|
KING TUT'S MUMMY moved!
On Sunday, November 4th, the face of King Tutankhamun was revealed to the world. Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, removed the mummy from its sarcophagus and placed it within a plexi-glass showcase equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to control humidity and heat. .
Dr. Hawass announced Tutankhamun’s remains were moved as part of the SCA’s ongoing efforts to study, protect, and preserve Egypt’s royal mummies. Every day, more than 5,000 visitors enter the young king’s tomb, KV62. Their presence increases the temperature and humidity level inside the tomb, and presented a grave threat to the mummy, which was already in very bad condition. When Dr. Hawass CT scanned Tutankhamun’s remains three years ago, he realized the full extent of the damage it had suffered in 1925 when Howard Carter’s team used hot knives to pry the golden mask from the king’s face and remove the more than 100 amulets within its wrappings.
Dr. Hawass was concerned that leaving the mummy in its sarcophagus, unprotected from changes in temperature and humiditiy, would lead to its complete deterioration. He therefore had it moved to a showcase like those found in the Egyptian museum, which control the mummy’s environment and will preserve it for the future.
The mummy is covered in a linen shroud, with only its face exposed. Although some scholars suggested moving it to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo or to the Mummification Museum in Luxor, the SCA decided that it was most fitting for the mummy to remain inside the tomb.
|
