The larger of the three pyramids at Giza had a smallish portion of one of the corners blown off by a terrorist bomber many years ago (I think we're talking like 10 years ago now).
It's really a shame. I consider myself extremely lucky that I got to visit Egypt for all that it had to offer back in the early 80s. At the time I visited, Egypt was peaceful... and far less commercialized (although I was still staying in a Sheraton). The pyramids have really not weathered well... and even after everything has since been fenced off, tombs, step pyramids, etc are all getting really worn out. This is the last thing Egypt needs...
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09:12 PM
crashyoung Member
Posts: 1333 From: Lowell, Michigan, USA Registered: May 2012
I sort of was expecting this once they said the 'brotherhood' now runs the place.
While it will be a shame, the human race has done this many many times over our time here on earth. One can only imagine the knowledge and history lost forever due to short sighted people.
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09:42 PM
yellowstone Member
Posts: 9299 From: Düsseldorf/Germany Registered: Jun 2003
The pyramids have really not weathered well... and even after everything has since been fenced off, tombs, step pyramids, etc are all getting really worn out.
Considering they're 4500 years old I think they've weathered extremely well. Show me any structure that has done better. And, yes, I've been there.
quote
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:This is the last thing Egypt needs...
The larger of the three pyramids at Giza had a smallish portion of one of the corners blown off by a terrorist bomber many years ago (I think we're talking like 10 years ago now).
It's really a shame. I consider myself extremely lucky that I got to visit Egypt for all that it had to offer back in the early 80s. At the time I visited, Egypt was peaceful... and far less commercialized (although I was still staying in a Sheraton). The pyramids have really not weathered well... and even after everything has since been fenced off, tombs, step pyramids, etc are all getting really worn out. This is the last thing Egypt needs...
I always wanted to visit too, but even if i had the $ and time, after they closed so much of it down to the public due to stupid people, figured it wasn't worth it to even want to any more. ( yes the heat would have most likely killed me, but to go and actually wander around inside the great pyramid would be worth the risk )
Sad to think that that the remains of that empire has stood for thousands of years as a estimate to human perseverance, but in our lifetime we may see it wiped from existence.
I had not heard of an attack on one of the pyramids, but that doesn't surprise me in the least.
[This message has been edited by User00013170 (edited 07-11-2012).]
That report (from the original post) was a little hyped up.
I'm not here to sing the praises of Egypt's new president or the Muslim Brotherhood, but I think it's a pretty broad-based coalition of people that mostly would regard the idea of destroying Egypt's antiquities as nuts.
It's kind of condescending towards the people of Egypt (as a whole) to give undue credence to this report, as if there were some non-zero likelihood that the new Egyptian government will ever do this.
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10:10 PM
PFF
System Bot
yellowstone Member
Posts: 9299 From: Düsseldorf/Germany Registered: Jun 2003
"Who controls the past' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past". ~ George Orwell, 1984, Book 1, Chapter 3
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11:40 PM
Jul 12th, 2012
E.Furgal Member
Posts: 11708 From: LAND OF CONFUSION Registered: Mar 2012
it be a shame.. , I doubt they'd ever bulldose them.. even the thought of it is bad enough.. but one never knows, some do strap bombs around themselves and go boom.. so.. what we think as crazy might not even hit that scale to them.. as humans, as a group. we're so smart ,we're stupid
Cool more fear mongering. I didn't see where anyone in the country where the Pyramids are said anything about their destruction.
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According to several reports in the Arabic media, prominent Muslim clerics have begun to call for the demolition of Egypt's Great Pyramids—or, in the words of Saudi Sheikh Ali bin Said al-Rabi'i, those "symbols of paganism," which Egypt's Salafi party has long planned to cover with wax. Most recently, Bahrain's "Sheikh of Sunni Sheikhs" and President of National Unity, Abd al-Latif al-Mahmoud, called on Egypt's new president, Muhammad Morsi, to "destroy the Pyramids and accomplish what Amr bin al-As could not."
Many on here have called for the destruction of the whole region,
[This message has been edited by newf (edited 07-12-2012).]
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01:09 AM
Rickady88GT Member
Posts: 10648 From: Central CA Registered: Dec 2002
The reason they're still there is because they couldn't have picked a more stable shape for their architecture. Plus the sheer size of them. I'm having a brain fart. Wasn't it the Taliban that destroyed the historic giant Budha statues?
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08:28 PM
82-T/A [At Work] Member
Posts: 24115 From: Florida USA Registered: Aug 2002
Considering they're 4500 years old I think they've weathered extremely well. Show me any structure that has done better. And, yes, I've been there.
Hah, was this really a question, or an excuse to show us that you've been to Egypt?
quote
Originally posted by rinselberg:
That report (from the original post) was a little hyped up.
I'm not here to sing the praises of Egypt's new president or the Muslim Brotherhood, but I think it's a pretty broad-based coalition of people that mostly would regard the idea of destroying Egypt's antiquities as nuts.
It's kind of condescending towards the people of Egypt (as a whole) to give undue credence to this report, as if there were some non-zero likelihood that the new Egyptian government will ever do this.
The problem in Egypt has more to do with the poor... but specifically, the religious poor. The poor in Egypt (religious) don't really care that much about their heritage... they are more concerned with not being poor. During the initial days of the ousting of Mubarak, many of the museums were ransacked. Unfortunately, they destroyed (and stole) hundreds and hundreds of old relics. The worst part is that they didn't really care WHAT damage they did, they were just trying to get to anything that was gold. Old wooden artifacts were destroyed simply because they were in the way of golden artifacts (a lot of which were stolen and melted down).
Of course, Egypt's tombs and treasures have been ransacked for thousands of years by nearly everyone on the planet... but in more modern times, it just seems really ashame that what is left, is so unprotected. Eventually, the intelligent (middle class / non-fundamentalist) citizens started blocking and providing vigilanti protection to the museums as the wealthier of the people know this is their culture... and provides a lot of tourist dollars.
Anyway... the point is... there is a huge population of poor people in Egypt, and the majority of them are really only concerned about the fact that they are poor and could really give two shits about the pyramids. If religious leaders there offer money to destroy the temples and pyramids... they'll be falling all over themselves to be the first to volunteer.
quote
Originally posted by dratts:
The reason they're still there is because they couldn't have picked a more stable shape for their architecture. Plus the sheer size of them. I'm having a brain fart. Wasn't it the Taliban that destroyed the historic giant Budha statues?
No, that was being done in Thailand and Malaysia by Islamic radicals. The Taliban is the off-shoot army that was created by Pakistan's ISI.
[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 07-12-2012).]
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08:51 PM
dratts Member
Posts: 8373 From: Coeur d' alene Idaho USA Registered: Apr 2001
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:Hah, was this really a question, or an excuse to show us that you've been to Egypt?
No, it was in response to your statement. The pix were just comic relief...
quote
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
The pyramids have really not weathered well... and even after everything has since been fenced off, tombs, step pyramids, etc are all getting really worn out.
Thanks, I kind of thought that I remembered the Taliban destroying them. Although I'm not religious I hate seeing history removed for religious purposes.
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12:00 PM
Pyrthian Member
Posts: 29569 From: Detroit, MI Registered: Jul 2002
Originally posted by dratts: Thanks, I kind of thought that I remembered the Taliban destroying them. Although I'm not religious I hate seeing history removed for religious purposes.
yes...but that is classic religious MO.
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12:06 PM
rogergarrison Member
Posts: 49601 From: A Western Caribbean Island/ Columbus, Ohio Registered: Apr 99
It must be an election year for them. The last cleric or leader in 2001 asked for the same thing and within a few months or years he too (just like the idols) was dead.
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01:08 PM
PFF
System Bot
yellowstone Member
Posts: 9299 From: Düsseldorf/Germany Registered: Jun 2003
Are you talking about the Buddha statues in Afghanistan? Then the Taliban leader you're referring to is Mullah Omar and he's very much alive...
quote
Originally posted by madcurl:
It must be an election year for them. The last cleric or leader in 2001 asked for the same thing and within a few months or years he too (just like the idols) was dead.
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02:26 PM
82-T/A [At Work] Member
Posts: 24115 From: Florida USA Registered: Aug 2002
But, really... I suppose we're both right because Islamic radicals are destroying Buddhist statues everywhere. I'm more familiar with South-East Asia since I lived there for a little bit.
Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
same excuse the chrishuns use too.....
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04:43 PM
yellowstone Member
Posts: 9299 From: Düsseldorf/Germany Registered: Jun 2003
I'm not religious in the slightest, and i still hate seeing things like that happen.
Me, too. Religious monuments often have great artistic and historic value and the religious nutjobs of all denominations should have some respect. But can one really expect that?
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04:47 PM
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
