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What鈥檚 going on with the pyramids?

Egypt recently announced plans to restore one of its pyramids. The project was then paused after concerns were raised. What was the plan? And why was it so controversial?

One of the most famous of Egypt鈥檚 pyramids, Menkaure鈥檚 pyramid on the Giza plateau, is the subject of controversy after the Egyptian authorities announced plans to restore it in what the country鈥檚 Head of Antiquities has called 鈥渢he project of the century鈥 and Egypt鈥檚 鈥済ift to the world鈥.

But not everyone believes such a restoration is in keeping with the demands of proper archaeological preservation.

The plans met with opposition from archaeologists and Egyptologists both inside and outside the country. The project has now been paused after recommendations from a scientific committee commissioned by the Egyptian authorities.

So what鈥檚 going on with the pyramids?

Presenter: Gary O鈥橠onoghue
Producer: Louise Clarke
Researcher: Matt Toulson
Editor: Tara McDermott
Technical producer: Nicky Edwards
Production co-ordinator: Liam Morrey

Contributors:
Aidan Dodson, honorary Professor of Egyptology at Bristol university in the UK
Dr Jennifer Hellum, senior lecturer in classics and ancient history at the University of Auckland in New Zealand
Heba Saleh, Cairo correspondent for the Financial Times
Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo

Photo by KHALED ELFIQI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock via 大象传媒 Images

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23 minutes

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Sun 3 Mar 2024 12:06GMT

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