German tourist risks life, jail to climb Pyramid in Egypt

What would you do to take that perfect photograph? For one German teenager on holiday in Egypt, even a 139-metre tall pyramid was not too great an obstacle.

18-year-old Andrej Ciesielski risked his life and a jail term when he climbed to the top of the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza on a trip to Cairo.

According to The Telegraph, he knew that he could have been jailed three years for his actions, but said that he thought the photos would be worth the risk.

Mr Ciesielski took about eight minutes to reach the top of the structure, which is the only one of the 'Seven Wonders of the Ancient World' that is still intact today.

Writing on his blog, he recounted that he took a taxi to Giza where the pyramids are located.

"It is inconceivable that the pyramids were made without any machines. If you are standing in front of the pyramid, it is stunning."

Mr Ciesielski said that he walked around the complex while waiting for the right moment to begin his ascent, and that a street seller saw him, but only laughed.

The police only realised when he was halfway to the top, when he began to attract the attention of people on the street.

At the summit, he managed to snap a number of photos of the desert landscape, which he subsequently shared on his blog and social media.

He also posted a video of his climb on YouTube.

"It was absolutely surreal standing on top of one of the wonders of the world and something that I will never forget," he told The Telegraph.

According to online reports, Mr Ciesielski was questioned for an hour by Egyptian police when he returned to the ground, but was then released with no further action taken.

Ciesielski is known for taking spectacular bird's eye view photos. Besides the Pyramids, he has also posted a photo taken from the top of Rome's Colosseum on his Facebook page.

Mr Ciesielski is not the first thrill-seeking tourist to scale the 4,500-year-old structure. In 2013, a group of Russian tourists also climbed to the top, but managed to evade the attention of authorities as they did it during the night.

In 2013, a Chinese student sparked an outcry in Egypt after he scratched his name on the wall of an ancient temple in Luxor.

seanyap@sph.com.sg