Police fail to prevent Egyptian man from climbing Great Pyramid

CAIRO - 2 May 2019: The police arrested a young man who climbed the Great Pyramid of Giza on Wednesday and allegedly threw some small rocks at some police personnel who attempted to prevent him.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in an interview with al-Hayah al-Youm that the young man accessed the area surrounding the Pyramids like other visitors in the early morning.

However, he suddenly tried to climb the Great Pyramid and threw small rocks at the police personnel, who subsequently decided to let him go, fearing for his life and the lives of the policemen until he reached the top of the Pyramid, according to Waziri.

The young man also removed part of the wooden mast atop of the Pyramid, which is placed to inform visitors about the original height of the pyramid which was 146 meters, before it decreased 1,000 years ago to reach 137 meters, Waziri said.

Charges he faces

Law no. 117 of 1983 stipulates that anyone who deliberately destroys or disfigures a monument, separates part of it intentionally or digs for antiquities would be handed an imprisonment sentence of 3 -7 years.

However, the young man did not spoil any antiquities, Waziri said, adding that the wooden mast is a modern object that the authority places and changes every few years as it is subject to erosion and sunlight.

"Spoiling it (the mast) is not considered a crime according to the law of antiquities or the law of protecting the antiquities,"Waziri stated.

This is not the first time. Many people climbed the Great Pyramid despite the alleged tight security measures around the over 4,500 year-old construction.

Tourists photographed naked

Danish photographer Andreas Hvid and a Danish girl accompanying him managed to climb the Great Pyramid in November last year, where they photographed themselves naked, stirring the wrath of many Egyptians who considered the act offensive.

In an interview with Copenhagen-based Ekstra Bladet, Andreas Hvid said he has always dreamt of climbing the Great Pyramid and taking naked photos over its top. He added that he is now very upset as some people are mad at him.

Hvid said he attempted to climb the pyramid with a Norwegian friend twice. In the first time, he asked the guards to allow them to climb the Pyramid, but they were not allowed, he said, adding that in the second time they were arrested while actually attempting to climb the Pyramid, and were then released following interrogation.

In the third time, Hvid seemingly managed to reach the top. He said he and another Danish friend took a different route away from the guards, and waited until tourists left the Pyramid. They climbed and could reach the top in 25 minutes only, he said.

Hvid said he did not have sex on top of the Pyramid, confirming that they have taken one photo while they were naked.