DEVELOPING A DIGITAL DATABASE OF KEY FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR NATURAL FRACTURE GROWTH IN THE THEBAN NECROPOLIS (LUXOR, EGYPT)

The Theban Necropolis (Luxor, Egypt) is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site since 1979. During the Late Bronze Age (1500–1000 BC), many rock-cut tombs were constructed to host funerary chambers for members of the elite, of which hundreds have been uncovered to date. The area extends over 6 km2 and includes steep cliffs of marl- and limestones from the Thebes Limestone Formation (Lower Eocene), which are cut by fluvial gullies, sub-vertical joint sets, and listric faults. The morphology of this old landscape is altered by erosional processes such as rock falls and infrequent debris flows recurring on the order of tens of years. We monitor two sites in the Theban Necropolis, one in the Valley of the Kings and one at Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, to examine how current climatic conditions effect the stability of cliffs and shallow tombs. The monitoring networks record rock mass displacements and the thermally-induced stress effects on the rock mass, as well as local climatic data. A compilation of Egyptian historiographical reports and paleo-climatic as well as archaeological records extend the dataset by including the past conditions of the sites. Our goal is to reconstruct and assess the geo-environmental history of the sites and to use machine learning models to forecast geological hazards in key areas. The present article introduces the site investigations and assessments of current progressive crack growth as well as the historical and ancient records that could be related to environmental influences on past crack growth in the Thebes Necropolis.