Sunday, September 26, 2010

More on rediscovered 25th Dynasty tomb of Karakhamun

Al Ahram Weekly (Nevine el-Aref)

Pischikova said the tomb of priest Karakhamun was discovered in the 19th century in an unstable condition. It continued to deteriorate, and only parts of it were accessible to visitors in the early 1970s. Later it collapsed and was buried under the sand. In 2006 the ACP mission rediscovered the tomb and since then has been carrying out conservation work.

"Karakhamun's tomb is one of the most beautiful tombs of the 25th Dynasty because of the preservation of the colour and the unique quality of the scenes," Pischikova said. "Now," she continued, "the team is consolidating every fragment of the decoration found in the debris. The rest of the tomb must then be cleared of debris, the decorations consolidated and cleaned while the pillared are reinforced. Our final goal is to reconstruct the tomb in situ after restoring and placing all its fragments back to its original place."

Pischikova told Al-Ahram Weekly that one of the most beautiful scenes inside the tomb is found under Karakhamun's chair carved on the north section of the tomb's east wall. It features a dog skillfully carved with sharpness and precision.

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