings of the city’s largest mosque using white paint.