Egypt says an exact replica of the tomb of Tutankhamun will be installed near the 3,000-year-old original to divert tourists away from the threatened site.
Officials said they hope the $675,000 project will prolong the life of the original tomb while maintaining sustainable tourism in a country where many ancient archaeological sites are under severe threat.
Tutankhamun’s tomb, in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings, is one of many burial sites deteriorating from the impact of years of tourism, while restoration efforts will likely to make the problem worse, they said.
“The attempt to fix the tombs to make them visitable is itself now the largest long-term risk to the tombs,” said Adam Lowe, whose firm Factum Arte, based in Spain, led and funded the creation of the tomb’s replica.
The full story is here. The price of visiting Tut’s tomb has long been many times the cost of visiting other bigger and better tombs, and I recommending skipping Tut in favor of the pharaohs who ruled much longer. The Cairo Museum has a large display of items discovered in Tut’s tomb.
HT: Jack Sasson
