Monday, Sep 07, 2009
Cairo: The first shot was fired by Giza Governor Saeed Abdul Aziz early last month, when he announced that the city famed for its pyramids would celebrate Giza Day on every August 23.
He explained that this decision had been reached as a result of a study completed by a panel of archaeologists and astronomers, who concluded that the building of the Great Pyramid began on August 23.
This announcement met with an angry response from Zahi Hawass, Egypt's top archaeologist.
"This study is inaccurate," said Hawass, general secretary of the Superior Council of Antiquities. "There is no clear text from the ancient history [that states] when the Great Pyramid was built. The belief that the Great Pyramid was built during the Nile flood, when there was usually no work, is completely erroneous."
"Archaeological discoveries showed that the construction of the pyramid was a yearlong work. So, the study was not well based on archaeological evidence. Besides, when it comes to recording the history of ancient Egypt, the Supreme Council of Antiquities is the only agency having the authority to do this."
Topping the list of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Great Pyramid, also known as the Pyramid of Cheops, covers an area of 13 acres in Giza, west of Cairo. Its height, originally 146 metres, has been reduced to 137 metres as a result of the erosion of its summit. Its builder, King Cheops (2589-2566BC), was the second ruler of the Fourth Dynasty, according to Egyptologists.
While conceding that there is no undisputed evidence of when the building of the Great Pyramid started, Abdul Helim Noor Al Deen, who took part in the controversial study, asserts that he and his colleagues adopted a scientific approach.
"We depended on archaeological and astronomical clues," said Al Deen, a professor of archaeology at Cairo University. "For example, inside one of the chambers of the Great Pyramid, there is an inscription reading: 'The 16th year of King Cheops' rule - the first month - the flood'. This inscription, recorded by the builders of the monument, shows that the flood was necessary to submerge the area in order to help boats, on which the rocks were carried, to sail to the site," he explained.
"We also conducted some astronomical calculations, whereby we concluded that the pyramid was built between the 22nd and 24th of August. We chose the 23rd of August as an approximate date."
The controversy has prompted Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni to intervene and demand that the Governor of Giza cancel all future Giza Day celebrations to "allow more time for thorough investigation".
The governor backed down.
The independent newspaper Al Youm Al Sabe this week speculated that Hosni, who is vying for Unesco's top post, did not want to anger the Israelis, who claim their ancestors built the Giza pyramids.
"He [Hosni] needs Jewish votes for his bid in the upcoming Unesco election," the newspaper reported, quoting an unnamed senior official at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, an affiliate of Hosni's Ministry of Culture.
The report added that the timing of the controversy was inopportune for Hosni.
By Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent
Gulf News 2009. All rights reserved.
