Have you ever done something crazy when traveling? Well imagine climbing one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. That is what photographer Andrej Ciesielski did on his recent trip to Egypt, and he has photos and videos to prove it.
Ciesielski, 18, made a trip to Cairo where he began his thrill seeking in the city. His first rooftop destination was Talaat Harb Square in Cairo. Ciesielski claims that it is nearly impossible to access rooftops in the city due to the high levels of security. With armed soldiers everywhere, Ciesielski says he was concerned, but decided to climb anyway.
Below is from the Cairo Tower that tops over 600 feet (187 meters).
The most attention-grabbing climb for Ciesielski during his visit was the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Walking around in the complex I was waiting for the right moment to start climbing The Great Pyramid of Giza. When I started climbing a street seller was standing behind me, but I didn’t care about him, I turned around he laughed and I continued climbing.
At the half some people [noticed] me and looked up... That’s how the police spotted me. They shouted something in Arabic... but I didn’t care and kept going while listening to music.
Ciesielski finally completed his thrill seeking climb, topping 480 feet (146 meters). The climb took only 8 minutes where he captured a few photos, descending from the peak took him about 20 minutes.
The police detained the thrill seeker once he descended, but chose not to press charges after questioning; he avoided the possible penalty of facing up three years in prison.
Ciesielski is an urbex photographer based out of Munich, Germany. More of his work can be viewed on his website or Instagram.
All images used with permission.
[via Andrej Ciesielski]
Yes, but in the end, the article reports he got away with it after only a minor inconvenience to his schedule. I'm sorry, but I don't see the video as "cool" in any fashion. It was horrifically stupid. Promoting it here is no different than posting "Jackass" style stunt videos.
Here's the opening of the article: "Have you ever done something crazy when traveling? Well imagine climbing one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. That is what photographer Andrej Ciesielski did on his recent trip to Egypt, and he has photos and videos to prove it." Does that sound like the start of a cautionary tale to you???
And last lastly, the sentiments here aren't an "attack" on you guys... it's calling your editorial judgement into question. Newspapers and journalists practice it all the time.
When I say the pictures are "cool," I am speaking strictly objectively. The pictures themselves, take away from the controversy, are nice.
Please stop promoting this stuff, it's disrespectful behavior.
I'd love to see what an American citizen would say if someone would climb the Stature of Liberty just to take a selfie...
nothing impressive here! just another asshole.
It would be horrible if he damaged them, I don't think the aliens would come back to Earth to repair their creation...
agree, it's cool but doesn't have to be here. also Vitaly Raskalov has done it years before
Seems like a Copy Cat act...similar climb was performed by a couple of Russian photographers back in 2013.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2298729/The-view-TOP-Great-Pyram...
Yeah I have t agree, this doesn't deserve exposure. Its ballsy for sure but incredibly disrespectful
FStoppers shouldn't be promoting (and by extension condoning) illegal, dangerous behavior. Not a single word of condemnation in the editorial text, nor a single discouragement to would-be copy cats. How about even one single sentence encouraging photographers to be responsible ambassadors of the craft?
After reading these comments, I would first and foremost like to apologize if anyone was offended by my article. I was simply sharing a photo-related story. No where in the article was a promotion or encouragement to do any of these acts. I clearly stated in the article the risks involved with doing this.
Again, I was simply sharing a photo-related story.
Do not glorify this. This is just more reason for officials to restrict photography at historic sites and national parks. All photogs then get lumped in with the idiots.
Slow day in the newsroom?
I wish the police would have locked him up in a nice Egyptian prison for a couple of months after that stunt. I also agree that it's stupid to promote his actions here. Illegal, risking damage to loose pieces of stonework of a great historical artifact, and risking a likely lethal slip and fall on loose rocks on the way down. Not much different than the Chinese teenager that decide to add “Ding Jinhao was here” to a 3,500 year-old piece of artwork in the Temple at Luxor a couple of years ago.