Outrage at Great Pyramid: Workers caught chiseling stones
The Great Pyramid of Giza is a 4,500-year-old monument. Recently, a video circulated online showed workers chiselling away the building blocks with a hammer and chisel. The issue outraged tourists and had a significant impact on Egyptian media. What does Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities have to say about it?
Workers in reflective vests, hammering and chiseling the stones of the Great Pyramid of Giza—this sight outraged thousands of tourists and netizens who watched the surprising footage from Egypt. The construction workers began their work on Sunday, November 17, seemingly indifferent to the presence of onlookers.
The issue quickly gained attention. Comments surfaced suggesting that the workers behaved as if they were attempting to dismantle the structure. One well-known Egyptian journalist, Ahmed Moussa, stated on a popular television program that what happened "is not worthy of Egypt, its tourism, and its civilization."
Tourists outraged by workers' behavior. Ministry explains
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt, called upon to explain, attempted to calm the situation by explaining that the workers' task was to remove electrical cables to modernize the Great Pyramid's lighting system. These cables were on an old cement layer, hence the decisive actions by the workers with hammers.
The Ministry emphasized that no damage was done to the historic structure.
The work is being carried out with great care to ensure that neither the pyramid nor its original stones are in any way compromised, the statement assured, as quoted by foreign media.
However, this was not enough to calm netizens. On the contrary, many commenters are demanding that Egyptian officials be held accountable for this situation.
Dr. Ayman Ashmawy from the Supreme Council of Antiquities admitted that the workers performed their tasks at an inappropriate time and without proper supervision.
