The Pyramid of Menkaure was built to house the tomb of King Menkaure, who ruled Egypt more than 4,000 years ago.

Renovation work at Egypt’s Menkaure pyramid at Giza has sparked controversy and criticism on social media. A video shared on Facebook by Mostafa Waziri, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, shows workers setting blocks of granite on the base of the pyramid. The aim of the renovation is to restore the pyramid’s original style by reconstructing the granite layer that was once encased around it. However, some experts have labeled the project as absurd, while others have praised it as the project of the century.

The Menkaure pyramid is one of the three pyramids located at Giza, alongside the Sphinx and the larger Khafre and Cheops pyramids. The restoration work has attracted attention on social media, with users expressing their opinions on the matter. AFP reports that critics have argue that the focus should be on preserving the pyramid’s historical integrity rather than attempting to recreate its original appearance. They believe that the pyramid should be left as it is, showcasing the passage of time and the effects of erosion.

On the other hand, supporters of the renovation project argue that restoring the pyramid to its former glory is essential for preserving Egypt’s rich cultural heritage.

Work is slated to last three years and will be “Egypt’s gift to the world in the 21st century”, said Waziri, who heads the Egyptian-Japanese mission in charge of the project. But under the video, dozens of upset people left comments critical of the work. “Impossible!” wrote the Egyptologist Monica Hanna. “The only thing missing was to add tiling to the pyramid of Menkaure! When are we going to stop the absurdity in the management of Egyptian heritage?” she asked. “All international principles on renovations prohibit such interventions, Hanna added, calling on all archaeologists to “mobilize immediately.”

The issue of heritage preservation in Egypt has always been a topic of heated debate. With tourism contributing 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, it is crucial to protect and maintain the historical sites that attract visitors from around the world. Recently, there has been a significant destruction of Cairo’s historic area, leading to strong mobilizations by civil society. Despite being largely banned from political activity, civil society has focused its fight with the government on urban planning and heritage issues.

According to a report in AFP, one of the latest controversies revolves around the fifteenth-century Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi mosque in Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city. The local authorities have initiated an investigation following a contractor’s decision to repaint the ornate, carved, and colored ceilings of the mosque in white.

About Pyramid of Menkaure

The Pyramid of Menkaure was built to house the tomb of King Menkaure, who ruled Egypt more than 4,000 years ago. It is the only one of the three main pyramids at Giza that was encased in multiple levels of Aswan granite, a red stone that comes from quarries more than 550 miles south of Giza. Scholars believe the pyramid was never completed after the king’s death.