No pyramids on Portugal stamps, Egypt says

CAIRO, Egypt -- 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.

There was no immediate response from Portuguese officials.

Hawass scoffed earlier this year at the popular online contest, saying it was a disgrace that the pyramids 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 were on the traditional list of marvels cited by ancient Greek and Roman writers. The other six were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Mausoleum of Maussollos, Colossus of Rhodes and Lighthouse of Alexandria.

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 are to be announced during a ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal, on July 7.