By: Alex
While news of snowless Mount Fuji was still fresh in everyone’s minds (related report), Japanese netizen Toyo Mizu (@Ran_Paratrooper) posted, “It’s snowing in Egypt... climate anomaly...”, along with two photos featuring pyramids—one of them even showing a frontal view of the Sphinx. The images show patches of snow on the ground, and a small amount of snow on the pyramid surfaces—indicating quite a heavy snowfall.
Snow in Egypt... anomaly?... pic.twitter.com/khRAWVNz3T
— Toyo Mizu (@Ran_Paratrooper) December 19, 2020
▲ "It’s snowing in Egypt... climate anomaly..."
As people debated whether it’s possible for Egypt to have snow, sharp-eyed netizens quickly spotted something off: in one of the photos, there was an unusual object behind the pyramids, leading many to suspect the images were fake. With that clue, the truth soon came out—the photos were actually taken at Tobu World Square in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, not far from the Kinugawa Onsen area.
▲ Snow is visible in several spots near the pyramids. (photo by Ran_Paratrooper @Twitter)
▲ But take a closer look to the right of the pyramids—something seems a bit odd!(photo by Ran_Paratrooper @Twitter)
Though named World Square, it might be more aptly called a miniature theme park. The park features over 100 famous buildings and World Heritage Sites from around the world, all replicated at a 1:25 scale with meticulous detail and impressive realism. However, due to an oversight in the camera angle, the tip of the Eiffel Tower in Paris unexpectedly made it into the frame, resulting in an obvious flaw. In fact, some netizens also pointed out that the texture of the dirt and the figures in the photo looked slightly off compared to the real things. Others who had visited the Sphinx noted that tourists aren’t allowed between the statue’s front legs—an obvious mistake in the image.
▲ Some netizens posted real photos of Egypt’s pyramids to highlight the difference in texture. (photo by jassim34281827 @Twitter)
▲ (photo by jassim34281827 @Twitter)
▲ (photo by jassim34281827 @Twitter)
Although Toyo Mizu’s prank was quickly exposed, his post still received 90,000 likes and over 10,000 reposts—showing that many didn’t mind being fooled. Additionally, many netizens questioned whether it’s possible for Egypt, located in the desert region of the Middle East, to experience snow. Some referred to news reports stating that on December 13, 2013, Cairo in Egypt, Jerusalem in Israel, and large parts of Lebanon were covered in snow. Meteorologists noted that it was the first time in 112 years that Cairo saw snow, and the heaviest snowfall in Israel in 60 years. So, claiming that climate anomalies caused snow in Egypt may not have been entirely a joke.
▲ Netizens dug up past news reports proving that Egypt has indeed experienced snow in recent years. (photo by watamotist @Twitter)
Interestingly, back when global media were reporting on the “snow in Egypt’s pyramids” story, some netizens quickly jumped in, sharing photos of snow scenes at Tobu Miniature World (it’s unclear if the snow was real or fake), trying to pass them off as actual photos of the pyramids. Though those images quickly went viral worldwide, they were soon debunked—with the Eiffel Tower’s tip being the main telltale sign again.
▲ Tobu World Square replicates hundreds of famous buildings and World Heritage Sites from around the world at a 1:25 scale. (photo by Ran_Paratrooper @Twitter)
▲ When heavy snow reportedly hit Egypt’s pyramids in 2013, someone used a photo from Tobu Miniature World and passed it off as real, which then spread wildly online. (photo from Internet)
▲ Unfortunately, the photo was quickly exposed as fake. (photo from Internet)
Source: @Ran_Paratrooper