Preparing for Tutankhamun - Al Ahram Weekly

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/23753.aspx

Preparing for Tutankhamun

Tutankhamun (photo: Reuters)

Nevine El-Aref

WITH THE GRAND Egyptian Museum's (GEM) scheduled to partly open in December this year, the conservation laboratories are working at full swing to prepare for the display of the 5,200 objects found in the tomb of the Ancient Egyptian boy king Tutankhamun, including golden jewellery, furniture, sculptures and ritual objects.

Two gilded beds and a funerary chariot of the golden boy king were the first of the many spectacular artefacts found in Tutankhamun's tomb to be transported carefully through the Cairo streets to their permanent display at the GEM overlooking the Giza Plateau. One of the beds has been injected with special material to prepare it for its new display. Carved out of wood, it is covered with sheets of gold with decorations depicting the leopard goddess Mahit Weret.

The discovery of the intact tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun in the 1920s with its treasured collection not only triggered enormous interest among the world's Egyptologists, but has also inspired almost a century of films, books and media attention. Almost 96 years after their discovery, the golden boy king's artefacts continue to fascinate the world as they take to the road on their way to their new home at the GEM.

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