An elevated view of Tutankhamun’s tomb
The fissures in the room where the tomb of the famous Egyptian pharaoh is located allow frequent flooding and there is a risk of stone collapse.
Archaeologists have issued an urgent warning that the iconic 3,300-year-old tomb of King Tutankhamun has been destroyed. runs the risk of collapsing due to crack expansion and severe moisture damage.
A new study carried out by researchers at Cairo University published in Nature revealed a large geological fault that runs through the ceiling of the entrance and burial chambers of the tomb, located in the Valley of the Kings, in Egypt. Growing cracks are allowing rainwater to penetrate the site, weakening the rock and threatening the structural stability of the tomb.
Sayed Hemada, Professor of Architectural Heritage Preservation at Cairo University and lead author of the study, stated that the tomb faces “urgent and serious risks“.The rock formation known as the Esna shale, which makes up much of the tomb, expands and contracts with changes in humidity, making it highly susceptible to cracking and eventual collapse.
“The royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings require urgent intervention and precise scientific monitoring to avoid irreversible damage”, Professor Hemada told .
The tomb, discovered intact in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter, was once hailed as the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century. However, its geological setting now poses a serious threat. Hewn into the foothills of the valley’s mountains, the tombs are prone to flooding during heavy rains, which send torrents of water, debris and rocks across the area.
One such flash flood, in October 1994, inundated many of the royal burial chambers, including that of Tutankhamun, in an event that marked a turning point in the preservation of the tomb. The muddy water not only caused new cracks to open, but also increased humidity, triggering the fungal growth which damaged the vibrant murals that decorate the walls.
The report warns that the cracks now place the roof under “pressures that exceed the capacity” of the fragile Esna shale, creating the risk of “rock rupture”. Although Hemada stressed that the tomb is unlikely to collapse soon, he warned that without intervention it may not last “thousands of years as it was built”.
Mohamed Atia Hawash, an expert at Cairo University, added that the surrounding mountains themselves are fractured, increasing the risk of rockfalls onto nearby tombs. “A disaster it can happen at any time. If the Valley of the Kings is to be preserved, measures must be taken before it is too late”, he warned.
