Urban sprawl analysis of Akhmim city (Egypt) and its risk to buried heritage sites: insights from geochemistry and geospatial analysis

Abstract

The present study employs a multidisciplinary approach to highlight the risks of urban expansion on buried cultural heritage sites. The buried temple of Ramses II in Akhmim city was chosen as a case study to assess the impact of urban expansion on its preservation. Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification was utilized to analyze satellite images from multiple sensors and evaluate the extent of urban growth surrounding the temple. The study also incorporated petrographic and mineralogical analyses of statues discovered in the temple, along with calculations of saturation indices, to assess the potential interactions between groundwater and archaeological materials. The findings indicate that urban development is encroaching upon the temple, posing potential risks to its preservation. Saturation indices for minerals in groundwater indicate a high tendency to dissolve dolomite (a common mineral in limestone) and to precipitate halite (sodium chloride). This is a concern because the artifacts unearthed from the temple are primarily composed of limestone. Consequently, there is a risk to the artifacts due to erosion and disintegration caused by mineral crystallization and expansion, as evidenced by the analysis of the rock and mineral characteristics of the statues discovered in the temple. The study proposes protective measures for the temple, including defining its dimensions beneath the urban area and establishing a dedicated protection zone around it.