Egypt Aborts Controversial Pyramid Renovation Plan

17/2/2024 7:15

        Egypt has scuttled a controversial plan to reinstall ancient granite cladding on the pyramid of Menkaure, the smallest of the three great pyramids of Giza, a committee formed by the country's tourism minister said in a statement.
        
        Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, announced the plan last month, declaring it would be "the project of the century".
        
        But news that the ancient monument might be altered quickly drew an international outcry, prompting Egypt's antiquities authority to review the project. The pyramids are the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world that still remain.
        
        Alone among the pyramids, Menkaure was designed to be clad in granite rather than limestone. Only 16 to 18 layers of granite were installed before construction was halted, apparently because of Menkaure's death in about 2503 B.C.