King Tut's tomb marks 100 years since discovery
STORY: It's been 100 years since the discovery
of the tomb of King Tutankhamun
one of Ancient Egypt's most legendary rulers
(Bassam el-Shammaa, Historian and author in Egyptology)
"Tutankhamun is the most famous name in Egyptology in the world, but it is also the most ambiguous name, and that’s what made the whole world love the story of the tomb and its discovery, because it’s full of excitement, still alive until today in the twenty-first century.”
(Timeline: March 5, 1923)
The tomb was discovered on
November 4, 1922 in Luxor's Valley of the Kings
when Hussein, a 12-year-old
Egyptian boy, trips over a stone
while fetching water for Howard Carter
and his team of archeologists
It led to the discovery that
has gripped the world ever since
(Timeline: May 23, 1949)
Location: Cairo Museum, Egypt
Tutankhamun was a boy king who
ascended the throne at nine years old
during the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt
He died less than 10 years later
Though the cause of death remains unknown
archeologists have described his short reign
as one that brought stability to a land in turmoil
(Bassam el-Shammaa, Historian and author in Egyptology)
"A king who ruled for about 9 years since he was eight or nine years old and died when he was seventeen or eighteen years old, yet, we do not know much about his wars, about his military achievements, as we know about other kings.”
(Timeline: March 1971)
Tutankhamun’s tomb was sealed off so
no human eye could ever see his treasures
which remained hidden beneath
the sands for thousands of years
(Bassam el-Shammaa, Historian and author in Egyptology)
“It is among the smallest of the three smallest tombs out of 64 tombs in the Valley of the Kings, yet we’ve found in it 5,398 pieces, none of which is not a unique masterpiece, or that it’s been replicated elsewhere in another tomb."
(Timeline: January 6, 2005)
In 2005, experts used computerized tomography
scanning for the first time on Tutankhamun’s mummy
(Dr. Zahi Hawass, Egyptologist and former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities)
"We opened the sarcophagus for the first time, I looked at his face I felt the magic and the mystery of King Tut."
(Timeline: October 24, 2022)
Location: Cairo, Egypt
(Dr. Salima Ikram, Professor of Egyptology, American University in Cairo)
"2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, and also really for Tutankhamun being given back to the world, because he had become a very obscure pharaoh. So by celebrating him, we are giving his soul continued life.”
“Ever since the discovery of his tomb Tutankhamun has helped Egypt’s economy and public persona and political goals a huge amount, so really he is the one true pharaoh of Egypt who has been loyal to his country for several thousand years."
