CAIRO: Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), will hold a meeting with a committee of archaeologists from the council and public universities to date the Cheops pyramid. Giza Governor Sayed Abdul Aziz had planned on announcing Aug. 23 a national holiday, commemorating the largest pyramid's construction. However, Hawass sent the governor a letter, asking him to put his announcement on hold, until the dating procedure is completed. The council will discuss the matter with Abdel Halim Nour Al-Din, hieroglyphs professor at Cairo University, who was referenced by Abdul Aziz when he chose Aug. 23. The committee will submit a report with its findings to the SCA, Hawass said. He added identifying the pyramid's construction date is a national and scientific issue and should not be questioned. However, some archaeologists say it is difficult to determine the season the pyramid was built in, let alone the exact date. Mamdouh Damati, former director of the Egyptian Museum, said trying to determine the date the pyramid was built is a "joke. Kamal Wahid, general director of the Giza necropolis, explained that "there is no scientific evidence to determine the date the pyramid was built, pointing out that choosing the date Aug. 23 "is based on incorrect evidence.
