Antiquities Ministry denies holding $40M proposal at Pyramids

CAIRO- 10 May 2017: The news of a Saudi prince renting the Pyramids and Sphinx area for a celebratory proposal event has been denied by Minister of Antiquities Ashraf Salah, according to a statement he issued on Wednesday.

“Any event held at any archaeological site must be permitted by the Ministry of Antiquities and we haven’t issued any such permission to a Saudi Prince or any other person,” Ashraf further clarified.

This came after the BBC had reported Tuesday that a Saudi Prince, his name left unmentioned, had hired a concierge service company, Quintessentially Lifestyle, to hold a $40 million party at the base of the Sphinx to propose to his lover.

The party’s expenses, according to the BBC, included the organization of the event, renting the pyramids area, and transferring 300 persons from Saudi Arabia to Egypt.

“We made the dream of the prince come true,” London-based chairman and co-founder of Quintessentially Lifestyle Aaron Simpson told the BBC.

Contrary to Minister Ashraf Salah's statement yet consistent with Chairman Simpson's claim, Quintessentially Lifestyle's website alleged that it did hold a party for 300 people at the pyramids but refrained from divulging the names of the attendees and the organizers. Meanwhile, their office in Cairo refused to comment on the BBC report.