Egyptian tour guide who drew on pyramid arrested

An Egyptian tour guide who was seen drawing on the outer surface of the Pyramid of Unas in Saqqara in a video clip that went viral has been arrested.

Egypt’s Interior Ministry said in a statement on February 22 that the tour guide had drawn on the pyramid to explain it to a group of tourists.

An investigation conducted by the Saqqara Tourism Police Department determined that the man had “damaged an ancient monument.” Authorities said the drawing was later removed “by the competent authorities.”

“The accused was apprehended and, when confronted, admitted to committing the act as described,” the Interior Ministry said. “Legal proceedings were taken.”

The man was not identified by Egyptian officials but was described as a resident of the Boulaq al-Dakrour police district.

Local media identified him as Rami Al-Amir, and reported that he had apologized for making the chalk drawing in his first day back to work after four years.

Under Article 45 of Egypt's amended Antiquities Protection Law, the act of writing or inscribing on a monument carries a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in prison and fines reaching up to 500,000 Egyptian pounds.

His tour guide license was also suspended by the General Syndicate of Tourist Guides pending an investigation that lead to a permanent ban from the profession.

Follow along with other art crime stories at Urgent Matter’s art crime tracker.