Inside new Grand Egyptian Museum where ‘cursed’ body of King Tut is being moved
WE'VE been given an early look inside the mammoth new Grand Egyptian Museum where the 'cursed' body of Tutankhamun is set to be moved.
The $1.3billion (£1billion) structure will be the world's biggest archaeological museum and will host the largest collection of King Tut's artefacts ever displayed.
Critics of GEM have called it a vanity project and complained that the vast amount of money spent could have been invested in other areas of Egypt.
There are also those who think Tutankhamun should not be taken to the museum and instead remain in the Valley of the Kings where he has rested for over 3,300 years.
However, Egyptian ministers hope the project, which is said to be 95% complete, will actually boost tourism and the money that brings to Egypt.
GEM, which is located in the Egyptian capital city of Cairo, is expected to attract around five million visitors a year.
Who was King Tutankhamun?
Here's everything you need to know
- King Tutankhamun is the most famous of Egypt's ancient pharaohs
- He ruled Egypt more than 3,000 years ago from 1332 to 1323 BC
- Tut is known as the "boy king" as he was just 10 years old when he took the thrown
- When he became the king he married his half-sister Ankhesenpaaten. They had two daughters together but both were stillborn
- Tut died aged just 19 under mysterious circumstances
- Some believe that he was assassinated but most think his death was an accident, likely the result of an infected leg following a nasty break
- The pharaoh is also famous for the supposed curse that haunts his tomb
- After the tomb's discovery in 1922, archaeologists, and even their family members, died from horrible illnesses or in strange accidents – and some say the deaths weren't a coincidence
In other archaeology news, over 80 skeletons have been found in unusual ancient clay coffins in Egypt.
A lost tomb containing 72 ancient skeletons from an extinct Canary Islands civilisation has been found by drone after 1,000 years.
And, from headless vikings to ‘screaming’ mummies, here are some of the most gruesome ancient corpses ever found.
What are your thoughts on the 'curse of the pharaohs'? Let us know in the comments...
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