AP News, June 4th, 2007
Egypt has refused to allow Portugal to feature its ancient Pyramids of Giza on postage stamps the European country wants to issue coinciding with a global contest to name the seven new wonders of the world.
Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the pyramids, which date back more than 4,000 years, would not be shown on any stamps.
"The council totally rejects any attempt to put the pyramids, the wonder of world wonders and the only wonder which still exists, on a postage stamp or to be included in a commercial competition which is not subject to scientific criteria," Hawass was quoted as saying Sunday by the official Middle East News Agency.
The was no immediate response from Portuguese officials to Egypt's position.
Hawass scoffed earlier this year at the popular online contest, saying it was a disgrace that the pyramids _ the only surviving structure from the traditional list of architectural marvels _ must compete for a spot on a list of new seven wonders.
As a result, officials with the Zurich, Switzerland-based contest decided to honor the pyramids as the only ancient wonder remaining and take it out of the running for the new wonders.
The Egyptian pyramids are the only surviving structures from the traditional list of the seven wonders of the ancient world, which were derived from lists of marvels cited by ancient Greek and Roman writers.
The 20 finalists for the new seven wonders include the Colosseum in Rome, the Great Wall of China and Petra in Jordan, as well as newer structures such as the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower and the Sydney Opera House. Organizers say the contest has received millions of votes so far.
The winners of the "New Seven Wonders of the World" are set to be announced during a ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal on July 7.
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On the Net:
http://www.new7wonders.com
