CAIRO: As Zahi Hawass pushes for the return of Egyptian artifacts across the globe, the country’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) has announced that it will give King Tut’s tomb a makeover. Combining their efforts with the California-based Getty Conservation Institute, Egypt says the 5-year project will restore the boy-King’s tomb.

“I always see the tomb of King Tut and wonder about those spots, which no scientist has been able to explain,” said Zahi Hawass, the SCA chief, in a statement to media, referring to the odd brown spots that mar the lavish wall paintings at the Valley of the Kings tomb near Luxor, in southern Egypt.

The Getty project is set to help restore the tomb discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922. King Tut is Egypt’s most known Pharaoh due to the golden mask and artifacts that were largely untouched when Carter’s team uncovered the tomb nearly a century ago.

“Now I am happy that the Getty will look at the tomb and preserve its beautiful scenes,” Hawass added.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists annually make the tour of King Tut’s artifacts, but the increased traffic has also brought the tombs in the Valley of the Kings to a critical point. The heat and humidity, coupled with the tourists, has left the 3,000-year-old tombs in a dangerous state and the SCA hopes the restoration process will enable millions more to view the tombs in the coming decades.

Archaeologists in recent years have tried to resolve lingering questions of King Tut’s death and his royal lineage. A number of scholars say he is the son, or grandson, of Akhenaten – the Pharaoh who moved the Egyptian capital to central Egypt and established a short-lived version of monotheism. In 2005, scientists conducted a major operation to uncover the cause for his death, concluding via scans on the mummy, that he had been violently murdered.

The restoration process includes a two-year research period to determine the reasons behind the continued deterioration of the tomb, which will then be followed by implementation of those findings.

Hawass’ office has not said for how long the tomb would be closed during this process, but the Luxor Council for Antiquities said that they believe the restoration will create a more “unique and inspiring” means for visitors to view the tomb.

“We believe it will be good for Egypt in the long run and for the millions of people that come to the are annually, because if the tombs are not here, then what are we saying about our history? It is important,” said Mustafa Khalil, a Luxor antiquities official.

The Getty Conservation institute works to advance conservation techniques for art, particularly ancient sites, around the world, its website said.

In recent months, Hawass has pushed hard to have artifacts taken from Egypt returned to the country. While a number of museums have been unwilling to part with their treasured Egyptian pieces, Paris’ Louvre has agreed to return a number of small pieces that were proven stolen from Egypt two decades ago in what Hawass has referred to as a “victory” for Egyptology.

BM