Can you rent the pyramids? Egyptian officials say ‘no’

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities officially denied rumors that American YouTuber MrBeast rented the Giza Pyramids area for 100 hours of filming. "This matter is completely untrue, illogical, and not possible in any way," the Ministry stated, as reported by Asharq News.

The Ministry clarified that MrBeast, whose real name is James Stephen Donaldson, was granted a permit to film in the area during non-official working hours, ensuring no disruption to visitors. The site was not closed at any time during the filming period, according to Youm7. They emphasized that the Giza Pyramids area was operating at full capacity during the filming days, welcoming visitors during official working hours, as reported by Sky News Arabia.

Considered a form of tourism promotion for Egypt, MrBeast's filming aimed to highlight the archaeological area and its monuments to boost cultural tourism, according to Asharq Al-Awsat. There was archaeological supervision over the filming to ensure that the area was not harmed, with antiquities officials accompanying MrBeast and his crew throughout the duration, reported Youm7.

In response to the controversy, Egyptian archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass stated, “There is no such thing as renting the Pyramid,” confirming that MrBeast requested to film in the Pyramid for a fee, as reported by Asharq Al-Awsat. Dr. Hawass further explained that "MrBeast filmed for four days in the Pyramid, films that are considered a form of tourism promotion for Egypt," and denied that "MrBeast slept inside the Pyramid," according to the same source.

Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, is an American content creator considered one of the most famous in the world. He started his YouTube career in 2012 with short videos and became famous for presenting huge challenges, financial donations, and charitable projects, offering his followers huge cash prizes. MrBeast has over 337 million subscribers on his main YouTube channel and more than 319 million subscribers across all channels.

He has more than 104 million followers on TikTok. According to Forbes magazine, MrBeast is the largest content creator in the world, with his earnings from YouTube in 2024 estimated at about 85 million dollars. He owns a chain of burger restaurants, has founded 'Beast Philanthropy' to provide aid to the poor and needy, and established a chain of charitable restaurants under the name 'Feastables'.

The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.