Egyptian monuments - World heritage sites in peril

Ancient Egyptians believed in a natural order so supreme that even the gods had to act according to it. Maat, as this moral source of authority was known, was represented as a female divinity, similar to our metaphor of Mother Nature. The Sun God Re rose every morning because Maat had ordained it so. The Nile flooded and receded because of Maat.

Ancient Egyptians were not capable of altering this divine order, but modern Egyptians can and we are already seeing its negative consequences. Pollution and the spreading of villages and agricultural land closer to ancient historical sites are threatening this world heritage. The building of the Aswan Dam now allows agricultural irrigation throughout the year, keeping the soil permanently wet. Groundwater level is constantly rising and seeping into the foundations of the ancient monuments, putting these "eternal" structures in peril and irretrievable doom.

Eons ago, the Mediterranean Sea covered much of present day Egypt. That's why Egypt has so much limestone, formed by fossilized marine fauna. It also explains the presence of salt minerals in the river water. Limestone and sandstone were used to build the ancient monuments we cherish so much today. But salt has a disastrous effect on these rocks. As more land is robbed from the desert and put to use as agricultural land to feed an ever growing population of 80 million Egyptians, the water table under the ancient monuments rises. Salt gets deposited and reacts chemically with the stone, turning into a crystal compound that cracks the rock and crumbles it into dust. The process is most damaging to the surface of the walls and columns, where the reliefs are slowly erased and the paint peels off. In only ten more years we could lose this ancient heritage, unless remedial steps are immediately taken.

In the meantime, the Epigraphic Survey of the Oriental Institute continues its effort to produce photographs and precise line drawings of the inscriptions and relief scenes on major temples and tombs at Luxor, so a permanent record can be kept for future generations. Drainage systems are being installed to lower the ground water levels closer to the temples and tombs.

Water is not the only factor that threatens the preservation of Egypt's cultural legacy. Not long ago, tourism in Egypt was a pastime for the wealthy. Now, it is estimated that 8 million people visit Egypt yearly. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism aims to double that figure by 2016. Egyptologists claim that the fragile monuments are not capable of sustaining such level of visitors.

If people weren't fascinated by ancient Egypt and tourism were not a significant contributor to the economy of modern Egypt, these monuments might not have survived careless abandonment or destruction by religious fanatics. To solve this conundrum, this website promotes responsible tourism, by raising consciousness of the invaluable importance of ancient Egyptian monuments, art, history and culture as a legacy of Egypt to all humanity. The Ministry of Tourism is enforcing regulations and building the necessary infrastructure to handle the increasing number of visitors from all over the world. We as travelers must exercise the proper conduct and respect as we get in contact with these invaluable treasures, as well as support all the efforts conducted by egyptologists, scholars and the scientific community to preserve the universal legacy of ancient Egyptian culture.

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