Ancient tomb replicas to be installed in the Valley of the Kings
Two of the most beautiful and important ancient Egyptian tombs in Luxor are currently and sort of permanently closed to the public – the Tomb of Nefertari (QV66) in the Valley of the Queens and the Tomb of Seti I (KV17) in the Valley of the Kings.
In order for visitors to the valley to be able to experience the splendor of these magnificent tombs as close as possible to the real thing, Dr. Zahi Hawass has proposed the construction of exact replicas of these monuments.
In Dr. Hawass’ own words:
“In order to allow visitors to Luxor to still see the paintings in these beautiful tombs, yet still keep them closed, we contacted Adam Lowe of Factum Arte. He is currently making detailed high-resolution copies of the tomb scenes using laser scanners. The images that these scanners create look almost exactly like the original paintings.
In the end, all of the paintings in the tombs of Seti I and Nefertari will have been scanned, as well as the burial chamber and sarcophagus of Tutankhamun. Missing fragments from these tombs, now held in foreign museums, will also be scanned and added to the overall reconstruction, giving as complete a picture of the tombs as possible. As the project continues Egyptians will be trained in the use of the equipment and techniques, meaning that the project also transfers important skills.
On November 4th of this year, I will be finishing converting Howard Carter’s rest house in Luxor into a museum with displays focusing on Carter’s great discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. There will also be a cafeteria for tourists to have lunch. A one-day workshop will be held, celebrating 86 years since the discovery of the tomb.
Down the valley from the rest-house we will install replicas of the tombs of Nefertari, Seti I and Tutankhamun using the high-resolution scans so that, even if two of these tombs are closed, visitors will still be able to experience their beauty with the knowledge that the ancient paintings are being preserved.”
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