Restoration of King Tut's coffin to take up to nine months

Egypt's antiquities minister says the coffin was in a fragile state of conservation, ever since its discovery.

One of Egypt's famed King Tutankhamun's golden sarcophagus is displayed at his tomb in a glass case at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. April 1, 2016.
AP

One of Egypt's famed King Tutankhamun's golden sarcophagus is displayed at his tomb in a glass case at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. April 1, 2016.

Khaled el Anany, Egypt's antiquities minister, told reporters on Saturday that the restoration of the outermost coffin of King Tutankhamun will take seven to nine months.

El-Anany explained the restoration would take that long because it was in a fragile state of conservation, ever since its discovery in the tomb of King Tut in 1922.

The golden coffin arrived at Giza's new Grand Egyptian Museum six weeks ago from the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, in Tahrir Square, Cairo.

The Minister said the coffin will be displayed alongside other golden coffins and artifacts of King Tut in the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is due to open in the last quarter of 2020.

For many, King Tut is the ultimate symbol of ancient Egypt's glory.Howard Carter discovered the pharaoh's nearly-intact tomb in 1922 in the Valley of the Kings, located on the west bank of the Nile River in Luxor.

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