Egypt’s ancient monuments are at risk after a tour guide drew on the Pyramid of Unas in Saqqara, prompting his arrest last week. Saqqara, a funerary complex south of the Giza plateau, houses the 24th century BCE Pyramid of Unas, one of Egypt’s oldest surviving royal tombs.
The incident was captured in a video originally posted to X that circulated widely. In the footage the man appears to sketch a simple stick figure on the pyramid’s outer casing while speaking to a group of tourists. The clip shows him attempting to wipe the mark away with his hands as other visitors watch.
Egyptian police said their inquiry began after an antiquities inspector filed a report with the Saqqara Tourism Police Station, alleging the tour guide had damaged an antiquity “for the purpose of explaining to a group of tourists.” The Ministry of the Interior posted about the case on X, saying the drawing has been removed and that the guide confessed to the act.
The ministry added that “legal measures” were taken against the man, though it did not specify what charges or penalties will be applied. Under Egypt’s Antiquities Law of 1983, defacement of an antiquity can carry up to one year in jail and a fine of 500,000 Egyptian pounds, roughly $10,400, according to reporting cited by the New York Post.
For now authorities have removed the mark and detained the guide, and the ministry’s X post on February 22, 2026, records the initial case action. Beyond that announcement, Egyptian officials have not disclosed the next steps in prosecution or administrative discipline.
