MARGINALIA
The Near-Destruction of Giza
Jean-Daniel Stanley
A Subtle Plan
Although he was personally opposed to the demolition plan, Linant
knew that if he declined or failed to move expeditiously on this
task, the viceroy would select another engineer in his place. Facing
what he termed Muhammad 'Ali's "deplorable proposition,"
Linant recounts that he did not object or directly counter the
viceroy. Rather, he wisely used less conspicuous means. First, he
requested permission to study the Giza site to assess the demolition
task and provide a logistical plan. He also organized a preliminary
visit with the Egyptian ministers of foreign affairs, public works
and education. Linant compiled a careful report, which compared the
cost of using material scavenged from pyramids versus newly cut
stone from quarries, surmising that the quarry material would be
cheaper. He judged that the majority of available blocks in the
largest of the three pyramids, Khufu or Cheops, was of good quality.
However, the report pointed out that Khufu contained four times more
rock than was needed for the barrage works. Thus, demolition would
require the selective removal of many blocks—at considerable
cost. Blocks in the other two pyramids (Menkaure and Khafre) were of
mixed quality, especially in the smallest, Menkaure, which did not
contain enough suitable rock to meet the total needs for barrage
construction. Linant also noted that even if the project used blocks
from Menkaure, the cost of additional stone from quarries would
excessively raise the overall price. Finally, Linant estimated that,
regardless of the specific pyramid source, the project would incur
further expenses to recut those blocks too large for barrage construction.
The skillfully crafted report provided specific time constraints and
cost estimates for the viceroy's consideration. For example, it
detailed the best method for disassembling a pyramid, including a
series of cranes positioned to displace and lower the blocks. The
facile transfer of material from pyramid base to the Nile plain
below would require a 1,000-meter-long ramp of sand faced with rock.
Of course, engineers would have to modify the canals so that these
waterways could transport blocks from below the Giza plateau to the
barrage sites. Thus, Linant itemized the costs of terrain
preparation, taking into account the movement of large volumes of
soil. The proposed work schedule incorporated the need for terracing
at pyramid sites and the time allotted for rock removal. Among other
details in Linant's proposal was a projected work rate for an early
phase of upper pyramid removal: 480 blocks moved per day. The report
recognized that the rate of block removal would increase as
disassembly advanced, consequently lowering the cost per volume of
rock. The total cost was 15,401,280 Egyptian piasters, a sizable
amount at the time.
Linant anticipated that the estimated costs in his report might
dissuade Muhammad 'Ali from his straightforward plan to obtain
pre-cut stone. With so many projects already under way and a growing
shortage of funds, would the viceroy really want to pay for the
first-phase removal of 28,800 pyramid blocks—an amount six
times greater than that needed for an equivalent volume of rock from
quarries? Linant calculated the total volume of rock required to
construct the barrages at 1,288,551 cubic meters. The average cost
of one cubic meter of rock transported from Giza: 10.20 piasters.
The cost of commercially quarried stone was only 8.35 piasters per
cubic meter. Financially overextended, Mohammad 'Ali was convinced
by the bottom line. The ruler told Linant that the quarry solution
would be the better one in any case, because it would enable him to
shift more workers to still other projects, rather than waste time
on pyramids.
Word of this matter spread, and some officials expressed gentle
dismay about the engineer's poor form in countering the viceroy. The
French General Consul in Egypt, having caught wind of plans to
demolish the pyramids, published in newspapers a diplomatic letter
that opposed "vandalism" but refrained from mentioning the
ruler. Most people would agree with Linant that at least this
potentially terrible state of affairs ended well. If Egypt places
any more monuments on the Giza plateau in the future, they might
think to add one to Linant de Bellefonds for his work and honorable
defense of history.
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