CAIRO • The Egyptian authorities have reopened the 4,700-year-old step pyramid of Djoser to the public after years of renovation.
The roughly 60m-high pyramid dominates the vast Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo and is part of the ancient capital of Memphis, a Unesco World Heritage site.
"We completed the restoration... of the first and oldest pyramid in Egypt, that of King Djoser, the founder of the Old Kingdom," Antiquities and Tourism Minister Khaled El-Enany said last Thursday at the site. It is "the first building in the world made entirely of stone", he added.
The Old Kingdom is known as the age of pyramid builders. Dating to 2,680BC, the Djoser pyramid was built under the direction of architect Imhotep.
An earthquake in 1992 caused considerable damage to the monument's interior. Renovations started in 2006 but were interrupted in 2011 and 2012 for "security reasons", before resuming in 2013, said Mr Ayman Gamal Eddine, project manager at the Antiquities Ministry.
A popular uprising in Egypt in 2011 toppled long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak, with tourism one of the sectors that took a hit in the turmoil that followed.
Last Thursday's reopening was attended by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly as well as foreign ambassadors.
The premier said the renovation cost more than 104 million Egyptian pounds (S$9.2 million).
"We are working hard to build a new Egypt... and the restoration of our heritage is at the top of our priorities", Dr Madbouly said.
The gigantic Grand Egyptian Museum, overlooking the Giza pyramids, is set to open at the end of this year, five years later than originally planned.
Controversy erupted in 2014 when Egyptian media reported that the Djoser pyramid had been damaged during restoration work, with several Egyptian non-governmental organisations saying the monument's original facade had been altered.
Dr Enany said that after criticism from Unesco experts, works were undertaken in conformity with the United Nations body's norms and "in 2018, Unesco gave us positive reports".
Egypt has touted a flurry of archaeological finds in recent years, in the hope of boosting its vital tourism sector, which has suffered multiple shocks since the 2011 uprising.
Last year, the authorities unveiled a 4,500-year-old burial ground near the Giza pyramids replete with colourful wooden coffins and limestone statues. In November 2018, the ministry announced the discovery of seven sarcophagi, some more than 6,000 years old, at a site on the edge of the pyramid complex in Saqqara. Dozens of mummified cats were also found.
Egypt's tourist arrivals reached 11.3 million in 2018, up from 5.3 million in 2016.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
