The 2025 NPJ Heritage Science study warns that Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings is at risk due to flash floods and nearby fault lines that have produced severe ceiling cracks. Experimental 3D geotechnical modeling by Seyed Hemeda of Cairo University identifies the areas most in need of reinforcement to prevent further water ingress and humidity-driven fungal damage to murals. The modeling approach could guide stabilization efforts at other underground heritage sites and help protect the tomb’s architecture and artifacts for future generations.
King Tut’s Tomb Threatened with Collapse — 3D Geotechnical Modeling Offers a Way to Save It
The 2025 NPJ Heritage Science study warns that Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings is at risk due to flash floods and nearby fault lines that have produced severe ceiling cracks. Experimental 3D geotechnical modeling by Seyed Hemeda of Cairo University identifies the areas most in need of reinforcement to prevent further water ingress and humidity-driven fungal damage to murals. The modeling approach could guide stabilization efforts at other underground heritage sites and help protect the tomb’s architecture and artifacts for future generations.
17:41, 02.11.2025Culture
King Tut’s Tomb at Risk — How 3D Modeling Could Help
A 2025 peer-reviewed study in NPJ Heritage Science warns that the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun — commonly known as King Tut — is at risk of severe structural failure unless conservation measures are taken. The study’s lead author, Seyed Hemeda, head of the Architectural Conservation Department at Cairo University, reports that the tomb is among the least well-preserved sites in the Valley of the Kings.
Causes of the Damage
Hemeda’s team attributes long-term deterioration to repeated flash floods and the influence of nearby major earthquake faults. Those forces have produced what the paper describes as "severe cracks" in the tomb’s ceiling. The fractures allow rainwater to penetrate the subterranean chamber, raising interior humidity and encouraging fungal growth that damages painted murals and complicates conservation work.
"Severe cracks" in the ceiling have let rainwater seep in, endangering the tomb’s structural integrity and accelerating biological deterioration of wall paintings.
What the Study Did
To pinpoint where intervention is most urgently needed, Hemeda applied experimental 3D geotechnical modeling. These models map subsurface stresses and potential water pathways, helping to identify zones where targeted reinforcement would most effectively prevent further cracking and flooding. Hemeda notes the approach could serve as a reference for stability assessments of other complex underground structures and archaeological sites.
Why It Matters
Discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922, Tutankhamun’s tomb contained thousands of artifacts, a sarcophagus with his mummy, and the famous gold funerary mask. Protecting the tomb’s architecture and its delicate murals is essential to preserving this globally significant cultural heritage for future generations.
Background: Tutankhamun was born around 1341 B.C., became pharaoh at about nine years old, and died around age 19. Earlier theories suggested foul play, but recent DNA and forensic studies indicate he most likely died from a combination of malaria and a bone disorder.