Tutankhamun and his tomb were discovered in 1922 by British adventurers Howard Carter and Lord Caernarfon. Some time afterwards, Carter and Caernarfon and many of their friends and colleagues died, which to this day has been attributed to an Ancient Egyptian curse. The first of these "mysterious" deaths was that of Lord Caernarfon. He had been bitten by a mosquito, and later slashed the bite accidentally while shaving. It became infected and blood poisoning resulted.
The smile that lasted 3,000 years - King Tut's mummy goes on display for first time
4th November 2007
Daily Mail
Tourists in Egypt will get the chance to see Egypt's 'golden boy', King Tut, up close and personal as the 3000-year-old mummy goes on public display for the first time.
Until now only some 50 people have seen the mummy which was discovered enshrined in a tomb 85 years ago by a British adventurer Howard Carter.
Today archaeologists took the mummy from its golden sarcophagus and placed it in a climate-controlled case inside his tomb in Luxor's famed Valley of the Kings.
Unmasked: The face of Tutankhamun unveiled to the world
For a few priceless seconds, a team of scientists pulled back the white linen covering and revealed the shrivelled black face of a famous Pharaoh.
Onlookers saw the smile of a 19-year-old boy who died more than 30 centuries ago. His feet still protruded from one end of the shawl.
"The golden boy has magic and mystery," the head of Egypt's antiquities said.
The mummy of the pharaoh, whose life and death has captivated people for nearly a century, was placed in a climate-controlled glass box in the tomb, with only the face showing under the linen covering.
Safe and sound: The mummy is removed to a specially designed glass cabinet
Much of the mummy's body is broken into 18 pieces. Egypt says the body were damaged when British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the mummy, took it from his tomb and tried to pull off his famous golden mask.
But Egypt also fears a more recent phenomenon - mass tourism - which is further deteriorating Tut's mummy.
Thousands of tourists visit the underground chamber every month.
Timeless: The awesome golden sarcophagus where it lay untouched for 3 millennia
Majestic: King Tut's golden sarcophagus
"The humidity and heat caused by people entering the tomb and their breathing will change the mummy to a powder.
"We need to preserve the face," said an Egyptian official.
The mystery surrounding King Tutankhamun and his glittering gold tomb has entranced ancient Egypt fans since Howard Carter first discovered the hidden tomb on November 4, 1922.
He revealed a trove of fabulous gold and precious stone treasures.
Archaeologists in recent years have tried to resolve lingering questions over how he died and his precise royal lineage.
Several books and documentaries dedicated to the young pharaoh, who is believed to have been the 12th ruler of ancient Egypt's 18th dynasty and ascended to the throne around the age of 8, are popular around the world.
In an effort to try to solve the mysteries, scientists removed Tut's mummy from his tomb and placed it into a portable CT scanner for 15 minutes in 2005 to obtain a three-dimensional image.
The scans were the first done on an Egyptian mummy.
Archaeologists remove the golden sarcophagus covering King Tut's mummy
An Egyptian archaeologist surveys the head of a former king who died some 30 centuries ago
The results did rule out that Tut was violently murdered - but stopped short of definitively concluding how he died around 1323 B.C.
Experts for the time though suggested that days before dying, Tut badly broke his left thigh, apparently in an accident, that may have caused a fatal infection.
The CT scan also provided the most revealing insight yet into the life of ancient Egypt's most famous king.
He was well-fed, healthy, yet slightly built, standing at 5 feet, 6 inches tall at the time of his death.
The unveiling of Tut's mummy comes amid a frenzy of international publicity for the boy king.
A highly publicized museum exhibit travelling the globe drew more than 4 million people during the initial four-city American-leg of the tour.
The exhibit will open later this month in London.
No, this is not the Nile. A five tonne replica golden Anubis is transported down the River Thames past the Tower of London
The Egyptian tourism industry is hoping to capitalize on that interest and draw tourists to Luxor to see something they couldn't at the museum - Tut's mummy.
More than 9 million tourists visited Egypt last year.
The mummy will remain in the tomb indefinitely - unlike other Egyptian royal mummies, who are displayed in museums.
But not everyone agrees with how King Tut is being handled.
"I really think he should be left alone in quiet, in peace," said British tourist Bob Philpotts.
"This is his resting place, and he should be left."
The stunning golden sarcophagus on display at the Egyptian national museum
dailymail.co.uk
The smile that lasted 3,000 years - King Tut's mummy goes on display for first time
4th November 2007
Daily Mail
Tourists in Egypt will get the chance to see Egypt's 'golden boy', King Tut, up close and personal as the 3000-year-old mummy goes on public display for the first time.
Until now only some 50 people have seen the mummy which was discovered enshrined in a tomb 85 years ago by a British adventurer Howard Carter.
Today archaeologists took the mummy from its golden sarcophagus and placed it in a climate-controlled case inside his tomb in Luxor's famed Valley of the Kings.
Unmasked: The face of Tutankhamun unveiled to the world
For a few priceless seconds, a team of scientists pulled back the white linen covering and revealed the shrivelled black face of a famous Pharaoh.
Onlookers saw the smile of a 19-year-old boy who died more than 30 centuries ago. His feet still protruded from one end of the shawl.
"The golden boy has magic and mystery," the head of Egypt's antiquities said.
The mummy of the pharaoh, whose life and death has captivated people for nearly a century, was placed in a climate-controlled glass box in the tomb, with only the face showing under the linen covering.
Safe and sound: The mummy is removed to a specially designed glass cabinet
Much of the mummy's body is broken into 18 pieces. Egypt says the body were damaged when British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the mummy, took it from his tomb and tried to pull off his famous golden mask.
But Egypt also fears a more recent phenomenon - mass tourism - which is further deteriorating Tut's mummy.
Thousands of tourists visit the underground chamber every month.
Timeless: The awesome golden sarcophagus where it lay untouched for 3 millennia
Majestic: King Tut's golden sarcophagus
"The humidity and heat caused by people entering the tomb and their breathing will change the mummy to a powder.
"We need to preserve the face," said an Egyptian official.
The mystery surrounding King Tutankhamun and his glittering gold tomb has entranced ancient Egypt fans since Howard Carter first discovered the hidden tomb on November 4, 1922.
He revealed a trove of fabulous gold and precious stone treasures.
Archaeologists in recent years have tried to resolve lingering questions over how he died and his precise royal lineage.
Several books and documentaries dedicated to the young pharaoh, who is believed to have been the 12th ruler of ancient Egypt's 18th dynasty and ascended to the throne around the age of 8, are popular around the world.
In an effort to try to solve the mysteries, scientists removed Tut's mummy from his tomb and placed it into a portable CT scanner for 15 minutes in 2005 to obtain a three-dimensional image.
The scans were the first done on an Egyptian mummy.
Archaeologists remove the golden sarcophagus covering King Tut's mummy
An Egyptian archaeologist surveys the head of a former king who died some 30 centuries ago
The results did rule out that Tut was violently murdered - but stopped short of definitively concluding how he died around 1323 B.C.
Experts for the time though suggested that days before dying, Tut badly broke his left thigh, apparently in an accident, that may have caused a fatal infection.
The CT scan also provided the most revealing insight yet into the life of ancient Egypt's most famous king.
He was well-fed, healthy, yet slightly built, standing at 5 feet, 6 inches tall at the time of his death.
The unveiling of Tut's mummy comes amid a frenzy of international publicity for the boy king.
A highly publicized museum exhibit travelling the globe drew more than 4 million people during the initial four-city American-leg of the tour.
The exhibit will open later this month in London.
No, this is not the Nile. A five tonne replica golden Anubis is transported down the River Thames past the Tower of London
The Egyptian tourism industry is hoping to capitalize on that interest and draw tourists to Luxor to see something they couldn't at the museum - Tut's mummy.
More than 9 million tourists visited Egypt last year.
The mummy will remain in the tomb indefinitely - unlike other Egyptian royal mummies, who are displayed in museums.
But not everyone agrees with how King Tut is being handled.
"I really think he should be left alone in quiet, in peace," said British tourist Bob Philpotts.
"This is his resting place, and he should be left."
The stunning golden sarcophagus on display at the Egyptian national museum
dailymail.co.uk