What threatens the destruction of the Egyptian pyramids?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The Egyptian pyramids and the Great Sphinx are the oldest structures in the world and the only ones of the seven wonders of the world that have survived to this day. They stood for several thousand years, but now they are threatened with destruction. How to preserve the priceless heritage of Ancient Egypt for future generations? Was there a second sphinx near the Great Pyramids? What prevents the inhabitants of modern Egypt from being considered full-fledged heirs of the great civilization of the Nile Valley? All this "Lenta.ru" was told by the candidate of historical sciences, researcher at the Center for Egyptological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a member of the International Association of Egyptologists Roman Orekhov.

Incarnation of the ancestor god Atum

"Lenta.ru": In your last interview with "Lenta.ru" about the pyramids of Ancient Egypt, you said that their construction "consolidated the population around the power of the pharaohs and cemented the unity of the country." Was the construction of the Great Sphinx also a kind of national project of the pharaohs? Is it known when this huge monument appeared on the Giza plateau?

Roman Orekhov:It appeared during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu. This fact is indirectly evidenced by the monument to the XXVI dynasty, the so-called "Stele of the daughter of Cheops" ("Inventory stele").

The Sphinx is the embodiment of the ancestor god Atum, who takes under his patronage the area chosen for the construction of the royal necropolis. The Sphinx personified the idea of transferring royalty - when dying, he transferred strength to the new king. Now most Egyptologists agree that the pharaoh, who ordered the creation of this sculpture, wanted to perpetuate his own image in its appearance.

I think differently, the point of view of the German Egyptologist Rainer Stadelmann and the Bulgarian researcher Vasil Dobrev is closer to me. Stadelman, in particular, believes that the sculptural canon, on the basis of which the Sphinx was carved, does not go back to the reign of Khafra (Khafren), but to the era of his father Khufu (Cheops). According to Rainer Stadelmann, the original project involved the construction of two sphinxes: one was supposed to guard this area from the south, and the other from the north.

It is not known: either it was not preserved, or they did not have time to build it at all. The surviving sphinx was erected in the quarries of Khufu, that is, in the place where the workers took the stone to build the pyramid itself. But in fact, all these disputes about whose face the sphinx reproduces are irrelevant. It is important that he embodied the creator god who guarded the resting place of the pharaohs.

The image of the pharaoh in the form of a lion is an ancient Egyptian tradition, and this is not surprising. As for the Negroid characters, they are, to one degree or another, inherent in all the ancient Egyptians, especially the Southerners (the inhabitants of the north were anthropologically closer to the Caucasians). Take, for example, the images of Pharaoh Djoser - he has dark skin and a typical Negroid mouth. But here it is worth mentioning right away that the Egyptians did not attach absolutely no importance to skin color.

On this issue, scientists are still arguing. I am one of those who believe that the Sphinx was originally beardless and he got it at a later time. To avoid an imbalance in weight, the beard rested on the base of the sculpture, on the body of the sphinx.

This is not documented anywhere, but it could have happened at any time - during the reign of the Greek Ptolemies, under Roman rule, or already under the Arabs. Fragments of a beard were found near the sphinx relatively recently.

The common heritage of our civilization

Such a view can be found only in the elite of the local society. For the majority of the population, unfortunately, this heritage is alien, people perceive it purely utilitarian, from the point of view of usefulness in terms of generating income. Although many modern Egyptians still understand that they survive thanks to the great past of their country.

To say that the heritage of Ancient Egypt has completely disappeared, forgotten and dissolved in Islamic civilization would be an exaggeration. But on the whole you are, of course, right. Muslim culture is not the culture of the sign, it is the culture of the word.

It represents a culture of oral preaching, but not a letter, image, or other sign. As you know, Islam completely denies images and signs, but the culture of Ancient Egypt is entirely based on the image - on hieroglyphs, drawings and other symbols. Therefore, the Muslim religion strongly contributes to the rejection of the current inhabitants of Egypt from its ancient past.

This is not even the point, everything is more complicated. Raised in Muslim traditions, today's Egyptians do not perceive images, they simply do not read them.

Modern Egyptian students find it very difficult to master any information, because they grew up outside the iconic culture.

Now, of course, thanks to progress, the situation is gradually changing. At first, photography and cinematography achieved recognition in the Islamic society, although not immediately and with difficulty, but now social networks have appeared (however, contacts there predominate through voice messages, not text messages).

Surprisingly, the situation in Iran is completely different - it is also a Muslim state, but it has not lost its inextricable connection with its pre-Islamic past. And although many consider the political regime in this country tough and even theocratic, they love and value their ancient culture. In Iran, the younger generation is purposefully educated in respect for their heritage - they treat Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid state, in much the same way as Shiite shrines. Modern Iranians go there not as tourists, but almost as pilgrims.

I think there are still many unexpected discoveries awaiting us. After all, science never stands still. Any newly discovered artifact allows you to look at Ancient Egypt from a new perspective. Of course, much of the work of researching its history has already been done. Now more books (of very different quality) have been published about Egypt than the Egyptians themselves wrote about themselves.

The current unflagging interest in Ancient Egypt is often based on the fact that modern man often tries to realize himself through the comprehension of this civilization, which in many ways became the foundation for ours. Therefore, the pyramids for us become a kind of beacon - it is by them that we navigate in the mysterious world of Ancient Egypt.

Initially, the pyramids were lined with granite or limestone slabs, most of which were stolen during the Arab Middle Ages for the construction of Cairo. Since that time, the pyramids were completely defenseless against erosion, to which harmful emissions from the nearby vast and rapidly expanding Cairo agglomeration have now been added.

It's true. Recently, the Khufu pyramid was partially treated with special chemical compounds that prevent limestone from crumbling. Therefore, its condition is much better than the neighboring Khafre pyramid, which has not yet been treated with anything, and therefore cobblestones are regularly torn down from it. I watched with my own eyes how some of its stone blocks gradually collapse. Of course, Khafre's pyramid needs to be rescued urgently.

This is a very time consuming and costly procedure. Unfortunately, the authorities of present-day Egypt, with its many socio-economic, political and religious problems, have no money for this. The world community should help the country, because the Great Pyramids and the Great Sphinx are the common heritage of our civilization, which we must preserve for our descendants. If now no one supports Egypt in this noble cause, then over time the pyramids will simply perish.