When Howard Carter uncovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, the world was awestruck. The discovery, deep in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, was heralded by The Independent and countless others as the most significant archaeological find of the 20th century. Yet, over a century later, this 3,300-year-old burial site faces a new and urgent threat: collapse. Archaeologists and conservation experts are sounding the alarm, warning that unless immediate action is taken, the legendary tomb may not survive for thousands more years as once believed.
According to a study published on October 21, 2025, in Nature by a team from Cairo University, the tomb is now riddled with cracks, water damage, and fungal infestations. The researchers found a major crack running through the roof of both the entrance and the burial chamber. This network of fissures is not just a cosmetic problem; it’s a structural one. The cracks allow rainwater to seep into the tomb, causing erosion and raising the humidity inside—an environment where destructive fungi thrive. Over time, these processes threaten to undermine the very integrity of the tomb’s walls and ceilings.
“There are current and future risks facing the cemetery, which will affect its structural integrity in the long term,” Professor Sayed Hemeda, study author and Professor of Preservation of Architectural Heritage at Cairo University, told the Daily Mail. He added, “The royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings require urgent intervention and precise scientific studies to analyze risks and how to mitigate them.”
The geology of the tomb is a key part of the problem. The burial site was carved into Esna shale—a type of rock notorious for expanding and contracting as humidity levels fluctuate. This property makes the tomb especially vulnerable to the effects of moisture. As rainwater seeps through the cracks, the rock swells and shrinks, causing further deformation and increasing the risk of collapse. It’s a vicious cycle, one that is exacerbated by the region’s unpredictable weather patterns.
The Valley of the Kings, located just west of Luxor, is home to dozens of royal tombs, but Tutankhamun’s is one of the smallest. Despite their millennia-old endurance, these tombs are not indestructible. Their location—dug into the foothills of the valley’s mountains—exposes them to sudden, violent floods. Professor Hemeda explained, “These tombs were dug into the foothills of the valley mountains, which exposed them—and will continue to expose them—to the risk of sudden floods caused by heavy rains, especially when these carry debris, rocks, and soil along the way.”
The most devastating of these floods occurred in October 1994, when a torrent of muddy water swept through the Valley of the Kings. Most of the tombs, including Tutankhamun’s, were submerged. The floodwaters opened new cracks in the ancient stone, raised the humidity to dangerous levels, and triggered an explosion of fungal growth that began to eat away at the priceless murals. According to the Daily Mail, Professor Hemeda called this flood a turning point for the structural integrity of Tutankhamun’s tomb. “The silty waters flooded the burial chamber, opening new fissures, raising the humidity levels, and triggering fungal growth that has severely damaged the murals,” he wrote in the study.
As the cracks have widened, the pressure on the brittle Esna shale has increased. The study warns that the tomb could experience “rock bursting”—a sudden, catastrophic rupture of the stone. While Professor Hemeda was careful to clarify that the tomb “will certainly not collapse soon,” he nonetheless issued a stark warning: “There are current and future risks threatening the necropolis, which will affect its structural integrity in the long term and may prevent it from lasting thousands of years as originally built.”
Humidity, however, is not the only enemy. The surrounding mountains themselves are riddled with large fractures, some so severe that they risk detaching massive blocks of rock and sending them crashing onto the tombs below. Mohamed Atia Hawash, Professor of Architectural Conservation at Cairo University’s Faculty of Archaeology, told Independent Arabia, “A disaster could happen at any time, and if we want to preserve the Valley of the Kings, measures must be taken before it is too late.”
The study’s authors have suggested several possible solutions to stave off disaster. Chief among them is the need to minimize humidity fluctuations inside the tomb by regulating its internal environment—possibly through climate control systems. They also recommend a focused program of reinforcement and conservation, including reducing the load on the mountain above the tomb and installing removable supports inside to prevent a collapse. Yet, as Professor Hemeda and his colleagues lament, little is currently being done to implement these measures.
The urgency is palpable, not just because of the tomb’s archaeological value, but also due to its cultural and symbolic significance. Tutankhamun’s tomb is a treasure trove, containing four main chambers: the entrance, the antechamber (where chariots and furniture were found), the burial chamber (housing the iconic nested coffins and golden sarcophagus), and the treasury (once filled with thousands of artifacts, including gilded statues and funerary objects). The murals and frescoes that line the walls are considered masterpieces of ancient Egyptian art, now at risk of being lost forever.
What’s perhaps most alarming is the sense of déjà vu. For decades, Egyptologists and conservationists have warned of the dangers posed by mass tourism, environmental changes, and neglect. Yet, as the cracks widen and the fungi spread, the response has been slow and piecemeal. “The tomb’s plight serves as a stark warning that must be heeded,” Professor Hawash stated. “If the Valley of the Kings is to be preserved, action must be taken before it is too late.”
As the world marks more than a century since Carter’s legendary discovery, the fate of Tutankhamun’s tomb hangs in the balance. The warnings from experts are clear: without urgent intervention, one of humanity’s greatest archaeological treasures could be lost to history, not in another thousand years, but perhaps within our own lifetimes.
