For the most part, the peerless array of mortuary art gracing tomb walls in the Theban necropolis at Luxor has survived several millennia safely buried under the dry desert sands. Visitors often coo with delight at the amazing brightness of the colours, astounded at how vibrant the dyes remain today. The humidity caused by outside air and the pressure of human bodies is slowly eroding sites in famous burial places like the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor. Moisture caused by people sweating, and even simply exhaling, causes irreparable damage. Tour groups are often first led into the tombs, where their guide then lectures them on distinctive reliefs and famous kings.
People whisper, touch, chat and battle for space, oblivious to the long-term effects of their visit.
Over the years, countless projects have been drawn, discussed and reconsidered addressing the problem of encouraging tourism without further endangering the monuments, but only recently has one such plan gone into effect. The idea, quite simply, is to control access to the tombs. Now almost a month into the project, the first steps taken have been more organisational in nature. The map will show the exact location of each of the tombs and, more importantly, indicate which are difficult to access, say, for the handicapped. Plans of the tombs will show the corridors and halls in each of the tombs, along with photographs of the most noteworthy reliefs and funerary objects found when the tomb was discovered.