Tutankhamun's tomb replica built in Egypt

[UM-Bot]

Authorities have been attempting to tackle the damage that tourism is doing to ancient Egyptian tombs.

The tombs of ancient Egyptian pharaohs such as King Tutankhamun have been a prime tourist destination for visitors from all over the world for years, but while tourism is booming, many of the tombs have been suffering as a result of the sheer number of people traipsing in and out on a daily basis.

Read More: http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/255794/tutankhamuns-tomb-replica-built-in-egypt

[pallidin]

Huh. I guess I didn't know the area inside was so fragile(or became so)

I hate to see special sites permanently sealed from the general public, but I suppose in this case(and likely other's) the experts have to do what they need to, both for safety and site preservation.

EDIT: I once heard that an internal site, perhaps also in Egypt(not sure) though not entirely closed to the public, is now restricted to only a certain number of visitors per day or whatever.

In that case the reason isn't public safety, rather it was found that the gases(primarily carbon dioxide I think) released from many hundreds of visitors each day was causing some type of chemical reaction on the "paintings or whatever they're called", slowly destroying them.

Apparently this was noticed in time before serious damage took place.

Edited October 6, 2013 by pallidin

[Eldorado]

This story is also covered in this weeks BBC magazine where they pose the question; Which would you rather visit - a fake tomb or a real one?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24478909

I'd still visit, just for the whole experience.

[Kaa-Tzik]

Clearly having so many tourists passing through the tombs and exhaling moist air is not good, perhaps they could have the decency to hold their breath until they exit

However, the walls of Tutankhamun's tomb are spotted with mold and there has been some panic about this. Yet, when analyised, the spots were found to be inert, and a comparison of the number and size of the spots with photos taken of the tomb when it was first opened in modern times, showed no change at all in the last 90 years. The spots were caused by mold, but ancient mold as the tomb was sealed before the paint had dried. As soon as the mold had consumed the oxygen in the tomb, it died. This is not to say that tourists have not had any effect, but it has not been the "devestating" effect that we had previously been told.