The threat of climate change
Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis
This gem of ancient Egyptian culture is under serious threat from climate change.
What is the threat?
Natural variations
Urban Development
Tourism
Many of the buildings at Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis use Nubian sandstone as a building material, so salt weathering will damage the monuments under changes in humidity. When flash floods occur, changes in humidity can damage the buildings to a large extent.
(Elfadaly et.al, Wüst & Schlüchter)
The expansion of surrounding cities and agriculture and changes in groundwater levels have led to a degree of erosion.
(Elfadaly et.al)
The development of tourism has brought a large number of vehicles transporting tourists around heritage, which has caused a certain degree of damage to the heritage. These vehicles have caused vibrations in the ground, causing further damage to the already precarious heritage.
(Hesham & Baller)
How can we solve it?
Monitoring and evaluation
We need regular monitoring and assessment of heritage to understand the extent of damage and potential risks, and to take timely measures to repair and strengthen it.
Enhanced restoration
We need to restore and maintain the monuments professionally, paying particular attention to the control of the humidity of the heritage indoors and the maintenance of the heritage surfaces outdoors.
Vegetation restoration
We can prevent the desertification and salinisation of the land by revegetating the area around the heritage and planting plants adapted to the environment, reducing the damage caused by saline weathering to the monuments and reducing the process of erosion to a certain extent.
Digital protection
We need to use digital technologies such as photographs, video and 3D modelling to digitally preserve and restore heritage, while leaving a more accurate and multi-faceted record of our historical heritage.
REFERENCE
“Medinet Habu (Medint) in Thebes illustration by David Roberts (1796-1864).” by Free Public Domain Illustrations by rawpixel is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
“Hot water bubbing up from the ground” by Bernard McManus is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
“New housing development in Islamic Cairo” by Daveness_98 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
“Precinct of Amun-Re in Karnak Temple Complex – Luxor, Egypt” by David Berkowitz is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
A. Elfadaly, W. Attia, and R. Lasaponara, “Monitoring the environmental risks around Medinet Habu and Ramesseum Temple at West Luxor, Egypt, using remote sensing and GIS techniques,” Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 587–610, 2017.
R. A. J. Wüst and C. Schlüchter, “The origin of soluble salts in rocks of the Thebes Mountains, Egypt: The damage potential to ancient Egyptian wall art,” Journal of Archaeological Science, vol. 27, no. 12, pp. 1161–1172, 2000.
E. S. Hesham and I. Baller, “Changing Perspectives on Responsible Heritage Site Management: The case of Luxor City, Egypt,” História: Questões &; Debates, vol. 66, no. 1, p. 141, 2018.