King Tutankhamun's sweaty decline

Dec 9, 2009, 11:02 GMT

Egypt's King Tutankhamun's underground tomb is falling to ruin because of sweaty visitors.

The tomb of Tutankhamun - who is buried in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt - is suffering from the wear and tear caused by thousands of sweaty visitors who make a pilgrimage to the region each year, according to a Supreme Council of Antiquities report.

Strange brown spots, which appear to be mould, have appeared on the walls of Tutankhamun's burial chamber and now threatens to destroy the monument which visitors come to admire.

The murals on the walls of the chambers are covered in dust and have begun to peel and Tutankhamun's wooden coffin is thought to be in the early stages of decay because it's losing flakes of gilded paint.

The team director Jeanne Marie Teutonico, said: "King Tutankhamun's tomb has very specific problems. One is flaking, in a lot of places. The other is the brown spots on the walls.

"And no-one knows what they really are. Could they be fungus? Bacteria? Are they still alive? Can they cause harm? We need to find out."

Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities have called in experts in an effort to stop the rot, and for the next five years a team of scientists will attempt to preserve the underground tomb.