A trove of more than 160 treasures from the tomb of King Tutankhamun has been transferred from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, ahead of its long awaited launch on 3 July.
According to the Egyptian Gazette, the 163 items handed over include a ceremonial chair dating from the New Kingdom (around 1550-1070 BC) inlaid with ivory and gold, and an accompanying footstool “decorated with intricate gilded motifs depicting Egypt’s traditional enemies”.
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities says in a statement that the move is “part of a plan to transfer and display the entire collection of the young king for the first time in one place”. The museum’s restoration team will carry out conservation work as required on key objects, adds the ministry.
In a Facebook post dated 10 May, The Egyptian Museum in Cairo says that it “still retains the major and unique artifacts in the museum’s exhibition to date [including] the famous funerary golden mask and golden coffins of the king”.
The museum says online that the golden mask is the “most famous of all the artefacts of ancient Egypt, a true icon of the pharaonic civilisation”. It goes on to say that the object will be the last to be transported to the new museum in Giza.
The Grand Egyptian Museum, located on the Giza Plateau, is due to open to the public 3 July. In a preview, we revealed how visitors will ascend a wide slope—home to the world’s first hanging obelisk—towards a pyramid-shaped doorway flanked by hieroglyphs. Inside the vast atrium stands a monumental, 3,200-year-old statue of Ramesses II, encircled by shallow pools.
