Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said last week that a joint Egyptian-Japanese archaeological expedition will investigate, document and restore blocks of granite that once formed the exterior of the Menkaure Pyramid. Videos uploaded to social networks, which showed workers excavating blocks at the base of the pyramid, provoked sharp criticism online.
Archaeologists called the project "completely unscientific" and accused those behind it of chasing publicity over legitimate archaeological research. UNESCO claimed in an email that it was unaware of the project and "wrote to the Egyptian authorities to request more information"