CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt reopened the Djoser step pyramid on Thursday, the first pyramid ever built, after a 14-year restoration that cost nearly $ 6.6 million.
Tourists take photos at the archaeological site of the standing step pyramid of Saqqara after its renovation, south of Cairo, Egypt, on March 5, 2020. REUTERS / Mohamed Abd El Ghany
The pyramid, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built 4,700 years ago during the time of Pharaoh Djoser, one of the kings of the Third Dynasty of Ancient Egypt.
After decades of neglect and the risk of collapse, the Egyptian government launched an ambitious project to restore its splendor in 2006.
“Today we celebrate the completion of the project to ward off danger and maintain and restore the first and oldest pyramid in Egypt,” said Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anani.
The structure was designed by Imhotep, described by some as the first architect in the world.
“We are impressed with how he was able to create this structure, which has stood for 4,700 years,” said Anani.
Restoration work stopped in 2011 after the popular uprising in Egypt that overthrew longtime president Hosni Mubark, but resumed in late 2013.
Djeser’s step pyramid, the first large-scale stone construction in history and the largest pyramidal funerary complex, is located at the archaeological site of Saqqara, west of Cairo.
The 60-meter-high pyramid consists of six steps stacked above a tomb of a funeral well 28 meters deep and seven meters wide.
Speaking alongside the pyramid, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said that Egypt was involved in many large-scale projects and that the restoration of its heritage was one of them.
“Of course, we are very proud that this is an Egyptian heritage, we also know very well that it is a world and global heritage that we want to preserve,” he added.
The project saw efforts to prevent the collapse of the pyramid and external and internal restoration works, including paths leading to the pyramid and internal corridors leading to the burial chamber.
Experts also restored the sarcophagus of King Djoser in the pyramid and the walls of the tomb of the funeral well.
Report by Nadeen Ebrahim and Sameh El-Khatib, Writing by Mahmoud Mourad, Edition by Alexandra Hudson