The Antiquities, Museums, and Architectural Heritage Law, which was recently approved by the Council of Ministers, impose harsh punishments on those who break the rules, including up to three years in jail and fines of up to SR300,000.

Anyone who illegally grabs antiquity held by the state faces imprisonment for at least 6 months and up to 7 years, as well as a fine of at least SR50,000 and up to SR500,000, or a combination of the two punishments.

Similarly, anybody who trespasses on antiquity, an archaeological site, or an urban heritage site by destroying, modifying, removing, exhuming, harming, changing its features, or obliterating it shall be punished with imprisonment for three months and three years, as well as a fine of at least SR20,000 and not more than SR300,000, or both.

Anyone who creates a duplicate of an artifact and claims it to be original antiquity, or performs any total or partial demolitions within the boundaries of antiquities and urban heritage sites, or builds anything on them, without the Ministry of Culture's approval, will face penalties under the regulation.

The regulation stated that anyone who alters a building or an urban heritage site, performs an encroachment in the surrounding area that causes harm to it without the Ministry of Culture's permission, or moves rubble, stones, or soil from archaeology and urban heritage sites without the ministry's consent is violating the law.

The regulation also specified that anyone who dumps rubble or remnants onto archaeology or urban heritage sites, or distorts antiquity or urban heritage by writing, drawing, engraving, or posting advertising on it, or by setting it on fire, will be sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of SR100,000.

The regulation stated that anyone who did not submit to the ministry a statement on the artifacts he owned, or possessed an original unregistered artifact, or possessed an antiquity that does not prove the legitimacy of its ownership; or sold, rented, or transferred ownership of a fixed antique; or engaged in a restoration operation, antiquities transported for commensurate purposes, would be subject to prosecution.