Egypt Reopens Cheops Pyramid

The Great Pyramid of Cheops, the most famous of ancient Egypt’s royal tombs, was declared safe for tourists and reopened Saturday for the first time in nine months.

A Dutch woman and an American student were the first of the scores of tourists who waited under the hot Egyptian sun to tour the pyramid.

Since August, workers had been sealing cracks, reinforcing limestone slabs for safety and clearing vermin from the inside of the structure, which now boasts television monitors.

The restoration project was the first step in a five-year plan to transform the pyramid area, including the Sphinx, into an open-air museum.

The Great Pyramid is Egypt’s top tourist attraction.