Rejected the plan to reattach granite blocks to the Menkaure pyramid in Giza

Published in

· 17 Feb 2024

This Friday, a committee of experts consulted by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities unanimously rejected the project announced at the end of January 2024 by the country's authorities to restore the facades of the Menkaure's pyramid by reattaching the large granite blocks that have been on the ground around the structure for centuries.

The Menkaure's pyramid is the smallest of the three pyramids that, together with the large statue of the Sphinx, defines the necropolis of Giza.

The Menkaure's pyramid with the detached blocks at the base. The debate is part of a broader discussion that has long divided the cultural heritage conservation: is it better to try to restore the buildings to how they would have appeared in the period in which they were built or reduce interventions to a minimum, thus maintaining evidence of their change over time? Furthermore, it is not known whether the granite blocks were originally really attached to the pyramid or not. The fact that several of those blocks are unpolished would indicate that they were never mounted on the pyramid.

The project was proposed by Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, but was strongly criticized by various archaeologists, art historians and other experts.

In response to the criticism, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities had formed an expert committee to review the project. The committee unanimously opposed the reinstallation of the granite blocks arguing that it is necessary to preserve the current state of the pyramid without any additions "due to its exceptional archaeological value".

The project has now been permanently abandoned.

Blocks at the base of the Menkaure's pyramid

Built around 2510 BC, the pyramid of Menkaure was supposed to be entirely covered with red Aswan granite: even today the first blocks of this material can be seen on the north side of the structure. However, the premature death of Pharaoh Menkaure, the son of Pharaoh Khafre and grandson of Cheops, changed the plans, and the pyramid was hastily finished in Tura limestone.

The pyramid is now surrounded by various blocks of granite which may have fallen over time due to earthquakes, vandalism or other natural causes or may have been removed from the structure for various reasons over the centuries, for example to build other monuments or houses nearby. As of today only seven layers remains, although numerous fallen granite blocks remain strewn around the pyramid’s base.