Culture

King Tut's Mummy to Be Displayed for 1st Time

by René | October 18, 2007 at 11:22 am

2585 views | 5 Recommendations | 10 comments

The mummy of King Tutankhamun will soon go on display for the first time, exposing the bare face of the boy king, Egyptian officials have announced.

The mummy will be removed from its sarcophagus and placed in a climate-controlled glass case in the antechamber of the pharaoh's tomb in Luxor in November (see Egypt map).

King Tut mummy picture

"I am taking [the mummy] out to show it to the public for the first time," said Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The move is part of an effort to preserve the mummy, which has been in poor condition since it was first discovered, Hawass explained.

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Officials hope the display will increase the number of visitors and
generate profit for the conservation of other Egyptian antiquities.

"The 'golden boy' has magic and mystery that bring people from all over the world," Hawass said.

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Kaitlin

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 12:10 on October 18th, 2007

René, thanks for posting this...I would be excited to see the mummy in person, but part of me is still afraid of the curse. Superstitious? Perhaps, but no one has ever gotten a mysterious illness from NOT seeing King Tut's mummy...

DaytonDuranie78

at 14:08 on October 18th, 2007

I was in Egypt last November and was able to go into King Tut's tomb. I couldn't take pictures in there (for obvious reasons) but I was glad I did visit the tomb. It's truly indescribable. If he was finally on public display I would definitely go see it. I will have to plan a return visit to Luxor to see him displayed. My trip to Egypt was a wonderful, once in a lifetime experience. Oh, and Kaitlin, I was in the tomb and have lived to tell the tale, so don't worry about "the curse". :-p

Jordan Yerman

at 14:35 on October 18th, 2007

So no scourges of carnivorous beetles? Excellent!

René

at 09:56 on October 21st, 2007

D'ya wonder what Tut might have to say about it?

Don't think he would be very happy.

Jordan Yerman

at 10:00 on October 21st, 2007

I agree-- plenty of horror films have been made on that very topic, and for an excellent reason: at what point are we trespassing into history?

René

at 07:44 on October 28th, 2007

Carter had a heart. Hawass has a hat!

After Carter finished 'looting' the tomb, he left King Tut's pitiful body that he had unwrapped and dissected in the middle coffin (which many believe might have originally belonged to his half-brother, SmenkhKare) in his open sarcophagus in the burial chamber of his tomb, along with some baskets and containers in another chamber with his name on tags and some food and other offerings.

Now Hawass plans to show his naked body in the tomb, partially covered. In hopes of more money from tourists. He also has plans to move all of King Tut's artifacts including the mummy to the new museum being built near the Great Pyramid outside Cairo.

DaytonDuranie78

at 12:05 on November 5th, 2007

We have been trespassing into history since the beginning of time. History should be held sacred, but instead most people want to exploit it.

kazzas hols

at 03:24 on November 7th, 2007

Part of me is intrigued but i have an overwhelming feeling that by showing King Tut in such a way, a lot of the 'mystery' surrounding him has gone. Money does rule, i guess!!

René

at 10:50 on November 9th, 2007

Tut's Mummy Moved on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007. I woke up crying that day. for some odd reason.

kazzas hols

at 05:03 on December 3rd, 2007

I went to the King Tut Exhibition, here in London, at the weekend. It is absolutely fantastic. Anyone who is able to go, really should. It was amazing.