Elon Musk claims pyramids were built by aliens, gets criticised and an invite to Egypt

Aliens built the pyramids obv

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2020

The Great Pyramid was the tallest structure made by humans for 3800 years. Three thousand, eight hundred years. https://t.co/6DU46eMbni

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2020

Archaeologists and several Egyptian ministers were among those who responded to the 49-year-old billionaire’s bizarre claim.

Rania A. Al Mashat, Egypt’s minister of international cooperation, invited Musk to visit the pyramids so that he could study them better. “Mr Musk we are waiting for you,” she tweeted.

I follow your work with a lot of admiration. 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 🚀. @elonmusk https://t.co/Xlr7EoPXX4

— Rania A. Al Mashat (@RaniaAlMashat) August 1, 2020

Later, Musk tweeted a link to an article debunking his own claim and explaining how it was done.

This BBC article provides a sensible summary for how it was done https://t.co/le3r20BWID

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 1, 2020

On social media, there were plenty of reactions to the claim with most people criticising Musk for spreading blatantly false claims:

Just because white people didn’t do it doesn’t mean “aliens” did. That apartheid education really messed you up

— Beth💟🗨️ (@b3thmemes) July 31, 2020

Who built Tesla’s balance sheet?

— Andrew C Laufer, Esq (@lauferlaw) August 1, 2020

Pharaohs built Tesla obv

— رشا مهدي Rasha Mahdi (@RashaMahdi) July 31, 2020

And I Climbed Them 😈 pic.twitter.com/s6FI1UCd43

— Vitaly Zdorovetskiy (@Vitalyzdtv) July 31, 2020

I guess we’re aliens 🤷🏽♂️

— Wilson Chandler (@wilsonchandler) July 31, 2020

“Work hard people think the aliens did it”#NotAliens#ThisIsEgypt pic.twitter.com/eZY5z723qe

— 🇪🇬 Ahmed Sameh (@EgyptWithAhmed) July 31, 2020

pic.twitter.com/pbfbvmtRtS

— L’oriental (@AymanElashri) July 31, 2020

pic.twitter.com/9uF7kcGGGz

— Pauline 🚀 (@justpaulinelol) July 31, 2020

Nah fam, you’re thinking too one dimensional, the Pyramids ARE the Aliens. pic.twitter.com/KLKNHvw4Lr

— Joker-The God of R/Destinycirclejerk (@DSR_Joker) July 31, 2020

According to the Smithsonian museum’s website, there has been speculation about how the pyramids were constructed and workers are believed to have used copper tools like chisels, drills and saw to cut relatively soft stone.

“A tomb painting of a colossal statue being moved shows how huge stone blocks were moved on sledges over ground first made slippery by liquid. The blocks were then brought up ramps to their positions in the pyramid. Finally, the outer layer of casing stones was finished from the top-down and the ramps dismantled as the work was completed,” the museum’s website says.