An exact replica of the tomb of Tutankhamun, a gift to Egypt.

To coincide with the 90th anniversary of the discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun, a near perfect replica will travel to Cairo as a gift to Egypt. Created by the Madrid-based workshop Factum Arte, the tomb will be temporarily exhibited in Cairo during the EU Task Force conference on Tourism and Flexible investment from 13th-14th November. The replica is a gift from The Factum Foundation (Madrid), the Society of Friends of the Royal Tombs of Egypt (Zurich) and the University of Basel to the Arab Republic of Egypt.

 

FactumArte_Facsimile_04The Tomb of Tutankhamun was hidden for 3,000 years, but since its discovery 90 years ago, it has rapidly deteriorated - not due to neglect but because it was not built to accommodate the vast numbers of people who visit each day. Working with The Society of Friends of the Royal Tombs of Egypt since 1988, the Supreme Council of Antiquities has been supporting this approach to the preservation of the Royal tombs. The facsimile of Tutankhamun’s tomb has taken Factum Arte over three years to complete. The work has involved the development of new technologies for recording the tombs and perfecting the method to replicate them; aproject on this scale has never been attempted before.
In 2010 the Supreme Council of Antiquities identified a site at the entrance of the Valley of the Kings near Carter’s House for permanent installation of the facsimile as a way of making a public commitment to sustainable tourism inEgypt. The goal is that this will give visitors an opportunity to understand the history of the tombs since their discovery, encourage conservation of the original site and establish Egypt as a world leader in this application of technology and manual skill.
The gift of the facsimile has very specific objects in view –
To promote a positive and sustainable approach to tourism (and to promote an awareness of tourism as a positive force in the conservation of Egypt’s cultural heritage).
To facilitate the transfer of technology and skills to set up workshops on Luxor’s West Bank to carry out the recording and production of facsimiles of the tombs of Seti I and Queen Nefertari.
To create long term skilled jobs in Luxor
Key Dates: The facsimile left Spain on 31st October 2012 and will arrive in Cairo on 4th November. It will be installed in the Conrad Hotel as a temporary exhibit for the two-day EU Task Force. Before April 2013 it is intended to move the facsimile to a prepared location behind the Carter House in the Valley of the Kings where it will be permanently installed for public view; the original tomb is currently open (its imminent closure to protect its fragile surfaces was announced by the SCA in January 2011).
Facsimile dimensions:
Tomb 405 x 640 x 330cm with ceiling: made in sections. Total weight approx. 3,330kg
Sarcophagus: 276 (long) x 162 (high) x 148cm (wide), weight approx 300kg.
Sarcophagus lid: 250 x 125 x 25cm (at highest point), weight approx 80kg.
The ‘missing’ fragment: 145 x 240 x 7cm, weight approx 30kg.
These are the essential points:
Exact facsimile of Tomb of Tutankhamun to be delivered to Egypt for 90th anniversary of discovery in November 2012
Facsimile is gift to Egypt from Factum Foundation and the Society of Friends of the Royal Tombs.
Key aims of the gift are to:
Promote sustainable tourism which can finance conservation and preservation.
Transfer technology & skills to an Egyptian team
Create long term local employment on the West Bank, Luxor
It will be exhibited at the EU Task Force in Cairo November 13/14th in Conrad Hotel
The Tomb of Tutankhamun was recorded in May 2009 by a team from Factum Arte
Recorded and made with authorisation of Supreme Council of Antiquities under a licence granted to the Universityof Basel.
The facsimile was created over 2 years using advanced 3D technology specifically designed for the project
Funding for recording, development and construction is entirely from outside Egypt
Factum Foundation and the Society of Friends of the Royal Tombs of Egypt are focused on preservation of cultural heritage.
The facsimile is set to be installed permanently in Valley of Kings after Cairo exhibition
It was announced by SCA in 2011 that the original tomb must be closed for conservation reasons.
The shipping and installation of the replica to Egypt has been facilitated by the Ministry of Tourism, Egypt and the European Union.
For more press information, please contact:
Four Colman Getty:
Iliana Taliotis iliana.taliotis@fourcolmangetty.com +44 (0)20 3023 9047
Rachael Young rachael.young@fourcolmangetty.com +44 (0)20 3023 9958
Factum Foundation: