Egypt’s Tutankhamun’s Tomb
- Location: Valley of the Kings, Egypt
- Discovered: 1922
- Age: Over 3,300 years
About the Pharaoh: Tutankhamun was a young Egyptian pharaoh who ruled a vast empire over 3,300 years ago. Known as one of ancient Egypt’s most famous pharaohs, his opulent tomb and golden mask have become significant symbols of Egypt’s ancient civilization.
The grand and eye-catching pyramids quickly became magnets for thieves and a place where people expressed their rightful anger, which undermined the true purpose of building them. Fearing for their afterlife security, Egyptian pharaohs eventually came up with a solution: separating the tombs from the temples. Temples remained in the city, while tombs were constructed in remote, desolate areas. Although this arrangement was quite inconvenient for the pharaohs’ spirits, who had to travel back and forth to the temple several times a day, it was necessary to prevent disturbances at their resting places.
Starting from the New Kingdom period, pharaohs built their temples across the river in the city of Thebes, while carving their tombs into the rock in a desolate valley on the west bank of the Nile. This valley, which housed the tombs of 62 New Kingdom pharaohs, came to be known as the “Valley of the Kings.” The tombs, cut into the sides of the valley, resemble China’s cave dwellings and have remained intact despite thousands of years of wear. Unlike China’s imperial tombs, these tombs were sealed with rubble to leave no trace, and numerous fake tombs were constructed to mislead grave robbers. Despite these meticulous precautions, the pharaohs could not fully rest in peace. The immense wealth buried with them made the tombs irresistible targets for tomb robbers, turning the Valley of the Kings into both a royal and a robber’s domain.
Outside the entrance of each tomb, there are signs explaining its highlights and layout, including a 3D map of the tomb. It’s recommended to choose which tombs to explore based on your own interests rather than strictly following others’ advice—after all, everyone’s experience is different, and exploring these tombs feels a bit like opening a mystery box.
Deep within the burial chambers, I felt as if I had traveled through time. Each tomb continues the story of ancient Egypt, documenting the rise, fall, and glory of its dynasties.
Here, I witnessed the splendor of ancient Egyptian civilization and felt the majesty and solemnity of the old kingdom. The murals adorning the tomb walls depict mythological tales and the great achievements of the pharaohs, leaving me in awe.
The key part of the tomb, the sarcophagus chamber, remained perfectly intact, leaving the first person who saw it in awe. The chamber features four layers of wooden outer coffins, almost filling the entire room. These coffins are covered in gold and adorned with vibrant blue glazed panels depicting religious symbols meant to protect the deceased. Inside the outer coffin is an inner sarcophagus made of a solid block of yellow quartzite, measuring 2.75 meters long, 1.5 meters wide, and 1.5 meters high. The lid of the inner sarcophagus is made of rose granite weighing 1.25 tons, likely a replacement after the original lid was broken by the craftsmen.
Around the sarcophagus are carvings of goddesses with outstretched arms and wings, seemingly to ward off intruders. Beneath the massive sarcophagus lid, there are three nested coffins. The outermost coffin is a gilded wooden one, dazzling like freshly melted gold. The lid features a golden statue of the king. The statue’s head and hands are three-dimensional, while the body is sculpted in relief. The pharaoh’s hands are crossed on his chest, holding a crook and flail inlaid with blue glaze, symbols of royal power. The pharaoh’s face is made of pure gold, with eyes made of white alabaster and obsidian, and eyebrows and eye rims made of transparent blue quartz. The expression is stern and lifelike. On the pharaoh’s forehead are emblems of a cobra and a vulture—symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt—adorned with a small floral wreath offered by his young widow after his death. This simple and touching wreath deeply moved Howard Carter, who said, “Despite the golden splendor and royal luxury here, nothing is more beautiful than these withered flowers. Although the flowers are wilted, their colors can still be discerned. They tell us that 3,300 years is but a fleeting moment from yesterday to tomorrow.”
The innermost coffin, remarkably lavish, is made from a single sheet of pure gold, measuring 1.85 meters long, 2.5 to 3.5 millimeters thick, and weighing over 6 kilograms—an extraordinary example of ancient gold craftsmanship. Underneath the coffin lid lies the pharaoh, Tutankhamun, resting in splendid attire. For 3,300 years before Carter opened the coffin, the pharaoh had not been seen or touched by living hands. Wrapped in layers of gold and jewels, his face under the pure gold mask reveals a cultured, serene young man, estimated by doctors to be 18 years old.
Legend has it that Tutankhamun’s coffin bears an inscription warning that anyone disturbing the pharaoh’s peace would be cursed. Following the excavation and study of the tomb, several participants met untimely and mysterious deaths, seemingly confirming this chilling prophecy. This mystery remains unresolved, adding a layer of intrigue to the exploration and discovery of ancient Egypt.
On the afternoon of November 26, 1922, an expedition led by British archaeologist Howard Carter opened a tomb that had been sleeping for thousands of years. Six months later, on April 23, 1923, Lord Carnarvon, one of the scientists involved in the discovery, mysteriously passed away. This sparked widespread speculation about the pharaoh’s curse, drawing intense media and public attention. Even Conan Doyle, the famous detective novelist and author of Sherlock Holmes, expressed his belief in the existence of the ancient curse.
It was said that disturbing the pharaoh’s rest had triggered his vengeful wrath, setting off a series of mysterious calamities. Shortly after Lord Carnarvon’s death, another team member, Arthur Mace, was found unconscious in his hotel room in Cairo. Soon after, George Gould, a close friend of Carnarvon who had entered the tomb, succumbed to a persistent fever. Additionally, Archibald Reid, a scientist who tried to use X-ray technology to determine the cause of the pharaoh’s death, died unexpectedly shortly after returning to London to analyze the collected data.
Strange events continued to unfold—on the day Lord Carnarvon died, Cairo experienced a city-wide blackout, and Carnarvon’s dog in England also died unexpectedly.
In recent years, archaeologists and medical experts used CT scans to examine the mummy of Tutankhamun, the young pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. By digitally reconstructing the images, they determined the cause of his death and estimated his actual age at the time of passing. However, the team conducting the CT scan on Tutankhamun’s mummy encountered several bizarre incidents that day.
Their vehicle to the Valley of the Kings nearly had a fatal accident, leaving the scientists shaken. During the scan, the CT scanner inexplicably malfunctioned for two hours, only restarting briefly for a 15-minute scan. Moreover, a sudden violent sandstorm swept through the Valley of the Kings that day, filling the air with dust. Even the most skeptical scientists admitted the strangeness of these events, unable to avoid thoughts of the legendary pharaoh’s curse.
