This is the first time that the coffin has been restored since it was discovered in 1922.
Staff at the Grand Egyptian Museum restoration lab work on a sarcophagus from the Tutankhamun collection. Credit: MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images
“The coffin has suffered a lot of damage, including cracks in the golden layers of plaster and a general weakness in all golden layers,” said Dr. Eissa Zidan, head of the first aid restoration and transportation of antiquities at the museum.
“Before sending the coffin to the GEM, a complete report on the condition of the coffin was written highlighting all the damages.”
The restoration will take around eight months, according to the statement, while journalists will be invited to see the coffin at the museum in two weeks. Work on the coffin follows on from the restoration of the tomb itself.
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Countless tourists have visited the tomb since 1922, taking their toll on its historical treasures.
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In January 2019 a nine-year conservation project concluded, returning the tomb to its former glory.
And the Grand Egyptian Museum marks another stage in Egypt’s preservation of its ancient treasures.
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The 5.2-million-square-foot structure, near the ancient pyramids of Giza, is still under construction.
Costing more than $1 billion, the museum will rehouse and restore some of the country’s most precious relics.
Its expansive, glass-fronted building offers sweeping panoramas of the Giza plateau and Great Pyramids, which stand just two kilometers (1.2 miles) away.