The golden mask of ancient Egyptian boy king Tutankhamun is back on display at the Egyptian Museum in central Cairo this week.The mask was being restored after the beard of the priceless antiquity was broken by cleaners and hastily glued back on with epoxy.
For decades, the mask of Tutankhamun has been the most glamorous monument in the Cairo museum. Which explains why the damage to the statue and it’s repair has had such a media frenzy
“The mask of Tutankhamun was found back in 1902 by Howard carter and it captured the hearts and minds of the entire world…in 1946 the mask was displayed and unfortunately the beard has fallen down and was restored with primitive material” Akram Allam, Director, Tour Guides Association
For 8 weeks, an Egyptian German team worked on renovating the beard and the mistakes of the previous repair. As explained in the press conference , the team used the same methods of the ancient Egyptians.
“It was important to understand the composition of the mask, understand the material, the intake of gold and how the parts were assembled in the mask . It was possible to choose a way of treatment in harmony with the original character of the object” Stefan Zedelmeir, Director, German Archaeological Institute
Ancient Egyptians used bee wax to attach the beard. The international restoration team did the same to keep the authenticity and natural materials of the mask intact . This unfortunate incident, has actually been a blessing in disguise. It unearthed a new discovery.
“We found an inner tube made of gold to house the beard, to be attached to the chin of King Tut. This is something know one knew about it before ” Akram Allam, Director, Tour Guides Association
The renovation has opened the door for many countries to seek partnerships with the Cairo museum, including China. A tour of the mask to Asia, could be on the agenda, to give more opportunities for people to share this fascinating world of ancient Egypt. With the restoration work on the mask of Tutankhamun over, now it is ready for display at the Cairo museum in Tahrir sqaure, for any visitor from around the world
