Australian aborigines ban climbing at Ayers Rock
Ayers Rock, also known by the Aboriginal name of Uluru, has been attracting visitors since 1948, when the first entrance to the area was opened. The gigantic sandstone monolith that rises out of the Australian outback is a sacred site for the Anangu indigenous people. For them, climbing its 330 meters high is sacrilege.
The famous Uluru is located in central Australia, within the Uluru-KataTjuta National Park. Every year it is visited by around 500,000 people, and perhaps half of them climb to the summit. But in May 2001, after the death of an Anangu elder, the path was closed for ten days, due to mourning. Fearing that tribal leaders would get a permanent ban, tour operators soon protested, and it was left to the park to step up its educational efforts to convince visitors not to voluntarily climb the cliff. Respect for beliefs is not the only reason for the controversy. To date, 35 people have died trying to climb the summit of Uluru.
Curiosities