Pyramids, Sphinx get disinfected

The Sphinx is getting sterilized as Egyptian authorities prepare for the return of tourism after the public health crisis has lifted. A disinfection team has fanned out across the Giza Pyramids, fumigating Khafre, Menkaure and Khufu monuments. Equipped with masks, industrial cleaning gear and haz-mat suits, the crew has also sprayed ticket offices, pathways and roads around the sites, including the Sphinx. Few visitors have visited the Sphinx complex since the coronavirus pandemic was declared, so it was a good time to complete the work, explained Ashraf Mohi al-din, director general of the Giza Plateau. “The monument has a specific form of sterilization with specific material that will be carried out by a team of specialized restorers,” he said. Quoted by the AAP news agency, Mohi al-din said the lockdowns and dramatic fall in tourism triggered by COVID-19 had created a window for Egypt to complete essential work on its national treasures. “We take advantage of this suspension to prepare the archeological zone in terms of maintenance and restoration so that when tourism recovers, the area of the pyramids is in its maximum splendour to receive visitors,” he said. Meanwhile, Egypt Today reported that a “new archeological discovery” was made during the sterilization of the Sphinx region, citing Mostafa Waziri, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.