A Chinese tourist damaged a 3,000-year-old site in Luxor and publicly shared the image on Chinese social media, which has since gone viral.
The tourist carved “Ding Jinhao was here,” while visiting Luxor in Egypt. Chinese social media and newspapers were quick to condemn and identify the offender, and the incident has attracted widespread criticism in China with headlines such as “China’s Tourist Shame.” The vandalist has reportedly been identified by Chinese internet users as a 15-year-old middle-school student from Nanjing.
According to Chinese bloggers, several tourists attempted to remove the markings themselves, resulting in the white smudge that appears in the photograph above.
It is not yet clear whether the markings can be removed in order to safely restore the temple wall to its original state.
Despite this, the incident remains unreported on Egyptian media and the man responsible was never identified or charged with any criminal offence by Egyptian authorities. The Ministry of Antiquities has not commented on the damage yet, but according to a source contacted by Egyptian Streets, the Ministry of Antiquities is currently investigating the incident.
The incident highlights the lack of security and enforcement of rules that are meant to protect and preserve Egypt’s historic sites.
The Karnak and Luxor Temples as well as the Valley of the Kings are very popular with tourists, but concerns over safety have led to a sharp decline in tourists in recent months.
