Last week, a Danish artist and photographer named Andreas Hvid created an internet viral phenomenon when he posted an image of a nude couple—whom Hvid claimed were himself and a “friend”—seemingly enagaged in an act of coitus in an location that would be rather extraordinary even by the adventurous standards of porn shoots. The couple were portrayed having sex on the Great Pyramid of Giza, in Egypt, according to a report by the New York Post.
“In late November 2018, a friend and I climbed the Great Pyramid of Giza,” Hvid wrote on a since-removed YouTube page where he posted the video. “Fearing to be spotted by the many guards, I did not film the several hours of sneaking around at the Giza Plateau, which lead up to the climb.”
The video reportedly showed Hvid’s female companion stripping topless at the summit of the Pyramid, which is 481 feet tall, about the equivalent of a 45-story building. The video ended at that point, but Hvid also posted an accompanying still photo of the nude couple in the misssionary position, as they gaze to their right at the adjacent pyramid, which would be the Pyriamid of Khafre, on the Giza plain. That still image may be viewed at this link.
Egyptian officials were outraged over Hvid’s claim, decalring the very act of climbing the pyramid, much less having sex on the iconic structure, believed to be approximately 5,000 years old, issuing a statement comdeming the photo, which Hvid posted on his personal web site under the title “Pyramid Fuck.” The photo is one of a series of nudes posted on the site, taken by Hvid in public places and usual locations, including other high-altitude spots.
“Based on what was circulated and published yesterday evening in a short video film depicting two foreigners climbing the pyramid at night, and then put a picture of them violating public morality, the minister of antiquities, Khaled al-Anani, has decided to find out the truth and immediately refer the incident to the deputy attorney-general for guidance to investigate the matter,” the Egyptian government statement said.
Public nudity of any kind is also illegal in Egypt.
But on Monday, the English-language Daily News Egypt newspaper reported that Egyptian authorities now believe the pyramid nude images may have been faked.
The Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Moustafa Waziri, was quoted by the paper saying that the government had not yet taken any legal action, because they have not been able to determine that images were actually taken on the Great Pyramid.
“The pictures that have been used by private TV stations were fabricated,” Waziri said.
As for Hvid, he issued an apology of sorts, while maintaining that the photis were authentic.
“I am sorry that so many people got so angry. But it’s worth noting that I’ve got a positive response from many Egyptians too. ‘Pyramid Fuck’ was the dumbest idea I could have come up with,” he said, according to the Danish newspaper CPH Post. “Privileged western youth at its worst. It just needed a joint and a bottle of vodka.”
Photo By Jorge Láscar / Wikimedia Commons
