The golden mask of Tutankhamun is displayed inside a glass cabinet at the Egyptian Museum as Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities celebrates World Tourism Day, in Cairo, Egypt, September 27, 2022Image source, Reuters
Image caption, Tutankhamun's solid gold funeral mask has become an emblem for modern Egypt

The glint of gold was everywhere. This is how Howard Carter remembered his first impressions of Tutankhamun.

He held up a candle to peer through a small hole in a doorway that had been sealed for three thousand years. Lord Carnarvon was waiting.

After years of digging in Luxor with little to show for it, the pair's incredible archaeological discovery enthralled the world and has been repeated many times.

New research is being allowed because of the move of the boy-king's treasures to the Grand Egyptian Museum.

There are questions about how Tutankhamun became a political icon and whether Carter robbed his tomb.

The one-of-a-kind excavation was controversial from the beginning.

The rules of the time dictated that the contents of an intact royal tomb should stay in Egypt, but it was believed that there would be attempts to spirit them overseas.

Carter and Carnarvon made a deal with a British newspaper to keep other journalists out of the tomb. It made people dislike one another.

They were seen in Egypt as very old school and aligned with racist attitudes.

The country gained partial independence in 1922, after being occupied by the British in the late 19th century. Tutankhamun was involved in the struggle to be free of imperial influence.

"This is a powerful symbol, that this king is being reborn just as Egypt is being reborn," says Dr. Riggs, who wrote Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shapes a Century.

"Egypt is the mother of civilization, and Tutankhamun is our father," said the Egyptian diva Mounira al-Mahdiya. The celebrated poet wrote defiantly, "We refuse to allow our patrimony to be mistreated, or for thieves to steal it away"

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption, Howard Carter inspecting the innermost coffin of Tutankhamun

Good fortune was to blame for the most famous find. There was debris on the floor of the Valley of the Kings that hid the tomb entrance from looters.

The luck of Lord Carnarvon did not last long. Many in the media were quick to attribute his death to a pharaonic curse.

It was left to Carter to unpack the treasures in the tomb over the next 10 years. He was known as a stubborn, undiplomatic man and his relationship with the Egyptian antiquities service was often hostile.

He was accused of trying to steal from the beginning. Bob has found evidence of thefts.

In his book, Tutankhamun and the Tomb that Changed the World, he complains about his awkward position after being told by an expert that the tomb seals Carter gave him were stolen.

Carter gave things away as souvenirs, according to Dr. Brier. He thought he was the owner.

Image caption, Tutankhamun's tomb is the only one dating from the pharaonic New Kingdom to have been found substantially intact

The sumptuous rooms at Highclere Castle are far away from the Valley of the Kings. The stately home was Lord Carnarvon's ancestral home.

A life-long adventurer, who had once tried to sail around the world, was also an early driver who narrowly avoided death in a road accident.

Lady Carnarvon wrote The Earl and the Pharaoh after looking into her family's archives.

She said that she found a note from her relative that said he thought it should stay in Egypt. Lady Carnarvon says there is a lot of misinformation in the press.

She says that he wasn't interested in treasure or gold.

Image source, Lady Carnarvon
Image caption, Lady Carnarvon, next to a replica of Tutankhamun's golden mask at Highclere Castle

The wonders of Tutankhamun's tomb were held on by Egypt. They were the most popular exhibits at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The gold funeral mask of Tutankhamun has become an emblem for modern Egypt.

The official story of the 1922 discovery has written Egyptians out.

The archaeological record has many names that have vanished. We have no idea what they did. Monica asked what their reactions were.

Carter used Egyptian labourers to clear the tomb site, as well as skilled Egyptian foremen.

Carter had only a limited formal education before travelling to Egypt to join an archaeological expedition.

The role of the Egyptian workers has been highlighted in an exhibition. There are official pictures of them, but no record was kept of who they were.

Image source, Harry Burton/Griffith Institute, Oxford University
Image caption, Egyptian foremen and a boy dismantle a partition wall to open up Tutankhamun's burial chamber

After a lull, the fascination with King Tutankhamun surged in the 1960's and 70's as Egypt allowed his precious possessions to be lent to overseas museums for blockbuster exhibitions

Tut-mania is a phenomenon in popular Western culture.

The opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum is expected to fuel new interest. The hope is that it will increase the number of tourists.

The entire Tutankhamun collection will be shown for the first time.

The Grand Egyptian Museum will be able to rediscover the tomb in the same way that Howard Carter did 100 years ago.

The statue of Ramses II was moved from Cairo's main railway station to a new location.

Image caption, Tutankhamun's mummy is on display in the Valley of the Kings, but most objects from his tomb are in Cairo

Tutankhamun has inspired new waves of scientific discovery.

His sandals are fragile and can be restored. It has been confirmed that the dagger he owned was made from a meteorite.

The theories about the young pharaoh's life have been changed many times.

His mummy has been scanned and reconstructed. As a result of in-breeding in the royal family, it has built a picture of him as a frail, buck-toothed adolescent with many genetic disorders.

The idea that Tutankhamun had a club foot from looking at his bones has been questioned by Dr. Brier. He has items in his tomb that show him as a warrior.

He says that all of this adds to the picture of Tutankhamun going into battle.

Tutankhamun can claim an impressive afterlife after a century of making news. He would have thought it was the same as what he'd imagined.

  • Archaeology
  • Egypt
  • Tutankhamun