The mystery as to how the Great Pyramid of Khufu was built has always been fascinating. Numerous theories have been put forward but none has yet stood up to the acid test. This week, after eight years of research, French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin developed what has been called a new revolutionary hypothesis that rubbishes all previous theories, suggesting in the latest version that the pyramid was built using either a vast frontal ramp or one with a corkscrew shape around the exterior to haul up the stonework.

In a gala ceremony in Paris, Houdin said the ancient Egyptian builders constructed the Great Pyramid from inside out by erecting an outer ramp to build the pyramid's first 40 metres, then constructed an inner ramp in a corkscrew shape to complete the 137-metre-tall structure.

During the 3D computer simulation, Houdin showed drawings from a 1986 survey of the pyramid of a "spiral anomaly" inside that conforms exactly to this theory...

Houdin said he thought no more than 4,000 workers could have built the pyramid using these techniques rather than the 100,000 or so assigned by past historians to the task of burying the Pharaoh.

"This goes against both main existing theories. I've been teaching them myself for 20 years," Egyptologist Rainer [Stadelmann] told Al-Ahram Weekly, adding, "Houdin's vision is credible but right now this is just a theory. Everybody thinks it has got to be taken seriously."

To prove Houdin's theory, an international team is now being assembled to probe the pyramid using radar and heat-detecting cameras supplied by a French defence firm. However, Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, has turned down Houdin's request to have his theory proved. Hawass said Houdin had issued his request using an Egyptian "cover institution" that did not have the proper expertise to examine the Great Pyramid...

The inside story, Nevine El-Aref, Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 839, April 05 - 11, 2007.

Previously:

Great Pyramid Built Inside Out, French Architect Says, April 03, 2007.

Ancient riddle of the Great Pyramid's construction is turned inside out, March 30, 2007.

Real-time 3D Helps to Finally Solve the Mystery of the Great Pyramid of Kheops!, March 30, 2007.

, Jean-Pierre Houdin, Dar al-Mushaf, 2006, pp. 160.

Tourists today pose no less of a threat, [to the tombs of the Valley of the Kings, than the depredations of the 19th-century European explorers]. With large groups pressing into narrow corridors, the increase in humidity is a major problem. Darkened areas near some of the most striking scenes, particularly at the corners of gateways or on pillars, are probably due to the walls being touched, and there is even evidence of scratching.

Dina Bakhoum, a young Egyptian engineer specialising in restoration and conservation of monuments, brushes aside the suggestion that there is no way to stem the tide of destruction of the tombs so long as tourism remains a mainstay of the Egyptian economy. She concedes, nevertheless, that serious action must be taken immediately to ensure that this valuable artistic and historic heritage is protected for future generations.

Bakhoum is working under the direction of , director of the University of Chicago's Theban Mapping Project (TMP) in collaboration with the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). The aim of the project is to carry out a photographic survey, identify problems, specify the cause of the deterioration, and describe the technical questions related to the type of damage observed...

A royal destruction, Jill Kamel, Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 839, April 05 - 11, 2007.

Pumice from Santorini Volcano, which erupted in the Mediterranean Sea in 1500 BC, have been found at an ancient Egyptian military site in Qantara East, North Sinai...

After 10 years of digging in Horus road, where remains of several military forts, granaries, dormitory and temples were found, Egyptian archeologists of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) came upon 20 pumice stones or solidified lava inside a pit at Tel Habuwa from Santorini Volcano which erupted in 1500 BC, killing 35,000 people and demolishing several coastal cities in southwest Turkey, Crete, north of the Saudi Arabia, Palestine and the Sinai.

The pumice, which was found among several 18th Dynasty clay vessels that date back to the Hyksos era, was probably brought to Sinai by a tsunami caused by the volcano.

On Monday, Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the SCA along with Egyptian and foreign journalists and photographers, embarked on an inspection tour at Qantara East to check on the new discovery.

At the site, Hawass said the new discovery confirms what has been written and drawn on ancient artwork and documents that recount the destruction of coastal cities in Egypt and Palestine during the Hyksos reign right towards the early New Kingdom...

Fruitful is the find, Nevine El-Aref, Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 839, April 05 - 11, 2007.

Previously:

Video: 'Atlantis' Volcano Devastated Ancient Egypt?, April 05, 2007.

Did the Red Sea Part? No Evidence, Archaeologists Say, April 03, 2007.

Sinai Pumice Linked to Ancient Eruption, April 03, 2007.

With the advent of mass tourism, some important sites increased their income, but at the cost of ugliness and vandalism. They became dumps for discarded soda cans and plastic bags, and were marred by ranks of stalls selling fake artifacts to souvenir hunters. Ancient, labyrinthine streets were made intolerable by noisy, sweaty crowds. As for the works of art, the very breath of the millions of tourists damages them. The feet of certain statues of saints have been worn smooth by the constant handling of the faithful, and not even the Pyramids can withstand the daily shuffling of visiting feet much longer.

What are we to do? Deny the masses access to art, thus flying in the face of all democratic ideals? Discourage visitors — as already happens with Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" in Milan, to which limited numbers are admitted?

We should exploit the natural tendencies of mass tourism — which is another way of saying that there are some who probably find Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas more Roman than the Coliseum.

Just think how many people will be more satisfied by the fake temple at Albanella, all in one piece, shining and splendid, than by the real thing that has struggled to survive in nearby Paestum. Let the crowds in search of easy satisfaction be directed to Albanella, leaving Paestum to those who know why they want to see it and who won't litter...

Temples for the tourists, Umberto Eco, International Herald Tribune, France, April 02, 2007.

Culture Minister Farouk Hosni announced Saturday 31/03/2007 the start of restoration work on the step pyramid Zoser [Djoser] at Saqqara area in Giza.

Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Zahi Hawass said that the project is the first of its kind to rescue step pyramid and the southern tomb.

The restoration project will be carried out over three stages, at a cost of L.E.25 million, Hawass said.

Culture Minister announces start of restoration of Zoser step pyramid, Egypt State Information Service, Egypt, April 01, 2007.