HERITAGE
Rectangular buildings called mastabas covered Giza Plateau
A new 3D project has brought Egypt’s Giza pyramids to life, allowing them to be shared worldwide while protecting their heritage
NICK LERNER • CONSULTANT
centuries, the ancient Egyptians built Giza into a vast necropolis, rich in les- sons about their civilization, conception of the afterlife, architectural knowledge, art and writing. The area is subject to threats from all sides, from rampant urban sprawl, the elements and even vandalism. This raises two questions – how can this heritage be preserved and how can it be shared with as many as possible? The Giza 3D project has the answers. On the Nile’s west bank, opposite the
ancient city of Cairo, the Giza Plateau constitutes a vast necropolis at the desert’s edge, spread across 2,000m (6,562ft) from east to west and 1,500m (4,921ft) from north to south.
POINTS OF VIEW S
ituated on the outskirts of Cairo, Africa’s largest city, the Giza Plateau is a little-known archaeological jewel. Over the
Around the pyramids, where the
kings are entombed, fl anked by smaller satellite pyramids for their queens, the Egyptians customarily buried family members and dignitaries, so that they could enjoy the benefi cent infl uence of the proximity of their sovereign in their journey to the hereafter. Over the centuries, the Giza Plateau was gradu- ally covered with rectangular buildings called mastabas (mastaba means bench in Arabic), temples which were dedicated to worship, pits containing giant funerary boats and a network of passages and causeways. It all constitutes a rich funerary com-
plex, unfortunately much the worse for looting and the passage of time. The best-preserved royal mortuary complex, dedicated to the pharaoh Khafre, gives us an idea of what the necropolis must have been like in its heyday.
ENDANGERED ZONE
The Giza Plateau is an endangered her- itage zone. The entire site is threatened by a combination of adverse factors. In addition to erosion by the weather, with sandstorms and temperature fl uctua- tions, there’s also the human element. With growing urbanisation, Cairo’s megalopolis is now encroaching on the site itself with problems including pol- lution that attacks limestone. Moreover, the site is victim to its own success. Abrasion from millions of footsteps, and carbon dioxide exhalations of vast numbers of visitors attack the stone of the pyramids and mastaba. There’s additional damage from graffi ti and people who have tried to extract stones. Add this to the worldwide museum diaspora of objects extracted from the plateau since Egyptology’s infancy, and the Giza Necropolis is practically
Virtual viewing means less environmental impact on Giza 28
Using 3D glasses, people can explore underground tombs Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital AM 1 2013 ©cybertrek 2013
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