The tomb of Tutankhamun is like 3000 years ago

The small tomb of the so-called "pharaoh child", who died in 1300 BC AD and which is one of the icons of the Valley of the Kings, is now in better condition than when it was discovered by Carter, said Egyptian archaeologists at the agency's Spanish press EFE. of the project team. Archaeologist Neville Agnew, one of GCI's officials, explained that the state of the grave was not "as bad" at the beginning of the project because the state paintings was relatively stable. "They performed the most impressive work ever done in a tomb in the world and they saved Tutankhamen, they saved the grave," said the famous Egyptologist Zahi Hawas.

The frescoes were damaged mainly by fungi that caused hundreds of small brown spots dotting the paintings, unique in a tomb of the Valley of the Kings, but the researchers are certain that they no longer represent a danger. "We think that the brown spots appeared because they were sealed too quickly.There was a lot of moisture and the mushrooms appeared.Today, the mushrooms are dead, they have never grown since that Carter opened the grave, we can compare the photographs, "said Agnew. However, the Conservatives did not want to remove them because they penetrated the paint layer, which could damage the pigments. The conservation project included the installation of a ventilation and air filtration system to reduce humidity, as well as the installation of a new led lighting system and improved protection. and the layout of the site, including the installation of new elevated wooden observation decks.

The first was the mask

In December 2015, German and Egyptian experts completed the restoration of Pharaoh Tutankhamun's funeral mask, which was once again exhibited at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo before the end of this year. The restoration and badysis work lasted eight weeks with the aim that "the mask once again receives its visitors crowning the collection of objects of the Little Pharaoh", according to the Minister of Antiquities, Mamduh al Damati.

The head of mask restoration, the German Christian Eckmann, explained that the improper and harmful glue applied to this valuable item had been removed after the detachment of the chin in early 2015. The gold mask encrusted with semi-precious stones were damaged during some of the works to change the lighting of the Egyptian Museum in 2014, in circumstances that have not yet been clarified and triggered a great deal of controversy.

-> They ask to see 25 tourists a day

To improve the conservation of Tutankhamun's tomb and all the beautiful paintings around it, the Getty Institute will propose to the Egyptian government to limit tourist visits to a maximum of 25 people at the same time per day, less than the one currently exposed to the tiny enclosure. In the same spirit, the Egyptologist Zahi Hawas warned, in statements to reporters, that if the management model of the Valley of the Kings was not changed, "this important and sacred place for the history and the archeology will not last 500 years. "