Stray dog spotted by a paragliding tourist on top of Giza's Great Pyramid becomes an online sensation

A stray dog spotted by a paragliding tourist on top of Giza's Great Pyramid has become an online sensation, with many likening the canine's features to the ancient Egyptian God Anubis.

The cream dog with light brown spots – named "Boka" by social media users – climbed the pyramid of Khufu late last week. The video, taken by a tourist flying over the Giza Pyramids in a motorised paraglider, surfaced online over the weekend and became an instant hit, with millions of views.

Some social media users said the video was the best, free publicity for Egypt. Others speculated on what motivated the dog to climb the nearly 150-metre-high structure built around 2,500BC.

Witnesses quoted in local media reports said he was chasing birds and kept barking at them when he reached the top. The video taken by the tourist, Alex Lang showed Boka happily moving around on the peak of the pyramid.

Others said the dog's impressive climb to the top may have been related to the mysteries surrounding ancient Egyptian burial places. Anubis, which Boka was compared to, is a jackal-headed dog that ancient Egyptians believed was the God of funerary rites and protector of graves.

“Maybe something inspired or persuaded him to go up there,” said Gamal Saleh, a canine expert and a former commander of the military's war dogs. “Maybe it's one of those pharaonic mysteries!”

Painted relief of Sethos before Anubis (jackal headed god) at the Temple of Sethos I, Abydos, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, c1280 BC. Getty Images

Boka was also filmed as he climbed down the Khufu pyramid, with tourists on the ground gasping at the dog's extraordinary speed and agility.

“He made so much publicity for Egyptian monuments that's bigger than anything we could have planned,” said Amr Adeeb, a well-known Arab TV talk show host. “He came down the pyramid with so much ease it looked like he was walking through a field of clover. It's like he knew exactly what he was doing,” he said on the Saudi-owned network MBC Egypt.

Boka has been the subject of online humour, too.

One Facebook post showed him Photoshopped sitting in the guest's studio chair while being interviewed by Mona El Shazly, another famous TV talk show host. Other posts commented on the reported offer from a wealthy American to buy Boka for $100,000.

“I am hoping and praying that you spend your life here next to the Pyramids and never go if you get adoption offers outside Egypt,” wrote one Facebook user.

Egypt has long outlawed climbing any of its ancient pyramids, but in 2020 toughened the penalty for offenders who now face either a month in jail or a 200,000-pound fine (about $4,000).

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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

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10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

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Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

Expo details

Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia

The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.

It is expected to attract 25 million visits

Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.

More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020

The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area

It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”