After protests, Egyptian authorities abandoned plans to rebuild the Great Pyramids of Giza

Don’t worry under any circumstances”

Egyptian archaeologists have abandoned a plan to restore the cladding of one of the three great pyramids at Giza. The Antiquities Authority rejected the proposal for the Menkaure pyramid after a review following an international outcry.

Egypt has rejected a controversial plan to restore the ancient granite casing of the Pyramid of Menkaure, the smallest of the three great pyramids at 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, saying it would be the “project of the century.”

But according to The Guardian, news that the ancient monument could be quickly changed has caused an international outcry, prompting Egypt’s antiquities authority to reconsider the project. The pyramids are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that still survive to this day.

Alone among the pyramids, Menkaure was designed to be faced with granite rather than limestone. Only 16-18 layers of granite were laid before construction was stopped, apparently due to the death of Menkaure around 2503 BC.

Over the centuries, theft, weathering and collapse have led to the disappearance of many layers, today only seven remain, although numerous fallen granite blocks are still scattered around the base of the pyramid, writes The Guardian.

Vaziri said the granite replacement project will only begin after a year of scanning and documentation.

“The Menkaure Pyramid Review Committee unanimously opposed the reinstallation of granite blocks scattered around the base of the pyramid thousands of years ago,” the antiquities committee said in a statement.

Zahi Hawass, the former Egyptian minister of antiquities who chaired the committee, said it would be impossible to determine where each block was originally located. Replacing them would also require cement, which would destroy the pyramid.

“What I want to say is don’t worry, the Giza pyramids are safe and nothing will happen to them,” Hawass told Reuters. “People call me everywhere, write letters, e-mails. They are worried. Don’t worry at all, the pyramids are safe and no one can touch the pyramid of Menkaure.”

“There is no need to rush in archeology. If you rush, you will destroy the excavation site,” Hawass said. “For any work to be done on the site of the pyramids, it is important to do the research and tell us what to do.”