Rock Mass Characterization and Non-destructive In-situ Testing of a Rock-cut Tomb: Theban Necropolis (Egypt)

The current study describes the engineering geological properties of a rock-cut tomb that is located near Luxor, forming a part of the Theban necropolis in Egypt. The studied Theban Tomb no. 25 (TT 25) was excavated during the New Kingdom and served as a funeral site. The host limestone belongs to the Late Paleocene Tarawan Chalk Formation. The site investigations included the detection of the joint system, the measurements of relative humidity and temperature cycles, and moisture content. The rock mass parameters were also outlined considering the strength (obtained from Schmidt hammer rebounds) and the orientation and frequency of joints. Five joint sets were identified: three sub-vertical and one bedding-controlled sub-horizontal. The results of temperature, relative humidity, and moisture content measurements support the observations, namely that salts accumulate at the sloping passage and burial chamber, where higher humidity provokes salt efflorescence.