The Antiquities Ministry is aiming to protect the Abydos Temple from collapse due to rising groundwater.
In coordination with the American Research Center in Egypt, the ministry will attempt to save the temple, which is located in Sohag, Upper Egypt.
The project will work on preserving the heart of the temple and the cemetery of Osiris by diverting the groundwater into vertical wells and linking them to water channels in order to get rid of the water, said director general of Luxor antiquities Sultan Eid on Sunday.
Cleaning the temple and restoring the inscriptions, drawings and colors inside the temple will also be part of the project, Eid added.
Abydos is one of the most important archaeological sites in both Egypt and the world due to its religious and historical significance in ancient Egypt. It contains the tombs of some of the early kings of Egypt during the reign of the first and second dynasty, as well as artifacts belonging to the 19th dynasty.
It is the only temple which retains its ceiling, based on 36 pillars of granite. It contains the list of famous kings of Egypt, from King Menes until King Seti the First.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
