King Tut’s Coffin Left His Tomb For The First Time In 3,300 Years
Earlier this year, the Getty Conservation Institute and the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities finished a nearly 10-year-long restoration of the Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb. The latest phase of the restoration process is restoring King Tut’s outer coffin which means it’ll be moved out of his resting place for the first time in 3,300 years.
King Tut’s tomb was first discovered by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922. The coffin itself contains three layers of concentric coffins in which King Tut’s mummy was found.
The innermost coffin is made out of solid gold while the other two are made out of gold-covered wood. The two inner coffins have already been on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and, as soon as the outer coffin’s restoration is complete, they will soon be joined by the third coffin for an exhibit at the new Grand Egyptian Museum when it is slated to open in 2020.
In July, the casket was removed to be fumigated for three weeks. It was the first time experts were able to inspect the outer coffin up close.
According to an assessment by Eissa Zeidan, the general director of First Aid Conservation and Transportation of Artifacts, the coffin was about “30 percent damaged,” largely due to the tomb’s being open to the public; the Valley of the Kings’ scorching heat has been allowed inside, as has the humidity brought in by droves of sweaty tourists.
Experts assessed that the coffin would take roughly eight months to repair.
The 7-foot, 3-inch-long coffin has been kept safely in one of the 17 laboratories within the new Grand Egyptian Museum as its restoration nears completion.
