Talking Pyramids: Ancient Egyptian Pyramids

A distant perspective of the pyramids of Menkaure, Khafre and Khufu shot from the south-east corner of the Giza plateau.

The persistent presence of the pigeons on the plateau has been a concern for a number of years now. They have made a habit of nesting in crevices on the Sphinx, such as the eye sockets and have had a disaterous impact on the ancient monument. Rising humidity levels in the stone that the Sphinx is carved from causes calcium deposits that attract the pigeons who then peck at the Sphinx as they eat the deposits. Their own deposits are also a problem as their droppings are acidic. Their presence is endangering the fragile feline statue that is carved from bedrock of the Giza plateau.

They look as though they are on their way over to the sphinx in this photo, the head of the great collosis can just be made out on the right side of the photo.

Click on the image to see a larger view.

Pigeons over Giza by Eric Elofson

This photograph was taken by Eric Elofson and was used with permission.

Related posts:

1. Cat Among the Pigeons Calcium deposits attract pigeons to Sphinx - photo: Daily...
2. Will Climate Change Destroy the Pyramids? Restorations of Djoser's Pyramid Wind, pollution and rising ground...
3. Friday Photo: Diorite Statue of Khafre Khafre was the builder of the second pyramid on the...
4. Giza: An Interactive Panorama Another 360 degree panoramic view of the Giza Plateau has...
5. Friday Photo: Giza from the Air Another black and white areal shot of the pyramids on...

Tags: Giza

This entry was posted on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 5:30 pm and is filed under Photos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.