Ancient Canal Found Near Giza Pyramids
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CAIRO — Archeologists have found what they believe is the world’s oldest paved canal, built about 4,500 years ago near the pyramids of Giza, an Egyptian scholar said Saturday.
The canal was probably used to carry water from the Nile for the ritual bathing of the body of Pharaoh Chephren, who ruled from 2558 BC to 2532 BC and whose pyramid is the second largest of the three at Giza, said Zahi Hawass of the Egyptian Antiquities Authority.
Hawass said the discovery of the canal and a nearby tunnel will broaden knowledge of how the pharaoh’s body was prepared for burial.
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