An Egyptian tour guide has been taken into custody following allegations that he drew a stick figure on the ancient Pyramid of Unas, which dates back 4,000 years, while conducting a tour.

Footage of the incident quickly went viral on social media. It shows the guide leaning toward a lower part of the pyramid’s outer casing as tourists surround him. The video captures him trying to erase the drawing with his hand, but traces of the markings remain visible.

According to a statement from Egypt’s Interior Ministry shared on X, the guide “damaged an antiquity by drawing on the outer casing of one of the pyramids” as he explained the historical site to his group. The initial report had mentioned the Giza area generally.

The ministry initiated an investigation following the video’s online circulation, which led an antiquities inspector to file a report with the Saqqara Tourism Police Station, identifying the tour guide in question. Specialists have since removed the offending marks.

Authorities have apprehended the suspect, who admitted to the act during interrogation, as confirmed by the ministry.

Authorities apprehended the suspect, who confessed to the act during questioning, according to the ministry.

“Legal measures have been taken,” the ministry added, noting that specialists have since removed 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.

An Egyptian tour guide was arrested after allegedly sketching a stick figure on the 4,000-year-old Pyramid of Unas in Saqqara, officials said. (Egyptian Ministry of Interior)

B.C. for the Pharaoh Unas, 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.

An Egyptian tour guide was arrested after allegedly sketching a stick figure on the 4,000-year-old Pyramid of Unas in Saqqara, officials said. (Egyptian Ministry of Interior)

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 contains a sprawling complex of tombs, temples and pyramids.

Egypt has increased enforcement 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 damaging archaeological sites can carry prison sentences and fines, with the exact penalties varying by offense.

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