Abstract
Evaluating and Mitigating the Natural and Man-made Hazards At some selected Archaeological sites in Egypt Using Remote Sensing And GIS techniques.
Dr. El-SayedAbbas Zaghloul
National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences(NARSS), Cairo
Due to the severe increasing rates of population in the Nile Delta, Nile Valley and its vicinities, urban and agricultural expansion became a general trend in the Egyptian landscapes. In many areas, this expansion represents aggressions against various natural resources and historical sites. This study illustrates three case studies for evaluating and mitigating the natural and man-made hazards around the archeological sites in Egypt.
The first site is Tel Al-Amarna archaeological site at the Eastern bank of El-Menia City
The second site is Hibis temple in Kharga oasis, Western Desert, Egypt.
The third one is Abydous Temple
The study deals with the results of integrated geological, hydrogeological studies, remote sensing and GIS investigations at these sites.
The present study is subdivided into three main phases. The first phase is an evaluation of the current situation at the selected areas compared to the previous situation using remote sensing satellite images. In the second phase, a geophysical exploration was conducted using vertical electric soundings constructed around and inside the archaeological site. In the third phase, the relation between urban, agricultural expansions and groundwater fluctuations, sand dune encroachment and flash flood hazards.
An early warning system based on the results of the study is proposed and some precautionary measures are suggested to be taken into consideration. Some input criteria are included in a GIS model for suggesting the buffer areas around the historical sites for protecting these sites.
