CAIRO – US Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson and Luxor Governor Ezzat Saad on Tuesday opened a facility to ward off the risks of underground water jeopardising monuments in west Luxor, about 720km south of Cairo. "The project, financed by USAID, cost $12.7 million. It aims at lowering the underground water level below the temples of King Seti I, Ramesseum, Merneptah, Amenhotep III, Hapo City, and the remains of funeral temples built by Thotmos III and King Hormoheb," said Mansour Breik, the head of Upper Egypt Antiquities. The project has reportedly weakened 114 houses in el-Qarana; 18 of them are on the verge of collapse, while another 84 need urgent renovations.
