Egypt denies claims oldest pyramid damaged in restoration

[Buster's Uncle]

Egypt denies claims oldest pyramid damaged in restoration
AFP
5 hours ago



Tourist takes a picture of the step pyramid of Djoser on September 16, 2014 (AFP Photo/Mohamed el-Shahed)



Cairo (AFP) - Egypt's antiquities minister denied Tuesday claims that the Djoser pyramid, the country's first, had been damaged during restoration work by a company accused of being unqualified to do such work.

Addressing journalists who had been allowed inside the 27th century BC pyramid near Cairo, Mamdouh al-Damati said: "You have seen the inside of the pyramid. It has not been destroyed; it is not in danger."

"Restoration work is underway without a problem," the minister added in his remarks to the journalists, who had been invited to see for themselves so that they did not spread "rumours".

But Marwa al-Zeiny, a specialist in the restoration of antiquities, claimed that the company hired to do the work, Al-Shurbagy, does not have the experience for such projects, and she criticised what has already been done.

"There is an enormous visual difference between the part (of the pyramid) already restored" and the rest of the structure, she told AFP.

"The part that has been restored gives the impression of being a new pyramid, which contravenes all international norms."

Al-Shurbagy's project manager, Michel Farid Ghobrial, brushed aside the criticism, saying the work done "gives the pyramid the appearance it would have had when it was first built".

Zeiny called for the appointment of a committee of independent international experts to evaluate the work and decide whether the tomb "is in danger or not".

The tomb, built by the master architect Imhotep for the Pharoah Djoser, is located in Saqqara necropolis some 20 kilometres (12 miles) southwest of Cairo.

It consists of six mastabas, or flat rooves of rectangular structure of decreasing size. It originally stood 62 metres (203 feet) tall.

Renovation work began in 2006 but has been on hold since early 2013 due to a lack of funding.


http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-denies-claims-oldest-pyramid-damaged-restoration-210523542.html

[Buster's Uncle]

Egypt says restoration of oldest pyramid on track
Associated Press
By SAMUEL MCNEIL  9 hours ago



Building materials gather dust at the foot of the Djoser Pyramid in Saqqara, Egypt, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014. The restoration of the 4,600-year old pyramid has prompted controversy between the Ministry of Antiquities, activists and archaeologists including the new brick work at the base of the pyramid. (AP Photo/Samuel McNeil)



SAQQARA, Egypt (AP) — Egypt's antiquities minister took journalists inside a 4,600-year-old pyramid on Tuesday to reject recent accusations of mismanagement at the site as false and "without evidence."

At a press conference at the Saqqara pyramid complex, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Cairo, Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh el-Damaty decried recent media reports alleging that the Djoser pyramid might collapse.

"All these repetitions that there are fallen stones inside or outside the pyramid are not true," el-Damaty said.

He welcomed small groups of journalists inside the towering stone pyramid to view the inner chamber's steel and wood support scaffolding.

"You were with us inside the pyramid, you saw it from the inside," el-Damaty said. "It is not destroyed, it is safe."

Criticism of the project centers on the government's choice of a contractor, the Shurbagy construction company, which has no antiquities experience. Critics point to a new brick wall built on top of the pyramid's base, which they say risks damaging the ancient structure.



Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh el-Damaty talks to journalists about the restoration of the 4,600-year old Djoser Pyramid, 30 kilometers southwest of Cairo, in Saqqara, Egypt, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014. The restoration of the 4,600-year old pyramid has prompted controversy between the Ministry of Antiquities, activists and archaeologists. (AP Photo/Samuel McNeil)


"This company is full of corruption, they didn't hire professional people," said Monica Hanna, an Egyptian archaeologist. She advocates the formation of an independent committee of Egyptian conservationists to oversee the restoration of all the country's historical sites, including Saqqara.

"Looking at archival images of Saqqara over the past 100 years, the pyramid actually looks new," Hanna said. "This should never be the case: we have to conserve these monuments in a way that is unnoticeable."

During the conference, el-Damaty angrily blamed journalists for not contacting the ministry about the "rumors" of the pyramid's structural integrity.

He singled out the website "Archaeologists Against the Coup," run by Islamist supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, as being "behind the spread of rumors which the media helped exaggerate."

Morsi was overthrown by the military in July 2013 amid mass demonstrations calling for his resignation after a tumultuous year in power. His supporters view the current government as illegitimate.

The government has recently announced a range of programs to revitalize the tourism sector, which fell by nearly 46 percent following the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Funded by museum and site ticket sales, the ministry of antiquities is facing bankruptcy as international tourists remain wary of visiting Egypt after three years of turmoil.


http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-says-restoration-oldest-pyramid-track-165909832.html