Ventilation of the Archeological Tombs of the Valley of Kings, Luxor, Egypt

Abstract

The cultural heritage left by the Egyptian pharaohs in the tombs of the Valley of the Kings represents some of the key elements of the Egyptian cultural wealth and standing monuments demonstrating the wealth and technology of the pharaohs. As the pharaohnic civilization is one of the oldest civilizations, the dedicated preservation of its remaining monuments and collections should be the focus of sincere international e®orts. A major heritage of this civilization, i.e., the tombs of the Kings, is intact in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt. These tombs were prepared to bury the Kings' mummies and artifacts for eternal life. Many of the wall paintings identifying the various ancient rituals and life style are in good conditions as the tombs were only recently opened to the public. However, tourists' activities in these tombs have resulted, in many instances, in the dramatic deterioration of wall paintings due in part to excessive humidity. The current indoor air°o w conditions and air quality in the tombs are quite alarming; hence, appropriate measures should be taken to preserve the tombs and their contents. This dilemma invokes the need for a proper ventilation system that stabilizes the air conditioning as well as addresses comfort levels of visitors. Deterioration can be from lighting e®ects, high temperature and relative humidity. Pest infections, shock and vibration are also potential causes among pollution and visitors' tra±c.

On the Modeling of Air Flow in the Tombs of the Valley of Kings

“…The number of visitors, outside air conditions, and different mechanical ventilations configurations were studied for the three tombs using FLUENT® 6.2 CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) package The study is a supplement the work of Omar A. Aziz with addition of thermal comfort prediction which based on the PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) model and the PPD (Percentage Predicted Dissatisfied) model to apply these factors in the design of ventilation system. The PMV equation contains many parameters which should be defined such as, the metabolic rate, mechanical work, the clothes insulation, the coefficients of heat transfer, and others in order to be able to calculate mesh sizes exceeded 1,400,000 mesh volumes in one case, and all mesh sizes were above 100,000 mesh volumes [26][27][28][29][30].…”

Holistic Approach to Smart Buildings from Construction Material to Services

“…Air-conditioning problems for museums and libraries are generally similar, but differ in design concept and application. Figure 3 depicts an example of artifacts deterioration due to excessive humidity, Khalil [18].…”