Supreme Council of Antiquities: Marks on the tomb's walls unchanged since its discovery in 1922
Getty Institute report confirms: No changes in the tomb over a century
In reference to reports recently circulated by some foreign news websites claiming that the tomb of King Tutankhamun on Luxor's West Bank is at risk of collapse due to cracks in its walls and high humidity levels, threatening its wall paintings with erosion, Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, stressed that these claims are completely untrue and that the tomb is in a good state of preservation and is not exposed to any danger threatening its structural integrity or its walls.
Ismail explained that the council carries out regular periodic monitoring of the tomb's condition in cooperation with the Getty Conservation Institute, the main partner in the project to conserve and maintain the tomb of King Tutankhamun, along with a number of international partners in the field of archaeological conservation.
He added that scientific examinations and recent studies conducted by the institute have proven that no changes or deterioration have occurred in the tomb since its discovery in November 1922, noting that the marks or cracks visible on the walls are not the result of recent deterioration, but are stable and have not changed for more than a hundred years.
The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities noted that the report issued by the Getty Institute on the matter clarified that what appeared in some foreign media reports was based on a research paper built on inaccurate assumptions and exaggerated conclusions, which may have resulted from a misinterpretation of data, a lack of information, or confusion between the tomb of King Tutankhamun (KV62) and another tomb.
The Secretary General pointed out that the tomb underwent comprehensive restoration and maintenance work in accordance with the highest international standards and under the supervision of experts from the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), and that it is today one of the best-preserved tombs in the Valley of the Kings.
