3 Germans and 6 Egyptians sentenced for stealing from Great Pyramid

Three German researchers and six Egyptians have been sentenced to five years in prison on charges of damaging and stealing artifacts from the last remaining Wonder of the Ancient World – the Great Pyramid of Giza. Meanwhile, former Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass is reportedly being investigated regarding this incident.

The Giza Criminal Court sentenced the nine defendants on Tuesday after it found them guilty of stealing a cartouche with a hieroglyphic inscription bearing the name of Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops).

Over the past few months, videos have been posted online showing the German researchers inside a chamber within Khufu’s Pyramid – which visitors are not even allowed to touch – chiseling off a cartouche.

Interviews have even been conducted with the German researcher, Dominique Goerlitz, who has not denied removing this irreplaceable 4,500 year-old artifact from Khufu’s Pyramid.

The three German defendants were not in Egypt at the time of the verdict, and were thus sentenced in absentia. The six Egyptians currently in detention include three employees of the Antiquities Ministry, two guards at the site of the pyramids, and a manager of a tourism company.

All six were accused of facilitating the theft of antiquities. While this news was reported in state-owned media outlets on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Ministry of State for Antiquities has made no mention of this incident as of yet on their web page.  

According to the German Press Agency (DPA) prosecutors leveled charges against Goerlitz and his two fellow German associates, including entering a chamber within the pyramid not open to the public, removing paint and rock samples without approval, as well as damaging and stealing artifacts.

Goerlitz, who reportedly refers to himself as “an experimental archaeologist,” has sought to prove that the pyramids of Giza are several thousand years older than thought. He has reportedly taken Khufu’s cartouche to conduct tests upon it, by which he hopes to guage the real age of these ancient structures.

The DPA explained that Germany and Egypt do not have a joint extradition treaty, and thus the three Germans will not be handed over to Egyptian authorities.

However, Egyptian judicial sources have confirmed that the stolen artifact was recovered by German authorities in Berlin, and then handed-over to the Egyptian Embassy in August.

All nine defendants may appeal against Tuesday’s verdict, according to judicial sources.

As for the role of Hawass, there are numerous conflicting reports regarding his responsibility or involvement in this incident. Some reports indicate that prosecutors are investigating the former minister.

However, in an interview with AFP on Wednesday, Hawass claimed that claims of investigations against him, in light of the arrested antiquities employees, are “totally unfounded.”