Removing Distortions in Saudi Archaeological Sites
Sudan Events
Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian antiquities expert, said that one of the biggest risks facing the world’s antiquities after climate change is the wrong handling of antiquities by humans, whether they are ancient cities, inscriptions on mountain facades, or even antiquities transported in museums.
From this standpoint, we must value the initiative of the Heritage Authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to create a project, the first of its kind, to remove distortions in archaeological sites and protect heritage and antiquities in the Kingdom.
Through this project, distortions will be removed from absurd writings and drawings written by those who lack knowledge of the value of antiquities.
The project, which was launched a few days ago, includes various heritage areas in the Kingdom, and therefore the Heritage Authority has developed an integrated plan, through archaeologists, engineers, and technicians, in order to rehabilitate the archaeological sites. The project was defined in four phases to be implemented within 24 months until the end of 2025.
A comprehensive survey will be conducted of all archaeological sites that need to be treated for damage caused by visitors or passers-by.
I remember that I began implementing a project like this in 2004, when I entered the pyramid of King Khufu, and found many modern writings on the pyramid’s stones, including phrases “for eternal memory,” and names of people written in various languages, not just Arabic!
This is in addition to drawings representing hearts with arrows passing through them, and the names of males and females.
Treating these deformities required the presence of a team of restorers with a high level of training and experience, in addition to high costs for materials and tools, but nothing exceeds the value of the antiquities.
The Saudi Heritage Authority announced that the project aims to highlight the cultural heritage in the Kingdom to the whole world.
This is because it is an important element in human civilization and culture, and to develop the necessary plans to protect antiquities from distortions, and to rehabilitate archaeological sites and develop them in a sustainable manner.
Without a doubt, this project comes about because the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is now visited by tourists of various nationalities, and that most visitors aim to visit archaeological sites.
