Saturday 15 October 2011

Amenhotep III temple safe from flooding

Just picked this up on Facebook via Robin Young

From Dr. Hourig Sourouzian, director of the Amenhotep III Mortuary Temple Project,
"As you guessed, the news about the flooding concern the north gate of the temple of Amenhotep III , where the SCA was working, and it was irrigation water.
The part of the temple where we work is safe and the monuments untouched."
Knowing that the lower part of the temple is part of the West Bank dewatering project funded by USAID thru a grant to the American Research Center in Egypt, which has successfully lowered groundwater there, I asked Hourig if this was a breach in a dike from one of the local farms irrigation channels. Her response is as above.

Keep in mind too, while reacting, that the Temple was regularly flooded by the inundation thru the mid 1950's. I was on site the day they discovered the lowest course of intact mud brick in the foundations: still good after 5,000 years. There are some who think the temple was designed to be inundated as part of the restoration of life ritual of the mortuary cult. Bad as the current water may be, probably no lasting damage.......

2 comments:

Timothy Reid said...

Hi Jane

That is very interesting I was under the impression the temple was without a foundation?

Learn something new everyday.

Thanks

Jane Akshar said...

The joys of Egyptology