21 - 27 June 2001
Issue No.539
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 21 - 27 June 2001 Issue No.539 |
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Protecting Merenptah's tomb
THE SUPREME Council of Antiquities (SCA), in collaboration with the Louvre Museum in Paris, is to undertake major restoration and conservation of the wall paintings of the tomb of the New Kingdom Pharaoh Merenptah, the last of the great rulers of the 19th dynasty and the son of the famous Ramses II.
"Our aim is to counteract the deterioration resulting from natural causes and misuse of the tombs by visitors," SCA secretary-general Gaballa Ali Gaballa said. "The tomb walls will be reinforced, the reliefs and colours will be restored and new wooden stairways and flooring will be installed."
Glass barriers are now in production to cover and protect the decorations of the inner walls. For the comfort of visitors, wooden sunshades will be erected beside each tomb in the area.
The tomb of Merenptah is one of the most impressive royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings. It is very large, more than 120 metres in length, and contains the remains of the biggest granite sarcophagus ever found in the valley. Mohamed El- Saghir, an antiquities consultant at the Ministry of Culture, said that despite Merenptah's short rule -- a mere nine years -- he was a very important Pharaoh. "He protected Egypt's borders from what is known as invasions of 'the people of the sea', as well as Libyans, and he is the only Pharaoh whose name is mentioned in association with Israel," El-Saghir said.
"This is recorded on a stela found near his funerary temple, which is now in Cairo Museum. The text says: 'Israel has been destroyed and their women no longer conceive'."
El-Saghir described Merenptah's tomb as a virtual museum. "It has beautiful reliefs, some coloured and some uncoloured, of the Pharaoh performing various ceremonies. The ceiling is painted with golden stars on a blue background, and the columns of the burial chamber are decorated with fine religious scenes."
Tomb inspection
AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL committee headed by Mohamed El-Saghier, consultant at the Ministry of Culture, has carried out an inspection of two famous tombs on the Theban necropolis, those of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun and Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramses II. The decoration of Tutankhamun's tomb was found to be in need of further cleaning, while the ventilation system in Nefertari's tomb will be upgraded to accommodate 200 tourists a day. Currently only 150 tourists are allowed to visit the tomb each day.
Compiled by Nevine El-Aref
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