Unlocking the 'Lost City of the Pyramids,' and other Giza mysteries
Tehran (KNA) - The pyramids of Giza are loathe to give up their secrets. Over 4,000 years since they were constructed in Egypt's Old Kingdom, archaeologists are still uncovering fresh mysteries from this ancient and beguiling site.
A lifetime of work can feel like scratching the surface of these monoliths -- but that's what Egyptologists Mark Lehner and Zahi Hawass have dedicated their careers to. Lehner is president of Ancient Egypt Research Associates, while Hawass was previously secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Egyptian Minister of State for Antiquities. Between them they have over 80-years experience poring over the Giza plateau.It only took a fraction of that to build the Great Pyramid itself.Together they have now released "Giza and the Pyramids" (Thames & Hudson), an impressive new book detailing what they, their contemporaries and their predecessors have learned about Giza. It's a project that has been in the works since 1986, and written, reviewed and revised by the pair since 1993.CNN asked Lehner to reflect on his career and the long road to publication.The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.Mark Lehner: Zahi is one of my oldest friends. I met him in 1974. We can work together because we don't diverge that much, but on particular questions and particular issues Zahi has one favored opinion and I have another. But that's par for the course for scholarship. It's not like a Republican and a Democrat talking about what the US economy should be.