Few names in history shimmer quite like Tutankhamun's. A minor pharaoh who died around the age of nineteen, he would have been forgotten entirely had his tomb not survived almost intact, hidden for over three thousand years beneath the rubble of the Valley of the Kings. When Howard Carter peered through a small hole into the burial chamber in November 1922 and saw "wonderful things" gleaming in the candlelight, he set in motion the most famous archaeological discovery ever made. This guide explains what those treasures are, where to see them in 2026, and how to plan a visit that does the golden boy king justice.
Who Was Tutankhamun?
Tutankhamun reigned during the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom, roughly 1332 to 1323 BC. He came to the throne as a child of about eight or nine, in the turbulent aftermath of the reign of Akhenaten, the "heretic king" who had upended Egyptian religion by promoting the sun-disc Aten above all other gods. Tutankhamun was most likely Akhenaten's son. His birth name was Tutankhaten ("living image of the Aten"), but early in his reign he changed it to Tutankhamun ("living image of Amun"), signalling a return to the old gods and the powerful priesthood of Amun at Thebes.
He ruled for roughly nine or ten years and died young, around 1323 BC. The cause has been debated for a century: a chariot accident, a leg fracture that turned septic, malaria, and an inherited bone disorder have all been proposed, and DNA and CT studies in the 2000s and 2010s leaned toward a combination of malaria and a degenerative foot condition. Politically he was a minor figure. Archaeologically he is a giant, simply because his tomb escaped the systematic looting that emptied almost every other royal burial.
The Discovery of the Tomb (KV62)
By the early 1920s, most Egyptologists believed the Valley of the Kings had given up all its secrets. The British archaeologist Howard Carter, backed financially by Lord Carnarvon, disagreed. After years of fruitless digging he found a stone step on 4 November 1922, then a sealed doorway. On 26 November Carter made his famous breach into the antechamber. The tomb, catalogued as KV62, was small by royal standards and crammed with more than 5,000 objects stacked floor to ceiling.
Clearing and conserving it took Carter and his team nearly a decade, until 1932. The discovery ignited a worldwide wave of "Egyptomania" that shaped fashion, architecture and design through the Art Deco era. It also fed the legend of the "curse of the pharaohs" after Lord Carnarvon died of an infected mosquito bite in April 1923, though most of the excavation team lived long, ordinary lives.
The Golden Mask
The single most famous object is the death mask: about 54 centimetres tall and weighing roughly 10 kilograms of solid gold, inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise, obsidian and coloured glass. It covered the head and shoulders of the mummy and is one of the most recognisable artefacts on Earth. The serene face, the striped nemes headdress, and the vulture and cobra on the brow (the Two Ladies protecting Upper and Lower Egypt) make it the defining image of ancient Egypt.
The mask is too fragile and too precious to travel, so it has never been part of touring exhibitions. To see it you must come to Egypt. A famously delicate moment came in 2014 when the braided beard was accidentally knocked off and hastily glued back with epoxy; a careful German-led restoration in 2015 removed the glue and reattached it properly. The mask's value is impossible to state meaningfully, but at gold prices alone it would be worth millions of dollars; its cultural worth is incalculable, which is precisely why Egypt insists it stays home. Look closely and you can still see the slight join line where the beard meets the chin, a quiet reminder that even the world's most famous artefact has a human, accident-prone history.
The Nested Coffins and Shrines
The mummy lay inside three nested coffins. The innermost is the showstopper: about 1.88 metres long and made of around 110 kilograms of solid gold, it is one of the most valuable single objects ever crafted. The two outer coffins are gilded wood. These sat inside a quartzite sarcophagus, which in turn was enclosed by four gilded wooden shrines fitting one inside the other like Russian dolls, almost filling the burial chamber.
### The Canopic Equipment
The king's embalmed organs were stored in a gilded canopic shrine guarded by four exquisite goddess statues, the goddesses Isis, Nephthys, Neith and Serqet, each carved with arms outstretched in protection, with the viscera held in miniature gold coffinettes inside an alabaster chest divided into four compartments. The craftsmanship of these smaller pieces often impresses visitors as much as the famous mask. Note too the alabaster canopic jar stoppers carved as the king's own face, among the most tender portraits to survive from the ancient world, and the wooden guardian statues, life-sized and black-skinned with gilded regalia, that flanked the sealed burial chamber when Carter first looked in.
Thrones, Chariots and Everyday Treasures
Beyond the gold, KV62 was a time capsule of daily royal life. Highlights include the golden throne, its backrest showing Tutankhamun and his queen Ankhesenamun in an intimate domestic scene bathed in the rays of the Aten. There were six dismantled chariots, ceremonial and military, plus hundreds of practical objects: folding beds, board games (the senet set is a favourite), a wardrobe of linen garments and sandals, walking sticks, weapons, jars of perfume and wine, and even food provisions for the afterlife. Together these items tell us more about how an Egyptian royal household actually lived than almost any other find.
Where to See the Treasures in 2026: The Grand Egyptian Museum
For decades the treasures were displayed in the old Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square. That has now changed. The vast new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) at Giza, beside the pyramids, is where the complete Tutankhamun collection is being shown together for the first time, all roughly 5,000 objects in two dedicated galleries.
### Practicalities
As of 2026, expect a foreigner ticket to the GEM in the region of 1,200 EGP (roughly 25 USD), with the Tutankhamun galleries usually requiring a combined or supplementary ticket; budget more if a special Tut-only ticket applies. Opening hours are generally around 9:00 to around 18:00, with later evening hours on some days. The museum sits about 2 kilometres from the Giza pyramids, an easy taxi or ride-hailing hop from central Cairo (allow 45-60 minutes in traffic). Give yourself at least three to four hours; serious enthusiasts can spend a full day. Photography for personal use is usually permitted; a tripod or professional setup typically needs a paid permit. Confirm current Tutankhamun gallery arrangements before you go, as the GEM has phased its openings.
The Tomb Itself in the Valley of the Kings
While the contents have moved to Cairo, the tomb KV62 remains in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, and you can still walk down into it. Inside you will find the quartzite sarcophagus, the outermost coffin, and Tutankhamun's actual mummy, displayed in a climate-controlled case, the only pharaoh's body shown in the tomb where it was found.
### Visiting KV62
KV62 requires a separate special ticket on top of the general Valley of the Kings entry, in the region of 360-500 EGP (roughly 8-11 USD) as of 2026, on top of the standard valley ticket of around 600 EGP. The tomb is small and the wall paintings sparse compared with grander tombs like Seti I or Ramesses VI, so manage expectations: people come for the connection to the legend and the mummy, not for vast painted halls. Go early (gates open around 6:00) to beat both the heat and the cruise-group crowds that arrive mid-morning. Luxor is a roughly 1-hour flight or an overnight train from Cairo.
What to Skip and Insider Tips
Don't try to cram the GEM and the Giza pyramids into the same exhausting afternoon; each deserves its own focused block. At the Valley of the Kings, the standard ticket includes three tombs of your choice, so pair KV62 with one truly spectacular painted tomb to balance the experience. Bring small cash for tomb-keeper tips and the photo permit, carry water, and avoid the hottest months (June to August) if you can; October to April is far more comfortable. An insider tip: visit the GEM Tutankhamun galleries late in the day when tour groups thin out, and read the throne and coffinette labels closely, the small objects reward slow looking far more than a quick selfie at the mask.
Plan Your Tutankhamun Journey
To experience both the treasures in Cairo and the tomb in Luxor, a combined itinerary is ideal. Our 5 Days Cairo, Luxor and Abu Simbel tour connects the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum with the Valley of the Kings and the great temples of the south, giving you the full arc of the boy king's world. If you love temple architecture, pair this with our guides to Egyptian temple design and the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo to deepen the journey.
