Dr. Zahi Hawass has partnered with Dr. Mark Lehner and AERA to work together on the Great Pyramid Temple Project to improve the visitor experience at Giza, while also better protecting the archaeology.
For many years visitor traffic has cut through the remains of the Great Pyramid's temple, contributing to the erasure of this central focus of the Giza complex. We are working to conserve what remains of the temple and present it to visitors in a way that promotes understanding of the pyramid and its temple as a major hallmark of Egypt's ancient cultural heritage.
On September 16th, with all necessary safety procedures in place, we returned to the field to began the first phase of this important project -- cleaning and documenting the current state of the archaeology. The next stage will then be to build a protective stone wall, wooden walkways, a viewing platform, and signage for both the temple and surrounding boat pits.
In the photo to the right, the temple's unique black pavement of polygonal basalt slabs can be seen as we survey in front of the Great Pyramid. These slabs were sawed with copper blades and sand and placed together in jigsaw patterns with square sockets for the granite pillars that surrounded the temple's open court.
We have made some exciting finds working here that we look forward to sharing with you once fieldwork ends. Stay tuned for an update after the first phase of this project is completed later this year!
Funding for this project is being provided by ARCE's Antiquities Endowment Fund along with the support of AERA's members and donors.
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