Tutankhamun’s tomb is at risk of collapsing after being discovered 100 years ago | World | News
The tomb of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun is in its most fragile state since its discovery more than 100 years ago. The tomb in Luxor was first discovered in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter.
However, it was stated that cracks appeared on the ceiling of the cemetery, rock layers were peeled off and the colors of the walls began to fade due to fungi. In the tomb located in the Valley of the Kings, there is a large crack running along the ceiling and entrance of the burial chamber, allowing rainwater to leak inside.
According to the report, due to the Esna shale rock used inside and expanding and contracting according to changes in humidity, there is now a risk of deformation and collapse in the structure and complex decorations. Independent.
The Valley of the Kings is home to numerous royal tombs carved into the mountainous landscape. However, many of them were eroded due to flash floods that periodically hit the region.
The disaster in 1944 caused the valley to flood and the rock layers to erode, and the humidity level in the tombs to rise sharply.
Fungai later developed, damaging paintings and murals. Moreover, the fragile geological composition, consisting mostly of weak Esna shales, further aggravated the situation.
Sayed Hemede, professor of Architectural Heritage Conservation at Cairo University, states that the structural integrity of Tutankhamun’s tomb has now been compromised. The tomb consists of four main rooms, including the entrance, antechamber, burial chamber, and the treasury, which once housed approximately 5,000 artifacts such as a golden mask, gilded statues, fine furniture, weapons, and funerary items.
In a recent study published in Nature’s npj Heritage Science Journal, experts highlight that the 1994 flood was a turning point because it allowed water ingress, increased moisture levels and inhibited fungal growth.
Dr Hemeda also noted that the central crack that cuts through the ceiling of both the burial chamber and the entrance “allowed rainwater to penetrate and further exacerbated the cracks, subjecting the ceiling to pressures exceeding the withstanding capacity of the Esna snail rock, especially given its tendency to expand and contract with fluctuations in humidity.”
The study suggests that minimizing humidity fluctuations can be “maintained by regulating the tomb’s internal environment and implementing a focused strengthening and preservation program.”
