Stonemason Carving Gargoyle on Giza Scaffold

Bright noon light flattens the dust across an open work site in Giza, where a stonemason stands on a wooden scaffold beneath a towering crane. The worker hammers a chisel into rough limestone, sending fine white powder into the air. A gargoyle takes shape from the block, its features sharp against the pale stone. Low clouds hang heavy and gray above the crane's lattice, diffusing the harsh sun just enough to soften the shadows on the unfinished surfaces. Dust coats the worker's sleeves and the scaffold planks. The metal hooks of the crane cast thin, dark lines across the bright ground. One chip of stone rests on the edge of the scaffold near the worker's boot.