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Boy Pharaoh on display

— PHOTO: AFP

TREASURE FROM THE PAST: A worker cleaning the glass case around the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo in this undated file photo.

LUXOR (Egypt): Egypt is set to put King Tutankhamun’s mummy on public display for the first time — 85 years after the 3,000-year-old boy Pharaoh’s golden enshrined tomb and mummy were discovered in Luxor’s famed Valley of the Kings.

Much of the mummy’s body is broken into 18 pieces that were damaged when British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the mummy in 1922, took it from his tomb and tried to pull off his famous golden mask.

Egypt’s antiquities chief Zahi Hawass said, “The humidity and heat caused by ... people entering the tomb and their breathing will change the mummy to a powder. The only good thing [left] in this mummy is the face. We need to preserve the face”.

The mystery surrounding King Tutankhamun and his glittering gold tomb has entranced ancient Egypt fans since Carter first discovered the hidden tomb, revealing a trove of fabulous gold and precious stones.

Mr. Hawass said experts will try to determine the Pharaoh’s royal lineage. It is unclear if he is the son or a half brother of Akhenaten, the “heretic” Pharaoh. — AP

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