Valley of the Queens Assessment Report

Book excerpt: The Valley of the Queens Project is a collaboration of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Getty Conservation Institute. The project resulted in the development of a comprehensive plan for the conservation and management of the Valley. This report records the research and assessment undertaken for the main components of the project from 2006 through 2009. Volume 1 consists of six parts. Parts I and II comprise introductory information, an overview of the significance, components and historical context of QV from the 18th Dynasty through the Coptic period, with selected historical and iconographical profiles of tombs, and comprehensive bibliographies and a table of the use, research and interventions at the site.Part III is an assessment of the management context, which includes the main issues that affect operations at the site as well as elements of an operational plan and considerations of financial sustainability. Part IV focuses on visitor management, including visitor statistics, surveys and observations, the history of visitation, and the potential for additional site elements to be opened for public visitation.In Part V, site-wide threats and considerations are addressed, including flooding and its assessment through computer modeling and bat colonies that inhabit many of the tombs. Part VI is an historical overview and condition assessment of the fourteen site elements (non-tomb features) in the Queens Valley and its subsidiary valleys.