Zahi Hawass on archaeology: what the evidence says · JRE #2321
SUBJECT: ARCHAEOLOGY
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
Number two, that the stones used in building the great pyramid came from Torah. And Torah is 25 miles to the east from Giza. And number three, that Kufu ruled for 23 years. And number four, that the stones of the Great Pyramid are 2,300,000 blocks.
What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
Three of the four textbook figures Hawass cites match mainstream Egyptology. The fine white limestone casing of the Great Pyramid did come from the Tura quarries, and the commonly cited estimate of about 2.3 million stone blocks is standard (National Geographic notes roughly 2.3 million blocks and the Tura casing source). The 23-year reign for Khufu is the figure preserved in the Turin Royal Canon and widely used, though ancient sources disagree (Herodotus gives 50 years, Manetho 63). The distance is where Hawass is imprecise: Tura sits on the east bank of the Nile southeast of Giza, roughly 8 to 15 km away, described by Smithsonian as about 12 miles south of Cairo, not 25 miles due east. Overall the characterization is accurate as a summary of textbook claims, with the Tura distance and direction overstated.