 |
| No visitors were at the Great Pyramid (right) on Friday |
Related
Stories
Egypt has
closed the Great Pyramid outside Cairo after rumours that groups would try to
hold special rituals on 11 November at 11:11 (09:11 GMT).
The rumours
sparked an internet campaign to stop any ceremonies.
However the
head of Egypt's antiquities authority said the pyramid had been closed until
Saturday morning for "necessary maintenance" only.
The Great
Pyramid houses the ancient tomb of the Pharaoh Khufu. Two nearby pyramids and
the Sphinx remained open.
Security
was tightened across the entire complex, Associated Press news agency said,
with dozens of police officers and armed soldiers on patrol.
After
11:11, the director of the pyramids complex, Ali al-Asfar, said nothing unusual
had happened.
"Everything
is normal," he told AP.
"The
only thing different is the closure of the Khufu pyramid."
Both he and
the head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mustafa Amin, said the pyramid
was closed for maintenance after the large number of visitors during the Eid
al-Adha holiday last week.
Reports of
planned ceremonies at the site were "completely lacking in truth," Mr
Amin said.
But the
rumours had sparked an internet protest campaign to block any rituals
"within the walls of the pyramid on November 11, 2011," Atef Abu
Zahab, the head of the Department of Pharaonic Archaeology, told AFP news
agency.
The pyramid
is the biggest and most famous of the Giza monuments and is the last of the
seven wonders of the ancient world still standing.
Numerologists
have been excitedly awaiting the alignment of ones on Friday, believing the
date holds special significance.
Hospitals
have reported a surge of bookings for Caesarean births and wedding venues have
been having a busy day as well.
Related Article:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.