‘Tutankhamun’ continues streak of success in Seoul

It was November 1922, when the long-buried tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh, Tutankhamun (1341-1323 BCE), in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile revealed itself to the world once again.

“As my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold — everywhere the glint of gold. For the moment — an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by — I was struck dumb with amazement,” English archaeologist Howard Carter (1874-1939) wrote, recalling the first moment of his discovery of the ancient pharaoh’s tomb.

Dubbed “Egyptology’s greatest discovery,” it was an influential feat in both archaeology and academia, as this highly well-preserved tomb allowed the scholars to witness in person the traces of the Amarna Period, as well as the sheer extent of the Egyptian king’s wealth.

Since its debut in 2008, the traveling exhibition, “Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures,” which features the reconstructed tomb chambers of the young ruler, as well as some 1,300 replica artifacts, has drawn more than 10 million visitors worldwide, including in Zurich, Manchester, Madrid, Paris and New York.

The show arrived recently at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan District, Seoul, and has been continuing its streak of success for weeks, with wait times easily up to two hours.

Tutankhamun, also referred to as King Tut, ascended to the throne in 1332 BCE, when he was only nine and became the last to rule the 18th

Dynasty for a mere decade. During his reign, he was known for rejecting his father’s reforms and for revitalizing ancient Egyptian religion and art.

Through its faithfully recreated replicas of the young ruler’s nearly intact tomb and treasures, the exhibition offers visitors an insight into the history and archaeology of ancient Egypt.

The show begins by introducing Tutankhamun within the context of the 5000-year-old history of Egypt as well as the historical background of the 18th Dynasty.

Viewers then continue to the next section, where they can relive the moment of Carter’s discovery of the

pharaonic tomb, witnessing with their own eyes the antechamber, the burial chamber and the treasury, restored in the way they were unearthed a century ago.

And the reproductions of lavish treasures found and currently stored in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo — including the pharaoh’s symbolic golden mask, throne, sarcophagus, chariot, jewels and even the coffins of his two children — are gathered for display in the last section.

“‘Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures’ provides a chance to view firsthand the artifacts from the pharaonic tomb in Korea, where we have not had many attempts to study or analyze Egyptology directly,” Kwack Min-soo, the director of the Korean Institute of Egyptology, stated.

“Despite being replicas, the displayed items have been carefully recreated, closely resembling the physical conditions of the original articles.”

The exhibition runs through April 24, 2022 at the War Memorial of Korea.

As my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold — everywhere the glint of gold.