An Egyptian tour guide was taken into custody after being accused of drawing a stick figure on the side of the Pyramid of Unas while leading a group of tourists.
Footage of the incident, which spread widely on social media, shows the man leaning toward a lower section of the pyramid’s outer casing as tourists stand nearby and listen. He is then seen trying to wipe the markings away with his hand, though traces remain visible in the video.
In a post on X, Egypt’s Interior Ministry stated that the guide “damaged an antiquity by drawing on the outer casing of ” while explaining the site to tourists. The initial report had mentioned the general Giza area.
The ministry said the investigation was launched after the video circulated online, prompting an antiquities inspector to file a report with the Saqqara Tourism Police Station that identified the guide. Officials noted the markings were later removed by specialists.
, who admitted to the act during questioning, according to the ministry.
” have been taken,” the ministry added, noting that specialists have since erased the markings.
Local media outlets, citing the Interior Ministry’s investigation, identified the site as the Pyramid of Unas in the Saqqara necropolis south of Giza.
B.C. for Pharaoh Unas, the pyramid is historically significant for containing the earliest Pyramid Texts. These religious inscriptions consist of more than 200 spells carved into the pyramid’s interior walls, forming what scholars consider the oldest known collection of funerary texts.
The pyramid is located within the vast Saqqara necropolis, part of ancient Memphis—Egypt’s first capital and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes a sprawling complex of tombs, temples and pyramids.
Egypt has and preservation efforts at archaeological sites in recent years as officials seek to protect ancient monuments that attract millions of visitors annually.
Under Egypt’s Antiquities Protection Law, damaging actions such as writing on or harming archaeological sites can carry prison sentences and fines, with exact penalties varying by offense.