Giza Pyramid Open After Renovation

The Pyramid of Chephren, the second of Egypt’s three pyramids at Giza, was reopened to the public last week after $300,000 worth of renovation work.

It was closed in October 1995 after a block of stone broke off the wall of a burial chamber. The government took the opportunity to install a ventilation system to reduce humidity generated by tourists, which damages limestone walls when the water condenses, officials said.

The nearby Great Pyramid of Cheops had a similar ventilation system installed in 1990-91. The third pyramid, that of Pharaoh Mycerinus, will soon receive the same treatment, said Abdelhalim Noureddin, chairman of Egypt’s Supreme Council for Antiquities.

Chephren, the fourth pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, ruled Egypt in the 26th century B.C. Cheops was his father.