Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s mummified face and feet have been revealed in an incredible series of pH๏τos following a nine-year restoration of his tomb.
After almost a decade of painstaking work, conservators in Egypt repaired the newly restored tomb of the Pharaoh, better known as King Tut.
They shared a series of images of the tomb – but the most striking pH๏τos showed the Pharaoh’s mummified face and feet.
The mummified body of King Tut, who died at the aged 18, was wrapped in linen and displayed in a climate-controlled glᴀss case in his underground tomb.
The tomb is in the Valley of the Kings, which can be found on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the southern Egyptian city of Luxor.
This pH๏τo reveals the mummified face and feet of the famous Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, who died at the age of 18
His body was wrapped in linen and displayed in a climate-controlled glᴀss case in his underground tomb in the Valley of Kings
Conservators worked for nine years on the famous King’s tomb, reconstructing following years wear and tear caused by tourists
The sarcophagus of boy pharaoh King Tutankhamun is on display in his newly renovated tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt
The pH๏τos show the young Pharaoh in his underground tomb in the Valley of Kings, with a viewing platform nearby for tourists
The Getty Conservation Insтιтute, together with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities worked for nine years and, in addition to cleaning and restoring the paintings on the walls of the tomb, they focused on tackling the wear and tear that had accumulated following decades of tourist activity.
Researchers painstakingly cleaned the huge wall art in the tomb – but decided to leave a series of strange mysterious ‘dark spots’ that were there in 1922 when archaeologist Howard Carter first opened the tomb.
It was thought that brown spots, microbiological growths on the burial chamber’s painted walls, might be growing.
However, researchers analyzed historic pH๏τographs from the mid-1920s and found they showed no new growth of the spots.
To confirm this finding, DNA and chemical analysis were undertaken and confirmed the spots to be microbiological in origin but ᴅᴇᴀᴅ and thus no longer a threat.
Researchers painstakingly cleaned the huge wall art in the tomb – but decided to leave a series of strange mysterious ‘dark spots’ that were there in 1922 when archaeologist Howard Carter first opened the tomb
He was the son of Akhenaten and took to the throne at the age of nine or ten. He died at around the age of 18 and his cause of death is unknown.
A man uses a camera to take a picture of the linen-wrapped mummy of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh in his underground tomb
A woman looks at the golden sarcophagus of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun displayed in his burial chamber
Because the spots have penetrated into the paint layer, they have not been removed since this would harm the wall paintings.
When the tomb was discovered in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter, under the patronage of Lord Carnarvon, the media frenzy that followed was unprecedented.
Carter and his team took 10 years to clear the tomb of its treasure because of the mulтιтude of objects found within it.
The latest project was put in place over fears the tomb was being damaged by the sheer number of tourists visiting.
For many, Tut embodies ancient Egypt’s glory because his tomb was packed with the glittering wealth of the rich 18th Dynasty
In 1907, Lord Carnarvon George Herbert asked English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter to supervise excavations in the Valley of the Kings
A man and woman look at the golden sarcophagus of the famed Egyptian ruler, after the years of conservation work on his tomb
A group of tourists view the linen-wrapped mummy of of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun, taking in his mummified body
While the objects Carter’s team catalogued and stabilized were housed and secured, the tomb itself became a ‘must-see’ attraction, open to the public and heavily visited by tourists from around the world.
The tomb still houses a handful of original objects, including the mummy of Tutankhamun himself (on display in an oxygen-free case), the quartzite sarcophagus with its granite lid on the floor beside it, the gilded wooden outermost coffin, and the wall paintings of the burial chamber that depict Tut’s life and death.
‘Conservation and preservation is important for the future and for this heritage and this great civilization to live forever,’ said Zahi Hawᴀss, Egyptologist and former minister of State for Antiquities in Egypt, who also initiated the project with the GCI.
A picture taken today shows the feet of the linen-wrapped mummy of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, part of a series of incredible pH๏τos released of the ancient King
A group of tourists look at the golden sarcophagus of Tutankhamun, who has remained the most popular ancient Egyptian leader
When the tomb was discovered in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter, under the patronage of Lord Carnarvon, the media frenzy that followed was unprecedented
He still remains an immensely popular figure and his tomb remained open to the public during the years of conservation work
Wall paintings conservation work being conducted in the burial chamber of the tomb in the spring 2016.
The fully restored north wall of the burial chamber depicts three separate scenes, ordered from right to left. In the first, Ay, Tutankhamun’s successor, performs the ‘opening of the mouth’ ceremony on Tutankhamun, who is depicted as Osiris, lord of the underworld. In the middle scene, Tutankhamun, dressed in the costume of the living king, is welcomed into the realm of the gods by the goddess Nut. On the left, Tutankhamun, followed by his ka (spirit twin), is embraced by Osiris.
Left, researchers undertaking a visual examination of the wall painting in the burial chamber, and right, Wall paintings conservation work being conducted
KING TUTANKHAMUN: THE PHARAOH WHO RULED EGYPT MORE THAN 3,000 YEARS AGO
The face of Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, and ruled between 1332 BC and 1323 BC. Right, his famous gold funeral mask
Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, and ruled between 1332 BC and 1323 BC.
He was the son of Akhenaten and took to the throne at the age of nine or ten.
When he became king, he married his half-sister, Ankhesenpaaten.
He died at around the age of 18 and his cause of death is unknown.
In 1907, Lord Carnarvon George Herbert asked English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter to supervise excavations in the Valley of the Kings.
On 4 November 1922, Carter’s group found steps that led to Tutankhamun’s tomb.
He spent several months cataloguing the antechamber before opening the burial chamber and discovering the sarcophagus in February 1923.
When the tomb was discovered in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter, under the patronage of Lord Carnarvon, the media frenzy that followed was unprecedented.
Carter and his team took 10 years to clear the tomb of its treasure because of the mulтιтude of objects found within it.
For many, Tut embodies ancient Egypt’s glory because his tomb was packed with the glittering wealth of the rich 18th Dynasty from 1569 to 1315 BC.
Egypt’s antiquities chief Zahi Hawᴀss (3rd L) supervises the removal of the lid of the sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun in his underground tomb in the famed Valley of the Kings in 2007.
