To reopen the inaccessible monuments of Egypt.
The combined pressures of Egypt's changing environment and large scale tourism has placed many of the major monuments of Egypt under enormous strain. This has resulted in some of the finest, notably Seti I in the Valley of the Kings to be closed to all but a few specialists visitors. In order to alleviate this pressure and also create records of the monuments before they suffer further deterioration the Desert Valley Project was created. By developing the fast growing technology of 3D scanning to record at high resolution the tombs reliefs it becomes possible to create a unique record for both research, conservation and productions of high resolution facsimiles for display to the public.
The Desert Valley project will also reinforce the existing attractions in the Giza Plateau area, while creating a site that recalls the ancient environment. The facsimiles will be displayed in a Desert Landscape under mounds resembling the ancient valley’s terrain. The unique history of Egypt's deserts remote monuments will also be part of the projects attraction. An ancient landscaped garden will form an oasis of life beside these dry monuments and illustrate how the ancient deserts were once alive and how the nile valley evolved. Together the three valleys form a unique focus for the area.
The project was created with the Supreme Council of Antiquities who will keep the copyright on the data. The project allows the monuments to raise revenue for both the maintenance of the closed and protected tombs and also to cover the capital cost of the recording and creation process. This permits investment in museums by government, private and international finance to develop Egypt's important visitor industry, while protecting the monuments from further damage