UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, October 11, 1995
11A
Tourists' breath closes pyramid
The Associated Press
CAIRO, Egypt — Neither wars nor earthquakes nor Mother Nature dampened the allure of Chephren, one of the three most famous pyramids at Giza. But the breath of millions of tourists did.
Egyptian antiquities officials put a fist-sized padlock on its yellow iron door Tuesday, closing it for three months so that vacuums can suck out humid air sapping its structural strength and so restorers can preserve its flaking limestone walls.
"We are really giving the pyramid a rest for the first time," said Zahi Hawass, chief inspector of the Giza Plateau.
Vapor from the exhalations of 2 million tourists a year has taken its toll on the 4,600-year-old pyramid outside Cairo, drawing salts from its huge limestone blocks and weakening them.
Flaking, yellowed limestone has chipped off, revealing a white surface beneath. In one tunnel, a heap of rocks and pebbles has fallen and been swept into a pile against the wall. Cracks blamed on moisture seeping into the rock are visible everywhere.
Already, the 2 million tourists who descend into the pyramid each year can see the effects in the musty, suffocating tunnels that wind beneath the 450-foot tall structure.
Unlike the stunning artwork in
tombs in the Valley of the Kings in southern Egypt, the barren pyramids are hailed more for their monumental glory, particularly Chephrem with its limestone casing preserved on the apex. On a clear day, it can be seen from sprawling Cairo's downtown.
The project will combine restoration with preservation. Pairs of small vacuums will suck out the
moist air and pump in dry desert air. A ventilation system will then be installed to change the air inside every hour, necessary since each tourist exhales an average of seven-tenths of an ounce of vapor.
scaffolds and even tides on cankers.
Ahmed Said, one of the camel drivers, seemed undaunted by the closing.
Then, work will begin to treat the limestone damaged by moisture.
scarabs and even rides on camels.
"This pyramid is closed but the others are open, so that's no problem," said Said, sitting on a saddle that looked like a Persian carpet. "We have to take care of our monuments."
After Chephren, restorers will
said Ali Hassan, who heads the Pharaonic section for the government's antiquities branch.
Residents of the plateau, which is within earshot of the cacophony of Cairo, depend on tourism for their livelihood. They hawk imitation artifacts touted as ancient, Arab head dresses, miniature pyramids,
Zahl Hawass chief inspector, Giza Plateau
Though robbed centuries ago, their tunnels, chambers and walls have withstood the earthquakes and ravages of time.
start a similar project on Mycerinus, the smallest of the three pyramids. The largest, Cheops, was restored in 1990.
The three pyramids—the only survivors of the ancient world's seven wonders—are named for pharaohs who ruled Egypt from 2613-2494 B.C.
"The pyramid has an age. There is an end," Hassan said.
But with the restoration, he added, "The pyramids will survive for 5,000 years, maybe more."
THE NEWS in brief
Two teens charged as adults in murder
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Six boys ranging in age from 10 to 17 have been charged with kicking a man to death as he waited for a ride to work.
The youngsters allegedly took turns kicking Jerry Hoshor, 46, according to court records released Monday. He was unconscious during most of the attack and died a few hours after he was taken to the hospital.
A 10-year-old kicked Hoshor in the head several times and hit him over the head with a bottle, the records said. One of the boys ran over Hoshor with his bike and took his wallet.
Family members said Hoshor was waiting at the corner where he was killed because he caught a ride to work at a packaging company every night from there.
Cindy Hoshor, his sister-in-law, said Hoshor told a co-worker the boys had been harassing him for several days before the Aug.12 beating.
Two boys were charged as adults, a 15-year-old with first-degree murder and a 17-year-old with second-degree murder. The other four boys — ages 10-12, were charged as juveniles.
Pesticide-resistant bug threatens coffee crops
WASHINGTON — An insect that feeds on coffee beans in New Caledonia has developed resistance to an insecticide and could pose a major threat to the world's coffee crops if the resistance spreads to other lands.
Researchers report in yesterday's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that the coffee berry borer in the South Pacific island is now 25 to 100 times more resistant to the insecticide endosulfan than are strains of the bug in other coffee growing areas. Compiled from The Associated Press.
"This is a significant pest of the coffee crop," said Jeff Stuart, an insect specialist at Purdue University and a co-author of the study. "If it does spread it would have a major impact." New Caledonia is remote from most other coffee growing areas, making direct spread of the resistant bug less likely. However, Stuart warned that the mutation that protects the New Caledonian borer from endosulfan could occur anywhere that the bugs are sprayed with this insecticide.
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The University of Kansas HOMECOMING WEEKEND October 13-15,1995 SCHEDULE Homecoming Parade Friday, October 13, 2:20 p.m. Chi Omega fountain to Adams Alumni Center. See Chancellor Hemenway, the KU Band, student organization floats, Ex.C.E.L. Award winners and more. Parade starts with a rally on Wescoe Beach.
SUA Homecoming Show Friday, October 13, 8:00 p.m. Performance featuring Denny Dent and his Two-Fisted Art Attack! Kansas Union Ballroom. For tickets call 864-3477
The Bridges of Madison County 7:00 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday The Exorcist Midnight, Friday and Saturday Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas Union All tickets $2.50 except midnight $3.00, tickets available 30 minutes prior to show at SUA box office
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