The gilded wooden coffin of the pharaoh Tutankhamun was cracked in many places and needed repair before the exhibition.

Experts restore the coffin in the tomb of King Tutankhamun. Photo: AFP.

Egypt has begun restoring the gilded wooden coffin of pharaoh Tutankhamun for the first time since the young king’s tomb was discovered in 1922, according to the country’s Ministry of Antiquities. The process began after the coffin was moved from King Tutankhamun’s tomb near Luxor to the Grand Egyptian Museum under construction on the outskirts of Cairo. Tutankhamun was a pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, who reigned from 1332 to 1323 BC.

This is the last coffin in the tomb after authorities moved two other coffins of King Tutankhamun to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, Cairo, in 1922. The coffin transportation took place safely under the supervision of King Tutankhamun. police supervision, conservation experts and archaeologists.

Eltayeb Abbas, general director of archeology at the Grand Egyptian Museum, said the coffin will be exhibited alongside the collection of King Tutankhamun. Damage to the coffin includes cracks in the plaster. It is expected that the restoration process will take about 8 months.

Earlier this year, Egypt also organized a world tour of 150 artefacts found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb. The exhibition opened in Paris in March and will take place in multiple locations around the world including London, California and Sydney, running until 2021.