Tutankhamun show opens in London
An exhibition of 3,000-year-old artefacts excavated from the tomb of Egyptian boy King Tutankhamun has opened in London.
More than 130 items are on display at the Tutankhamun and The Golden Age of The Pharaohs show.Organisers said 325,000 tickets have already been snapped up for what is the first such display of the treasures to be held in the UK for 35 years.
The exhibition at the O2 in Greenwich runs until 30 August 2008.
Among the treasures are the royal crown that was found on the mummified head of Tutankhamun and one of the gold and precious stone caskets that contained his embalmed internal organs.
Record visitors:
The last time such an exhibition was displayed in London, in 1972, it attracted more than 1.7 million visitors, and set a new record for travelling shows.
An event in aid of the Prince’s Trust helped launch the exhibition at the O2 on Wednesday night.
On Tuesday, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall made a tour of the artefacts, which the prince described as “fascinating”.
One gallery in the exhibition is dedicated to the life of British archaeologist Howard Carter, who unearthed the treasures in 1922.
Earlier this month, Tutankhamun’s mummy was put on public display for the first time inside his tomb complex in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings.
Visit: Egyptian Gold Shop
Visit: Tutankhamun show unveiled in London
