With the completion of the GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM (GEM) in the Giza Plateau in February 2023, the world anxiously awaits the announcement of the opening date of what will be the largest antiquities museum in the world. Located 2km north of the Giza Complex , the museum that is shaped like a chamfered triangle, is so orientated that the north and south walls are aligned with the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Menkaure, respectively. It will house approximately 18,000 Egyptian artifacts, many of which have never been seen by the general public. The most exciting news, for the first time in history, the entire collection of Tutankhamun’s tomb, some 5000 artifacts will be on exhibition.
Tutankhamun, son of the infamous pharaoh Akhenaten, become pharaoh at age 9 and ruled for about a decade before his demise at age 18 or 19. Responsible for restoring the polytheistic ancient Egyptian religion and undoing everything his father as set in play. His early demise created many theories about his death, but DNA studies have shown, that he was the a product of an incestuous relationship between his father and his aunt which may have caused some congenital defects. It was known that he had a cleft palate and scoliosis and possibly died from an infection caused by a broken leg compounded by possible malaria. Needless to say, not a very memorable reign but thanks to the discovery of his tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter, he has become the most famous pharaoh in the afterlife. His tomb which was untouched and in perfect condition is maybe the most significant archaeological find of the 20th Century. It took Cater over a decade to photograph and document all his finding, the most famous being his death mask and the inner coffin both made in pure gold. With so many more to be revealed soon at the Grand Egypt Museum
