Flats in Luxor official home of the Theban Mapping Project under Kent Weeks

Flats in Luxor is delighted to announce that they are now the official Luxor home of the Theban Mapping Project, under director Kent Weeks. The new facility will comprise accommodation for the offices of TMP as well as a public reading library A long-held dream of Kent's has been to provide guides, tourists, students, foreigners and local Egyptians with a library where they can learn more about Egypt and Egyptology, Egypt's natural history and its modern people, read English and Arabic novels, and generally enjoy books. No such facility has existed in Luxor--until now. Flats in Luxor had the ideal flat that could be converted to perform this function, in the heart of the west bank.

Kent Weeks said ‘I often get Egyptians on my team who are keen to learn more and want books. This library will be my gift to them, opening the world of literature and knowledge.”

Jane Akshar said “We are privileged to be able to provide a home for this wonderful educational facility and to Theban Mapping Project. We look forward to a long and happy association.

Theban Mapping Project http://www.thebanmappingproject.com
Since its inception in 1978, the Theban Mapping Project (TMP, now based at the American University in Cairo) has been working to prepare a comprehensive archaeological database of Thebes. With its thousands of tombs and temples, Thebes is one of the world's most important archaeological zones. Sadly, however, it has not fared well over the years. Treasure-hunters and curio-seekers plundered it in the past; pollution, rising ground water, and mass-tourism threaten it in the present. Even early archaeologists destroyed valuable information in their search for museum-quality pieces.

Today, however, we realize that the monuments of Thebes are a finite resource. If we fail to protect and monitor them, they will vanish, and we and our descendants will all be the poorer. The TMP believes that the first and most essential step in preserving this heritage is a detailed map and database of every archaeological, geological, and ethnographic feature in Thebes. Only when these are available can sensible plans be made for tourism, conservation, and further study.

During the last decade, the TMP has concentrated on the Valley of the Kings. Modern surveying techniques were used to measure its tombs. From the data collected, the TMP has prepared 3-D computer models of the tombs. And of course, the TMP is continuing its excavation of KV 5. For the TMP staff, sharing their work with the interested public is just as important as what they do in the field. This has been done through a series of publications and this growing and award winning website.

Flats in Luxor http://www.flatsinluxor.co.uk
Established in 2003 by Jane Akshar and Mahmoud Jahlan, providing quality accommodation to independent travellers and long stay visitors to Luxor. Now with 2 swimming pools, a restaurant, 27 apartments and 5 villas, it has featured in Sunday Times, Boston Globe, Lonely Planet and A Place in the Sun.