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Egypt Today
4 days ago
- Egypt Today
Timeless Wonder: Giza Pyramids buzz during Eid vacation
Giza Pyramids - file CAIRO – June 6, 2025: The Giza Pyramids, one of the most iconic archaeological sites in the world, continue to captivate both Egyptians and international visitors, especially during holidays and festive seasons like Eid al-Adha. As one of Egypt's most treasured landmarks, the pyramids represent an enduring symbol of ancient civilization and architectural brilliance. Located on the Giza Plateau, the site includes the monumental pyramids of the Fourth Dynasty kings: Khufu, his son Khafre, and his grandson Menkaure, along with the majestic Great Sphinx. Each king's pyramid was part of a grand complex that also featured smaller pyramids for queens, a "religious" subsidiary pyramid, and a valley temple linked by a ceremonial causeway adorned with scenes of daily life. These causeways led to the mortuary temples, where priests performed sacred funeral rites for the deceased kings. While the famed Solar Boats of Khufu have now been relocated to the Grand Egyptian Museum, the boat pits where they were originally discovered remain on site, offering further historical insight. The plateau also includes a number of mastabas, ancient tombs used for the burial of royal family members and high-ranking officials. As the Eid celebrations continue, many Egyptians are taking advantage of the holiday to reconnect with their heritage and explore this awe-inspiring monument of human achievement. Ticket prices for visiting the Giza Pyramids: Egyptians: EGP 60 Egyptian Students: EGP 30 Foreign Visitors: EGP 700 Foreign Students: EGP 350 Visiting Hours: Daily from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Cairo local time) Whether for spiritual reflection, historical fascination, or simply the thrill of standing in the shadow of ancient giants, the Giza Pyramids remain a must-visit destination for all.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Scientists recreate lost recipes for a 5,000-year-old Egyptian blue dye
For being the world's oldest known synthetic pigment, the original recipes for Egyptian blue remain a mystery. The approximately 5,000-year-old dye wasn't a single color, but instead encompassed a range of hues, from deep blues to duller grays and greens. Artisans first crafted Egyptian blue during the Fourth Dynasty (roughly 2613 to 2494 BCE) from recipes reliant on calcium-copper silicate. These techniques were later adopted by Romans in lieu of more expensive materials like lapis lazuli and turquoise. But the additional ingredient lists were lost to history by the time of the Renaissance. This is particularly frustrating not just for preservation efforts, but because of Egyptian blue's unique biological, magnetic, and optical properties. Unlike other pigments, the Egyptian blue emits near-infrared light wavelengths that are unseen by the human eye, making it a promising tool for anticounterfeiting efforts, fingerprinting, and even high-temperature superconductors. But after studying ancient materials and manufacturing methods, a team led by Washington State University (WSU) researchers in collaboration with the Smithsonian's Conservation Institute and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History have created not just one historically accurate Egyptian blue, but 12 of them. While the results are detailed in a study published in npj Heritage Science, first author and WSU materials engineer John McCloy said the project began as something much more casual. 'It started out just as something that was fun to do because they asked us to produce some materials to put on display at the museum, but there's a lot of interest in the material,' he said in a statement. McCloy and colleagues first consulted both a mineralogist and an Egyptologist to create a list of potential materials to develop the pigments, including mixtures of calcium, copper, silicon dioxide, and sodium carbonate. From there, they varied the ingredient proportions before heating them anywhere from 1 to 11 hours at around 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit—temperatures achievable by ancient Egyptian artisans. Once the mixtures cooled at varying rates, the team analyzed each final result using techniques including X-ray diffraction, electron beam X-ray microanalysis, and X-ray nano-computed tomography. Finally, they compared these samples to a pair of Egyptian artifacts including a piece of cartonnage—a papier-mâché-like material used for items like funerary masks. 'One of the things that we saw was that with just small differences in the process, you got very different results,' McCloy said. For example, cooling rates played an important role in influencing the end color. Slower cooling times offered deeper blues, while quicker cooling produced pale gray and green mixtures. Despite this, the bluest of the 12 variants only required about 50 percent of their ingredients to exhibit blue hues. McCloy's team also confirmed that cuprorivaite—the naturally occurring mineral equivalent to Egyptian blue—remains the primary color influence in each hue. Despite the presence of other components, Egyptian blue appears as a uniform color after the cuprorivaite becomes encased in colorless particles such as silicate during the heating process. 'It doesn't matter what the rest of it is, which was really quite surprising to us. You can see that every single pigment particle has a bunch of stuff in it—it's not uniform by any means,' he added. The results go beyond establishing Egyptian blue recipes that largely mirror ancient examples. McCloy and colleagues hope that these initial 12 variants will be used in conservation work to restore historic relics as accurately and vividly as possible.
