Egyptian reliefs dating back thousands of years could disappear within 10 years because the demands of the living are undermine the pharaohs' quest for immortality, according to a report filed by Reuters.
As Egypt's population grows, agricultural plots encroach ever closer to land reserved for ancient temples and funeral monuments, archaeologists say. Water for irrigation is weakening temple foundations and eroding the carvings.
"We've seen it. We have photographic evidence of something we took a picture of 10 years ago and we go and take a picture of the reliefs now and they are simply not there," said Nigel Hetherington, an archaeological conservation manager.
"What's happened is that farming land, as the population increases dramatically, now stretches out into the desert and into [the Nile's west bank at] Luxor, which was once considered the realm of the dead in the pharaonic period." Click for the full article from Reuters.
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