Rock art in Egypt is being threatened by the increasing number of tourists trying to seek far and wide for the Egyptian frontiers. Much of the art that has been preserved for thousands of years is under risk from more and more people heading toward the sacred areas. The most impressive of Egypt's rock art is the country's southwest corner, near the Sudanese and Libyan borders, where paintings of prehistoric man and beast are located.
     Rudolph Kuper, a German archaeologist attempting to help protect the art that dates from around 5,000 - 3,000 BCE, said that the entire region's cultural and natural heritage is at stake. "You can't estimate the amount of damage done," says Dr Rudolph Kuper. "People put water or oil on the paintings to make the faded colors look brighter, causing irreparable damage," he says.
     Only a small number of tourists visited this region 20 years ago, the amount of travelers visiting the area today has greatly increased as Egypt continues to move forward on their tourism and development sectors that is attracting tens of millions of foreigners to the country annually.

Source: AHN (26 November 2007)