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KHAMUN HAVE A LOOK

Inside secretive ‘Tutankhamun lab’ where ‘cursed’ coffin and rare ancient treasures are locked away’

OVER 5,000 Tutankhamun artefacts will be on display at the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) later this year.

We took a look behind the scenes of the labs in Cairo where a lot of the precious objects are currently being restored.

The scientists are working hard to restore Tutankhamun's golden coffin
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The scientists are working hard to restore Tutankhamun's golden coffinCredit: Charlotte Edwards
The coffin is being carefully restored using small pieces that have fallen off it
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The coffin is being carefully restored using small pieces that have fallen off itCredit: Charlotte Edwards
The special hieroglyphs at the bottom of his coffin can be seen here
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The special hieroglyphs at the bottom of his coffin can be seen hereCredit: Charlotte Edwards

The $1.3billion (£1billion) building will be the world's biggest archaeological museum and will host the largest collection of King Tut's artefacts ever displayed.

Since construction began back in 2012, scientists have been working hard to restore artefacts in nearby laboratories specifically built to store them.

In a controversial move, Tutankhamun himself is also intended to be taken to the museum site in May.

The boy king currently resides in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, where he has rested for over 3,300 years.

The coffin is over 3,000 years old so some damage and wear and tear is to be expected
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The coffin is over 3,000 years old so some damage and wear and tear is to be expectedCredit: Charlotte Edwards
The coffin is made of wood and coated in gold
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The coffin is made of wood and coated in goldCredit: Charlotte Edwards
Special tape is currently being used to hold some coffin pieces in place
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Special tape is currently being used to hold some coffin pieces in placeCredit: Charlotte Edwards
Some coffin fragments that will be stuck back on can be seen here
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Some coffin fragments that will be stuck back on can be seen hereCredit: Charlotte Edwards

Many people in Luxor are upset about this prospect, not least because Tutankhamun's tomb is a big tourism draw for the area.

There are also those who believe that the 'curse of the pharaohs' will be set upon anyone who disturbs the resting place of an ancient Egyptian King or Queen.

When asked about the curse, Dr Eltayeb Abbas, director of archaeological affairs at the Grand Egyptian Museum, told us: "I know there are cursed texts and the Egyptians really believed in the power of the word.

"So they were thinking that by reciting a text that would let things become real.

"But for us I wouldn't say so. I am a villager coming from the west bank [of Luxor] and my family and all the people are believing in the existence of a curse.

"So I don't have to believe but I have to respect the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and the existence of a curse."

Thousands of Tutankhamun artefacts are currently being stored away in the GEM labs
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Thousands of Tutankhamun artefacts are currently being stored away in the GEM labsCredit: Charlotte Edwards
Some artefacts from the tomb have never been displayed to the public before
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 Some artefacts from the tomb have never been displayed to the public beforeCredit: Charlotte Edwards
King Tut was buried with a lot of different beds
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King Tut was buried with a lot of different bedsCredit: Charlotte Edwards

The completion date for the Grand Egyptian Museum has already been pushed back several times but officials told us they're hoping to officially launch in October 2020.

Tutankhamun will have several galleries dedicated to him and over 5,000 of the artefacts found in his tomb.

This includes some new artefacts that have recently been found by researchers.

When archaeologist Howard Carter was excavating King Tut's tomb back in 1922 he collected a lot of dust and debris from the site.

Scientists recently sifted through this dust and found small wooden objects that they're still identifying.

Some of these objects were recently found in dust gathered from Tutankhamun's tomb
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Some of these objects were recently found in dust gathered from Tutankhamun's tombCredit: Charlotte Edwards
This dust and debris was collected by Howard Carter when he was excavating King Tut's tomb almost 100 years ago
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This dust and debris was collected by Howard Carter when he was excavating King Tut's tomb almost 100 years agoCredit: Charlotte Edwards
The young pharaoh was buried with over 100 walking sticks
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The young pharaoh was buried with over 100 walking sticksCredit: Charlotte Edwards
You wouldn't think that some of these items were priceless artefacts
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You wouldn't think that some of these items were priceless artefactsCredit: Charlotte Edwards

They also discovered that some of the broken artefacts put back together by Howard Carter and his colleagues had been restored incorrectly.

With an increased knowledge of ancient Egypt and new restoration techniques, the scientists are working to correctly piece back together things like jewellery and chariots.

It's thought some of the objects in King Tut's tomb were broken or dismantled on purpose so that more goods could fit in.

This included the dismantlement of some of the six chariots found within the gold laden grave.

Some of the artefacts, like this bird necklace, were wrongly put back together by Howard Carter and his team
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Some of the artefacts, like this bird necklace, were wrongly put back together by Howard Carter and his teamCredit: Charlotte Edwards
Now, scientists are working hard to try and restore this necklace to what they think it was intended to look like
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Now, scientists are working hard to try and restore this necklace to what they think it was intended to look likeCredit: Charlotte Edwards
The Grand Egyptian Museum is intended to open later this year
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The Grand Egyptian Museum is intended to open later this yearCredit: Charlotte Edwards
Experts are working hard to restore lots of different artefacts so they can go on display, including many that aren't associated with Tutankhamun
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Experts are working hard to restore lots of different artefacts so they can go on display, including many that aren't associated with TutankhamunCredit: Charlotte Edwards

Other items, such as the famed Tutankhamun death mask, will be taken from the current Egyptian Museum.

Lots of ancient Egyptian artefacts located around the world will find a new home at GEM.

Tickets for the museum are expected to cost around 400 Egyptian Pounds, which is about £20 or $25.

The sheer scale of the building means you'll probably be unlikely to see the whole thing in a day though so return visits are expected.

GEM will also be home to restaurants, gift shops and a 3D cinema.

If you can't wait until October to see Tutankhamun's burial treasures then a lot of them are currently on display at London's Saatchi Gallery.

Sometimes grave goods were broken up on purpose so that as many items as possible could be squeezed into the tomb
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Sometimes grave goods were broken up on purpose so that as many items as possible could be squeezed into the tombCredit: Charlotte Edwards
The coffin is even has detailed hieroglyphs on the inside
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The coffin is even has detailed hieroglyphs on the insideCredit: Charlotte Edwards
It was only recently moved from Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, sparking 'curse of the pharaoh' fears
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It was only recently moved from Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, sparking 'curse of the pharaoh' fearsCredit: Charlotte Edwards
All these fragments need to be reapplied
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All these fragments need to be reappliedCredit: Charlotte Edwards
The hieroglyph that depicts a human face is a preposition that means "to" or "upon"
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The hieroglyph that depicts a human face is a preposition that means "to" or "upon"Credit: Charlotte Edwards
Restoration on this priceless coffin began last year
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Restoration on this priceless coffin began last yearCredit: Charlotte Edwards
The coffin is still stained with some ancient black resin that was thought to be poured over it as a funeral practice
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The coffin is still stained with some ancient black resin that was thought to be poured over it as a funeral practiceCredit: Charlotte Edwards
The coffin is covered in intricate designs
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The coffin is covered in intricate designsCredit: Charlotte Edwards
This coffin was actually encasing two more coffins
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This coffin was actually encasing two more coffinsCredit: Charlotte Edwards
Tutankhamun was also buried with six complete but dismantled chariots
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Tutankhamun was also buried with six complete but dismantled chariotsCredit: Charlotte Edwards
Experts are still working to put them back together
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Experts are still working to put them back togetherCredit: Charlotte Edwards
The restoring process is very intricate
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The restoring process is very intricateCredit: Charlotte Edwards
The scientists still rely on Howard Carters documentation of the tomb
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The scientists still rely on Howard Carters documentation of the tombCredit: Charlotte Edwards
A lot of the chariots are plated with gold
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A lot of the chariots are plated with goldCredit: Charlotte Edwards
They're also covered in precious stones such as lapis lazuli
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They're also covered in precious stones such as lapis lazuliCredit: Charlotte Edwards

Tutankhamun: Treasures Of The Golden Pharaoh presented by Viking Cruises is at the Saatchi Gallery until May 3. Tickets are on sale at

The Sun travelled to Egypt with Wings Tours & Nile Cruises, staying at the Hilton Luxor and the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at The First Residence. 

Who was King Tutankhamun?

Here's what 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 throne
  • When he became 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 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
Rare look inside controversial Grand Egyptian Museum where Tutankhamun's cursed body is being moved

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In other archaeology news, we took a sneak peak behind the scenes of the new Grand Egyptian Museum.

Over 80 skeletons have been found in unusual ancient clay coffins in Egypt.

And, a lost tomb containing 72 ancient skeletons from an extinct Canary Islands civilisation has been found by drone after 1,000 years.

Do you believe in the 'curse of the pharaohs'? Let us know in the comments...

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