The King Tut exhibition Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs on view in New York City at the Discovery Times Square Exposition from April 23, 2010 through Jan. 2, 2011, marks the first time a collection of treasures from the young pharaoh’s tomb has visited the city since the groundbreaking 1979 exhibition that attracted 1.8 million visitors in New York.

The National Geographic exhibition contains more than twice the number of artifacts shown previously, with more than 130 objects of exceptional craftsmanship and beauty that provide insight into the daily life and royal burial practices of the 18th Dynasty. Fifty of the artifacts are from Tutankhamun’s tomb, only a handful of which were part of the 1979 exhibition, and an additional 80 objects come from the tombs of his ancestors and other high-ranking figures of his time.

"King Tut is coming back to New York City...we all remember his last visit, over 30 years ago, when his golden artifacts captured our hearts," said Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. “Since the last time he was here, the king has revealed many new secrets about his family and his death. Now the golden boy is returning, and making his last stop in the U.S. We all need to welcome him, and experience the magic and mystery that he brings with him. The wonder of this beloved pharaoh will never end—it will continue, in the words of the ancient Egyptians, ‘forever and for eternity’.”

In February 2010, Hawass announced new discoveries about King Tut’s lineage and cause of death. A new gallery exploring these revelations has been added to the New York presentation of Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. Created specifically for this gallery, a new replica of King Tut’s mummy will be on view for the first time anywhere. Museum model veteran Gary Staab and the Belgian-based company Materialise used the latest modeling technologies to translate CT scans of King Tut’s mummy into a 3D form with the exact specifications of the actual mummy, which has never left the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.

A portion of the proceeds from this exhibition is helping to fund antiquity conservation efforts in Egypt, including the building of a new Grand Museum in Cairo that will provide a world-class home for the country’s treasured artifacts.

“More than 5,000 beautifully preserved artifacts were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb, and the 50 selected for this exhibition—along with more than 80 from other royal tombs—are among the most breathtaking objects of ancient Egypt. These remarkable treasures—from finely carved statuary and beautifully crafted cosmetic containers to ritual objects and exquisite golden jewelry—illustrate what life was like for Tutankhamun and the people of Egypt at its height of power and culture,” said exhibition curator Dr. David P. Silverman, Eckley B. Coxe, Jr. Professor of Egyptology and Curator-in-Charge of the Egyptian Section at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. “In addition to highlighting these stunning artifacts, the exhibition explores King Tut’s life and legacy in depth, putting the accomplishments of this pharaoh, as well as those of his family and predecessors, into a greater context.”

About the Exhibition
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs provides insight into the life of Tutankhamun and other royals of the 18th Dynasty (1555 B.C.-1305 B.C.). All of the 130 treasures in the exhibition are between 3,300 and 3,500 years old.

King Tut was one of the last kings of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty and ruled during a crucial, turmoil-filled period of Egyptian history. The boy king died under mysterious circumstances around age 18 or 19, in the ninth year of his reign (1323 B.C.).

Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs offers glimpses of that evolving period. The exhibition includes King Tut’s royal diadem—the gold crown discovered encircling the head of his mummified body that he likely wore as king—and one of the gold and precious stone inlaid canopic coffinettes that contained his mummified internal organs. Additional gold, stone, faience and wooden pieces from burial sites before Tutankhamun’s reign give visitors a sense of what the lost burials of other royalty and commoners may have been like.

The exhibition is organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International and AEG Exhibitions, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.