Egypt invites Elon Musk to see Great Pyramids after he tweeted they were ‘built by aliens obviously’

Elon Musk was invited by a top Egyptian official to see the Great Pyramids for himself after he resurrected the old conspiracy theory that they were built by extraterrestrials. 

The CEO of electric vehicle maker Tesla, who also is founder of aeronautics firm SpaceX, gave credit to ‘aliens’ for building the pyramids in Giza near Cairo in a tweet on Friday.

‘Aliens built the pyramids obv,’ wrote Musk, prompting a response from Egypt‘s Minister of International Cooperation Rania al-Mashat the next day.

Elon Musk was invited by a top Egyptian official to see the Great Pyramids for himself after he resurrected the old conspiracy theory that they were built by extraterrestrials

The CEO of electric vehicle maker Tesla, who also is founder of aeronautics firm SpaceX, gave credit to 'aliens' for building the pyramids in Giza (pictured) near Cairo in a tweet on Friday

The CEO of electric vehicle maker Tesla, who also is founder of aeronautics firm SpaceX, gave credit to ‘aliens’ for building the pyramids in Giza (pictured) near Cairo in a tweet on Friday

'Aliens built the pyramids obv,' wrote Musk in the tweet (pictured)

‘Aliens built the pyramids obv,’ wrote Musk in the tweet (pictured)

‘I follow your work with a lot of admiration’ wrote al-Mashat via Twitter.

‘I invite you & Space X to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders. Mr. Musk, we are waiting for you,’ she added.

Musk’s tweet was liked more than 500,000 times and retweed 87,000. 

Musk's claim prompted a response from Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation Rania al-Mashat, pictured during an interview with Bloomberg Television

Musk’s claim prompted a response from Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation Rania al-Mashat, pictured during an interview with Bloomberg Television

Al-Mashat invited Musk to visit the pyramids himself, via Twitter (pictured0

Al-Mashat invited Musk to visit the pyramids himself, via Twitter (pictured0

However, he seemed to take the claim back in a follow up social media post linking to an article describing how the pyramids were more likely built by humans living in an Egyptian settlement. 

This BBC article provides a sensible summary for how it was done,’ Musk wrote, linking to a story with the headline, ‘The Private Lives of the Pyramid-builders’. 

But the billionaire entrepreneur, known for making sometimes erratic tweets, couldn’t shake off the original comment about aliens. 

Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass delivered a video response in Arabic debunking the claim aliens were involved, a conspiracy theory giving beings from another world credit for building ancient structures, including the statues on Easter Island. 

Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass delivered a video response in Arabic debunking Musk's claim aliens were involved, a conspiracy theory giving beings from another world credit for building ancient structures, including the statues on Easter Island

Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass delivered a video response in Arabic debunking Musk’s claim aliens were involved, a conspiracy theory giving beings from another world credit for building ancient structures, including the statues on Easter Island

‘This is a response from Zahi Hawass to American billionaire Elon Musk,’ Hawass said in the footage posted on his Facebook page, Egypt Today reported.

‘What you said about the pyramids is completely hallucination, the pyramids are built by Egyptians,’ the archaeologist wrote.  

‘I found the tombs of the pyramids builders that tell everyone that the builders of the pyramids are Egyptians and they were not slaves,’ he explained, accusing Musk of being ‘wrong’ and his claim a ‘hallucination’. 

Egyptians built pyramids thousands of years ago, mostly to serve as tombs for their pharaohs.  

An 1838 diagram shows the interior of two of the Great pyramids. Egyptians built pyramids thousands of years ago, mostly to serve as tombs for their pharaohs

An 1838 diagram shows the interior of two of the Great pyramids. Egyptians built pyramids thousands of years ago, mostly to serve as tombs for their pharaohs

Archaeologists in 2018 came a step closer to understanding how the Great Pyramid, the largest of the structures commissioned by Fourth Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu, was built about 4,500 years ago.

The remains of a ramp system were unearthed at the time in an ancient quarry in the Eastern Desert, according to Live Science.

Its design suggests the ramp was used to drag massive alabaster stones up a slope, using sleds and rope.

The remains of a 4,500-year-old ramp system have been unearthed in an ancient quarry in the Eastern Desert. Experts say such a design would have alleviated some of the burden for the workers who had to pull these huge loads

The remains of a 4,500-year-old ramp system have been unearthed in an ancient quarry in the Eastern Desert. Experts say such a design would have alleviated some of the burden for the workers who had to pull these huge loads

The ancient ramp was discovered at the site of Hatnub by researchers from the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo and the University of Liverpool in England, Live Science reports.

Along its sides are two staircases lined with postholes, to which ropes were likely tied thousands of years ago to drag the huge stone blocks.

Such a design would have alleviated some of the burden for the workers who had to pull these huge loads.