Controversy Erupts Over Renovation of Egypt's Menkaure Pyramid

Critics decry the project as 'absurd', while proponents hail it as 'Egypt's gift to the world in the 21st century'.

Egypt's Menkaure pyramid at Giza is undergoing a renovation project that aims to restore the structure's original granite casing, which it lost over time.
The project, led by Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, is expected to last three years and is being hailed as 'Egypt's gift to the world in the 21st century'.
The renovation has sparked controversy and criticism on social media, with Egyptologist Monica Hanna calling it 'absurd' and urging archaeologists to 'mobilize immediately'.
Heritage preservation in Egypt, which derives 10% of its GDP from tourism, is a contentious issue, with recent destruction of parts of Cairo's historic area triggering protests.
The debate extends to other sites, such as the 15th-century Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi mosque in Alexandria, where a renovation contractor's decision to repaint the ornate ceilings white has prompted an investigation.