3000 year old tombs of two senior pharaonic military leaders are unveiled at the Step Pyramid in Saqqara. Courtesy: Getty

IT’S an invaluable piece of history, yet the oldest pyramid in Egypt is being destroyed by the company hired to restore it, say activists.

According to the Non-stop Robberies movement, the company hired by Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities to restore the Pyramid of Djoser, in the ancient burial ground of Saqqara, has broken preservation laws requiring that any new construction be less than 5 per cent of the preserved structure.

Instead the company — which has reportedly never worked on a preservation project before — built a number of new walls and structures that passed the limit.

The company, called Shurbagy, has been working for nine years and has not been successful in any of the six projects it has worked on, the movement’s Amir Gamal told the Egypt Independent, adding that all are being investigated.

“The company has never restored any archaeological site. All projects it had were to create modern construction at archaeological sites,” Gamal said.

But it doesn’t end there. The activist claims the new construction is contributing to the collapse of the 4600-year-old pyramid.

“Technically, the company and officials of the Supreme Council of Antiquities committed a full-fledged crime. New walls were built outside the pyramid as if the pyramid were a modern construction,” Gamal says.

“Adding the modern construction is a large pressure on the decaying pyramid, which threatens catastrophe.”

The pyramid was first built by the ancient Egyptians and was constructed from limestone for Pharaoh Djoser, who ruled from 2686—2613BC.

Six unequal steps form the pyramid, which is 62 metres high. Inside, the pyramid has a network of corridors and a granite and marble burial chamber.

But it is falling apart, ravaged by looters, earthquakes and the erosive force of 4600 years of time.

In 2011, restoration attempts began after fears that the Saqqara Pyramid faced ‘imminent’ collapse as a result of a 1992 earthquake.

A British team deployed giant ‘airbags’ to support the ceiling of the pyramid as the government initiated plans for permanent repairs.

However, the 2011 revolution and an economic crisis saw the restoration halted in 2012.