A team of restorers and archaeologists from the Supreme Council of Antiquities has resumed renovating the Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak temples, where the restoration of columns #59 and 68 has already commenced.
The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, explained that the Great Hypostyle Hall consists of 134 columns, with 16 having been renovated so far and the rest to be finished up successively.
Waziri added that the ongoing restoration work at the temple comes in preparation for receiving Egyptian visitors and tourists during the winter tourist season.
It also aims to better promote the nation’s cultural tourism product, he said, especially as part of an integrated manner that combines beach and cultural tourism.
The head of the Central Administration of Upper Egypt Antiquities Mohamed Abdel-Badie added that the restoration work will include photographic documentation.
It also involves mechanical cleaning work to remove dust and mud, and chemical cleansing to remove dirt, stains and different layers of soot, he added.
Separate parts were also injected, and weak colors were strengthened, Abdel-Badie said.
Restoring a great hall
Waziri announced back in October that the first phase of the restoration of the Great Hypostyle Hall in Karnak has been completed.
He explained that the development work turned the hall into an architectural and artistic masterpiece, with its red, yellow, blue and green colors restored.
A total of 134 columns sit in the hall, each of which is about 20 meters high, Ghareeb Sonbol, a consultant for conservation and restoration at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said.
The restoration team at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in cooperation with a number of graduates of the restoration departments at Luxor and South Valley Universities and the Institute of Restoration in Luxor also worked on restoring the columns in the Great Pillar Hall in Karnak temples and showing their original colors.
