Is it true that people die every year climbing the Great Pyramid of Egypt? What is the cause of these deaths?

 It was permitted to climb the Great Pyramid of Giza until the 1980s, although it had been officially banned since 1951.

But with the advent of mass tourism and the influx of visitors eager to engage in this activity, fatal accidents began to multiply and the authorities decided to ban pyramid climbing for good.

This does not prevent people from continuing to do so, mainly at night, when the police are unable to effectively monitor the sites.

It's also worth noting that the guards protecting the pyramids are known to accept bribes. So, it's not difficult to arrange a visit to the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza…

At worst, if you get caught, you risk a night in jail, or paying a "fine" that goes straight into the policeman's pocket.

Fatal accidents have occurred regularly over the decades, but they remain rare.

The last officially reported death dates back to 1989. It was a 21-year-old Englishman who, according to Egyptian authorities, fell asleep at the top of the Great Pyramid and then slipped.

Another death occurred last year, but it was a suicide. A young Egyptian man jumped from the top of the Pyramid of Khafre…

It would appear that there have been other fatal accidents in recent decades, but the authorities are not releasing any figures on this.

Climbing the Great Pyramid, 135 meters high, remains a dangerous challenge. To reach the summit, one must traverse steep sections where it is easy to fall. And if one does fall, it is extremely difficult to regain balance…

What are some horrible facts about Egypt?

 Modern Egypt?

That climate change is going to be even more brutal there than in many other locations around the world.

Here’s a map of the country:

The squiggly line running through the eastern third of the country is the Nile River.

The overwhelming majority of Egyptians live within 50–100 miles of its banks. It’s major provider of fresh water for those people and the population of Egypt continues to grow thus necessitating more water. Unfortunately the Nile is shared by four other nations along its route and their populations are growing as well.

Egypt is poor and overpopulated meaning that it has mouths to feed but limited resources to do so. It’s going to have to make some very hard decisions SOON that it really needed to make 50–75 YEARS ago and it may be too late for most of those decisions to bear positive results for the country. Worse than that instead of electing and supporting competent governments, the nation has been run by a series of dictators and autocrats during most of its modern history

What’s “horrible” is that that hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Egyptians are going to die simply because they were unlucky enough to be born in the wrong place at the wrong time.

What’s even worse than that is that there’s very little that can be done to prevent that reality and that not many seem to be interested in doing that very little.

How were the Egyptian pyramids built with such precision, and how was it possible to do so without modern tools or technology?

 First of all, look here: it's the top of the great Pyramid.

This is another view, where the individual blocks can be distinguished.

As you can see, precision isn't exactly the right word to describe the pyramids.

They were built with the precision one would expect from an organized and educated Bronze Age culture. No more, no less.

There are spaces between the blocks that were filled with sand and rock, and some spaces are large enough to fit an entire arm. The "millimeter" precision of the pyramids is largely a myth. Like a modern contractor, they focused on only a few parts, such as the outer layer of high-quality white limestone from Tura.

Meanwhile, this crack at the top of the pyramid, which is barely visible from the ground, looks like this:

They did their best and it's wonderful, but it's not exceptional precision.

Are the pyramids in Egypt safe to climb?

 No, absolutely NOT safe. In fact, climbing a pyramid can get you KILLED. Actually, climbing to the top isn't a problem - getting to the bottom is. A good friend of mine died from falling from the Great Pyramid of Giza in 1980 while studying abroad. In tragedy, I climbed it earlier that day with some other friends. Without a serious fear of heights, it is not very difficult for someone in reasonable condition to climb in 10–15 minutes.

But on the way down, you essentially have to jump down, stone by stone. Jump, jump, jump, hundreds of times. Remember, the pyramids were originally covered in polished limestone; they weren't designed as stairs. What's left are the ragged remains after looters removed the limestone layers to build the structures. The stones in the pyramids are uneven, ranging in size from a few feet to over 6 feet (see photo below).

Many of the footholds are smooth, slippery, and covered in sand dating back 4,000 years. The rocks can be slanted downward, too narrow, or cracked . There are few reliable handholds. With no fear, the climb feels fun and not life-threatening for those younger. While climbing, it never occurred to me that a small misstep could be fatal.

Imagine climbing the outside of a 45-story building without safety equipment. You really can't understand exactly HOW dangerous it is until you're up there and in serious danger. Imagine jumping off a ledge outside the window of a 35-story office building. I kept climbing to the top, but about three-quarters of the way up, I turned around and looked down, then immediately changed my mind. The 100-meter view straight down was dizzying.

My friend was quite athletic, but he slipped on the way down. This could have happened to anyone, as the terrain is steeper than it looks, so once you lose your footing, you won't stop falling until you reach the bottom.

[ Update : I just learned from some of my friends from the 1980s that climbing was already illegal at the time, but they bribed the security guards to keep them quiet. Interesting, no wonder no one bothered me when I climbed.]

Here's the view from the climb, near the top:

View from the bottom up:

What are the most disturbing facts about Ancient Egypt that most people do not know?

 According to the reports released by the World Health Organization (WHO), 91% of Egyptians, who are aged 15 to 49, have to undergo genital degeneration.

Heracleion city of Egypt was discovered 1200 years later under the sea.

With a total accession of approximately 92.1 million people, Egypt is the largest Arab country in the world.

Egypt is the 66th most birthdate country in the world. Egypt's birth rate is approximately 2.97 children per woman. Nigeria is at the top of the list, every woman with a birth rate of 7.6 children.

In Africa, Egypt uses more natural gas and oil than any other country.

In Egypt, the oldest prosthetic body in the world is a wooden leg, which was about an Ancient Egyptian woman about 1000 BC.

The world's oldest D20 dice were found in Egypt about 30 BC In.

Signs of cocaine and nicotine were found in Egyptian mummies.

Cairo is the most populous city in Egypt and it is also the capital city.

About 95percent of Egypt's population lives regarding the financial institutions of The Blue Nile, which is considered to be the longest river in the world.

Image Source:- Google

Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt and her tragic end

On August 10th, 30 BC, at the age of 39, Cleopatra’s life came to a dramatic end. It has been 2,055 years since that fateful day, marking the final chapter for the Queen of world history.

Cleopatra was found in a stone chamber, lying on a gilded bed in her finest royal attire and crown. At her feet lay her most trusted maid, Iras, dead. Her other maid, Charmian, passed away shortly after, having witnessed her queen's final breath.

For 21 years, Cleopatra had ruled Egypt. She came to power at 18, forced into a partnership and marriage with her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII. This alliance quickly crumbled, leading to a bitter civil war.

While Egypt was in chaos, the Roman ruler Julius Caesar arrived. Cleopatra famously had herself smuggled in to meet him and, captivated by her intelligence and beauty, Caesar became her ally. With his help, she defeated and killed her brother in battle.

Cleopatra reclaimed her throne, ruling first with another brother, Ptolemy XIV, and later with her son by Caesar, Caesarion.

After Caesar's assassination, Cleopatra returned to Egypt. There, she met Mark Antony, one of Rome's new leaders, who fell for her just as Caesar had. Their love affair led to three children.

Enraged by their union, Octavian, another of Rome's leaders, declared war. In the inevitable battle, Cleopatra and Antony were utterly defeated.

The couple fled and, in a desperate act, Cleopatra sent a false message that she was dead. Believing her, Antony took his own life, only to learn the truth as he lay dying. He was brought to her chamber, where he died in her arms.

Octavian captured her, but she refused to be paraded as a Roman captive. While imprisoned in her own chamber, she chose to die by using the venom of a cobra. When Octavian's soldiers arrived to take her, they found her and her two loyal maids dead.

In a final act of revenge, Octavian ordered the death of her son, Caesarion. With Cleopatra's death, Egypt’s independent kingdom was absorbed into the Roman Empire.

Ultimately, she did not die as a captive. Wearing her crown and royal jewels, she chose her own end, ensuring her legacy as a queen who defied her Roman captors until the very last moment.