Egyptian Tour Guide Arrested for Drawing on 4,000-Year-Old Pyramid

Updated: March 18, 2026

An Egyptian tour guide found himself in trouble with the law after he was caught drawing on the side of a 4,000-year-old pyramid. The strange incident reportedly occurred on February 22nd and came to light after a video of the unnamed man being confronted by a witness was posted online. “Today at Saqqara, near the Pyramid of Unas, I came across a man – a tour guide for Russian tourists – drawing on the pyramid with chalk,” explained the person who shared the footage, “when I politely told him that what he was doing was wrong, he asked me, ‘Are you serious?’ Honestly, I didn’t know how to respond.”

As one might imagine, the video of the tour guide’s audacious actions quickly went viral on Egyptian social media and prompted authorities to investigate the situation. Shortly thereafter, the man was identified and arrested for defacing the 4,000-year-old structure. In confessing to the crime, he explained that the “unforgivable mistake” came about because he was overcome with exuberance as it was his first day working as a tour guide in four years. Sadly, it turned out to be his last day on the job as he now faces a possible year in prison and a fine of around $15,000 if convicted for the vandalism.