Our patience has been rewarded with new updated pictures released over
the weekend and kindly shared with me by my readers.
First of all I came across this interesting view of the tomb’s entrance
which shows its location against the general mound of the excavation.
Among the new pictures is this one showing the very entrance again,
framed by the sphinxes we so well know by now but which also includes the
inclined ramp down to the floor of the tomb.
This floor is covered with small
bits of white marble on a red background – a red carpet avant la lettre. It seems that traces of blue paint have been found
on the adjacent walls but these look very faint.
Another great picture however is
that of the vaulted area.
New is the suggestion that sand from the nearby riverbed was meant to be
used as filling material to be shoveled inside through the gaping hole about which
so much discussion is going on. Another wait and see.
Meanwhile, archaeologists have built a sheltering roof to protect the
monument from rain and other weather elements. They also have worked on
supporting the inside construction with steal beams now that the underlying
soil has been removed. All this work is time-consuming but very necessary.
One thing is certain: the ancient builders went through a great deal of efforts to protect whoever is buried here. Inevitably this all leads to the resting place of a very important person. We and the rest of the world are holding our breath …
One thing is certain: the ancient builders went through a great deal of efforts to protect whoever is buried here. Inevitably this all leads to the resting place of a very important person. We and the rest of the world are holding our breath …