Egypt orders review of Giza pyramid restoration after outcry

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has said it will establish an international scientific committee to review the architectural restoration project of the Pyramid of Menkaure at Giza Plateau.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa ordered formation of the committee that will be chaired by renowned archaeologist and former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

"The committee includes several distinguished experts in engineering and archaeology, especially those specializing in pyramids from Egypt, the United States, the Czech Republic, and Germany," it noted.

After the SCA announced on Jan. 25 a three-year Egyptian-Japanese joint project to restore the granite cladding of 4,500-year-old Pyramid of Menkaure, some Egyptian archeologists and experts expressed their concerns that the project might ruin the originality, identity, and historical value of the pyramid, reports Xinhua.

According to the ministry statement, the committee will prepare a detailed report on its findings after completing the project review. "A decision will be made on whether to proceed with the project or not," it noted.

"The committee will submit this report for the approval of the minister of tourism and antiquities before commencing any work related to the project at the Pyramid of Menkaure and its surrounding area on the ground," it added.

SCA Secretary-General Mostafa Waziri posted a video on Jan. 25 at the pyramid, announcing the project which he referred to as "The Project of the Century" and "Egypt's Gift to the World."

The project will be carried out over at least three years by an Egyptian-Japanese mission, he explained in the video.

"The project will be done in three stages. The first is to study the blocks, the second includes laser scanning and cadastral surveying, and finally we will start reinstalling the outer covering of the pyramid," Waziri said in the video, noting that Menkaure is the only one of Egypt's nearly 124 pyramids whose outer cladding was made of granite.