Egypt's Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Anany (Photo: Al-Ahram)
Egypt's Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Anany told MPs on Sunday that the prosecution is currently investigating a video that was recently posted online reportedly showing a foreign couple scaling what appears to be the Great Pyramid of Giza.
El-Anany said that prosecution is investigating "how a Danish photographer and his girlfriend were able to scale the Pyramid of Khufu, and whether they really filmed an explicit pornographic video atop the Pyramid."
The minister filed a memo on Friday with the prosecutor-general to investigate the short viral clip, which shows the couple illegally climbing to the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza and posing naked for a picture.
The video was uploaded on YouTube on 5 December by self-described photographer Andreas Hvid, who posts images on social media of different sites from high vantage points around the world, sometimes depicting nudity.
El-Anany, addressing the members of parliament's media, culture and the antiquities committee on Sunday morning, said that "I demanded that experts be tasked with checking the video and determine whether they are real or fake."
"The prosecution authorities will tell Egyptians how the two tourists were able to scale the Great Pyramid of Khufu, whether the video is real or fake, and negligent officials will be brought to justice," El-Anany said.
"The explicit video has sparked fury and outrage among Egyptians in general, and the officials affiliated with the Ministry of Antiquities in particular."
"I stress that scaling the pyramids is strictly forbidden," said El-Anani.
El-Anany also stressed that the Ministry of Antiquities has rejected offers from some of the world's most wealthy people who wished hold their wedding parties by the pyramids.
"It is strictly forbidden that any kind of celebrations be held around citadels, tombs and temples," said El-Anany, adding that "when some alleged on social media that a wedding party was held at Luxor's Karnak temple, I decided to refer this case to the prosecutor-general, but we discovered that it was just a dinner party that was organised in line with the rules."
El-Anany said that "organising wedding parties is allowed at the front of some mosques and some ancient forts."
"Some also alleged on social media that a wedding party was held at the temple of Philae in Aswan, but it was just a two-hour dinner party without belly dancing or alcoholic drinks," said El-Anany.
"I urge all to exercise caution because what is published on social media mostly turns out to be untrue, and let prosecution authorities do their investigation on the explicit video."
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