Despite the caves' perches, high above the river valley, the treasures inside are at risk from looters and souvenir collectors, as well as erosion, earthquakes, and infrequent but torrential rains.
International law may guard ancient monuments from looters, but little can protect them against acid rain and other corrosive elements.
He added that the looters were desperately looking for a mummy in order to find "red mercury," which it is fabled to be a magical substance used by the ancient Egyptians in mummification.
The buildings are largely empty after looters struck following the evacuation of the town in the 36 hours after the accident.
But the underlying message for bookshops is hardly front-page news: looters, like more conventional consumers, are all too happy to ignore their wares.
Some courts have operated through the night to process cases, and magistrates have referred guilty rioters and looters to Crown courts, which have greater sentencing powers.
“No, you misunderstand,” the shop owner told me. “These looters weren't Japanese. They were foreigners.”
These looters aren’t causing mayhem because they’re poor.
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