A celebration to mark the start of one of the largest projects to restore Khufu's Second Solar Boat kicked off on Thursday 23/06/2011, said Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass. Speaking at a press conference held at the site of the boat, west of the Great Pyramid of King Khufu (Cheops) at the Giza Plateau, Hawass said the project started two years ago to study lifting up 41 stone blocks, whose average weight is about 16 tons. A stone block was lifted on Wednesday as a test and was replaced with a wooden one, made in Japan, he said. At present, a tent warehouse was erected for enclosing and protecting the working area. The air-conditioners and humidifiers for controlling the temperature and humidity inside the pit after opening the cover stones were also prepared at the site.
http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Story.aspx?sid=56448See also Al-Ahram [Egypt]:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent ... ealed.aspxPhotos:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... chaeology/