Almost nine decades after its discovery the tomb of Tutankhamun is to be comprehensively restored, reports Nevine El-Aref Ancient Egyptian tombs are attracting more and more visitors. Their very popularity, however, threatens their future. The breath of visitors causes an increase in humidity, causing serious damage to walls, particularly painted surfaces which can be attacked by fungus. Located in the Valley of the Kings, within the World Heritage Site of Ancient Thebes, the tomb of Tutankhamun is perhaps the most famous of Egypt's Pharaonic tombs. Although it is the smallest of the 26 known royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the burial place of this short-lived 18th Dynasty Pharaoh shot to international attention when it was discovered, with its spectacular funerary contents virtually intact, on 4 November 1922. The tomb's extraordinary collection of artefacts, now on display at the Egyptian Museum, has fascinated all comers for decades. Because of its history and its contents, which were excavated over a 10-year period, the tomb of Tutankhamun is of great historic and cultural value. Today the tomb is among the most heavily visited sites in the Theban necropolis and the large number of visitors may be contributing to the tomb's physical deterioration. In an attempt to prevent further damage the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) and the J. Paul Getty Trust has announced a five-year conservation and management project for the tomb. The project will formulate detailed plans for the conservation and management of the tomb and its wall paintings, with the SCA and the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) working jointly to design and implement the plan. "King Tut has an undeniable magic that we must conserve for future generations," says Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the SCA. "I was happy when we CT-scanned the mummy of King Tut in order to reveal the secrets of his family. I am even more thrilled to invite the GCI to restore his tomb and return the glory of the boy king." "It has been a privilege to work in Egypt on projects in the past, and we are pleased to have the opportunity to do so again," said James Wood, president and CEO of the Getty Trust. "We have great respect for the efforts made by our colleagues in Egypt to preserve their nation's wealth of cultural heritage, and look forward to working with them on addressing the conservation issues of this significant site." In comparison with other tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Tutankhamun's is relatively simple. It has four rooms, with only the walls of the burial chamber decorated. The wall paintings, as well as some of the tomb's other surfaces, are marred by disfiguring brown spots, first noted by the tomb's discoverer Howard Carter. "The nature and origin of the spots have never been fully ascertained, and they are among the technical conservation challenges presented by the tomb," says Wood. Tim Whalen, director of the GCI, says the restoration project, alongside the scientific analysis of the problems affecting the wall paintings, will also investigate rock cutting, plastering and painting techniques used in the construction of the tomb and its wall paintings in an attempt to better understand conditions and assist in the design of treatment interventions. "The ultimate goal of working with our Egyptian colleagues," says Whalen, "is to develop a long-term conservation and maintenance plan for this tomb that can serve as a model for the preservation of similar sites." The restoration project, says Hawass, will begin with a period of research and assessment, including the preparation of an accurate record of the condition of the tomb and its wall paintings, analysis and diagnosis of the causes of deterioration and the design, testing, and evaluation of appropriate interventions. "This initial phase will require a minimum of two years," Hawass said. The second and third phases will be conducted simultaneously over a three-year period. The second phase will focus on the implementation of the conservation plan for the tomb and its wall paintings, and on documentation of the treatment carried out. The programme for long-term monitoring of the condition and maintenance of Tutankhamun's tomb -- as well as presentation, interpretation, and policies for visitation and other uses of the tomb -- will be put into practice during the third phase. In the final phase, the results of the project will be evaluated and disseminated. The Tutankhamun project will involve an extensive exchange of ideas between the SCA and GCI teams regarding approaches to the conservation problems in the tomb and the tomb's long-term preservation. Both teams hope that their work together will extend beyond the tomb itself, and that the project -- by providing a model case study for the practice of conservation on the Theban West Bank -- will enhance conservation practice and knowledge regionally. The Conservation and Management of the Tomb of Tutankhamun is the SCA's most recent partnership with the GCI. In the late 1980s, the SCA worked with GCI staff and an international team on the conservation of wall paintings in the tomb of Queen Nefertari, wife of the powerful ruler Ramses II. Other SCA work with the GCI has included the development of oxygen-free display and storage cases for the Egyptian Museum's Royal Mummies collection, and an environmental monitoring study of the Great Sphinx at the Giza Plateau outside Cairo. Currently, the SCA is collaborating with the GCI on the development and implementation of a conservation and management plan for the Valley of the Queens.
