Royal Regalia In Sharm
On November 5th 1922 in the Valley of the Kings, the renowned archeologist Howard Carter made the discovery of 12 steps leading to an unknown tomb, believed to be of significant importance. Weeks and months of careful excavation followed under the excited eyes of the world press, until February 17th 1923 when his team arrived at a sealed door past the tomb’s antechamber.
“After about ten minutes’ work, I had made a hole large enough to enable me to do so, I inserted an electric torch. An astonishing sight its light revealed, for there, within a yard of the doorway, stretching as far as one could see and blocking the entrance to the chamber, stood what to all appearances was a solid wall of gold. . . . It was, beyond any question, the sepulchral chamber in which we stood, for there, towering above us, was one of the great gilt shrines beneath which kings were laid.” – Howard Carter.
What was revealed in the following days still astounds the world – it was the tomb of Tutankhamun.
“We rolled back those covering shrouds, one by one, and as the last was removed a gasp of wonderment escaped our lips, so gorgeous was the sight that met our eyes: a golden effigy of the young boy king, of most magnificent workmanship, filled the whole of the interior of the sarcophagus.” – Howard Carter
92 years have passed since the discovery, yet we are still mesmerized by this ancient king and the immense riches found. People flock to see his burial mask in the Cairo Museum, and also his tomb in the Valley of the Kings; however both of these locations are far away, making it a difficult decision for Sharm el Sheikh Tourists to chose to visit.
Genena City the new and largest shopping mall built on the southern headland of Naama Bay has changed that by opening the King Tut Museum, which houses 135 identical replicas of the original pieces. I was invited to museum by Genena management; at first I was a little unsure of what to expect, but what I discovered was very impressive; it was my modern day equivalent of entering the tomb with all its riches. Genena City has not spared any expenses in creating this homage to King Tut; they have taken great pride in creating an exquisite exhibition with fine attention to the tiniest of details.
To ensure that the replicas were as authentic as possible the exhibits were created in co-operation with the Ministry of Antiquities. They have been painstakingly fashioned by a group of artists under the direction of the renowned artist Amr el Khamesy. The entrance of the museum is grand and builds anticipation of what lies beyond. It is a huge intricately decorated double door inlaid with gold and turquoise with snake head handles.
The museum is on one level covering 1200 square metres. As you enter you feel the chill of the air-conditioning which is fitting for serene ambiance the exhibits generates. The area has a dark grey slate floor, black walls with lit glass exhibition cases, columns decorated with lotus flowers and an imperial blue ceiling. The first area is dedicated to Howard Carter; showing copies of his drawings of the tomb layout, photographs of the excavation and copies of the newspaper reports on the discovery.
The centre piece of the museum is the replicas of the sarcophagus – it was explained to me how each one was discovered inside the next; the sarcophagi get more and more elaborate, the closer they were to the embalmed mummy . Real gold leaf and gem stones have been used in the replicas and with the dark backdrop of the hall and the spotlights they gleam in all their glory.
On the surrounding walls there are many exhibits, all with informative descriptions in English, Italian and Russian. The attention to detail is amazing; even a pair of Tutankhamun’s leather sandals depicting Egypt’s enemies look like they have been dug from the tomb. They look worn, ancient and dusty – not like they have been made just mere months ago.
The tickets for the museum will include a Tour guide and will be available in Arabic, English, Russian and Italian. There will also be headsets with recordings in various languages. Genena City plan to make a similar museum exhibiting Queen Nefertiti’s artifacts and also Akhenaten, first known as Amenhotep. If you get carried away by the history of ancient Egypt and want to discover more about Egyptology, there is also a well stocked AUC book store specialising in the subject. It seems the discovery of the ancient Kings and Queens of Egypt will captivate us for many years to come.
Tags:new, work
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