Egypt truly is a land of wonders with a rich and diverse history that spans across many different eras and civilizations throughout thousands and thousands of years. It can comfortably go toe to toe with the oldest and most sophisticated civilizations to have ever graced the planet and hold its own.
Chief among those different eras is definitely the time during which Egypt was ruled by the Pharaohs. A period that lasted between the 32nd century BC all the way until 332 BC when Egypt went under the Macedonian rule.
So, in this article we shall particularly be talking about one of the most famous figures of the Pharaoh era, “Tutankhamun” the famous boy king. Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered back in 1922 by a team of Egyptologists led by Howard Carter along with a plethora of jewelry including the famous gold burial mask.
Tutankhamun has always been a figure that has captivated both historians and Egyptologists as well as your casual history buff around the world due to the degree of mystery and intrigue that surrounds the story of the boy king who ruled Egypt between the tender age of 9 and 19.
Until recently -like most history related research- your main channels of gathering info would be limited to reading books, articles and perhaps watching YouTube videos from trusted and legitimate sources. When it comes to Tutankhamun however, you can now also enjoy “Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition”.
The art of historical storytelling has largely benefited from the modern age of technology and digital information and “Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition” is solid proof of that. About a year ago, November 2022 to be precise, the Madrid Artes Digitales (MAD) launched “Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition” and saying it was an instant success would be an understatement. “Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition” attracted 300,000 visitors during its first 8 months, that’s an average of around 38000 visitors per month. Such explosive success has attracted attention from other cultural hubs such as Vienna and Barcelona and sure enough “Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition” toured these cities as well as many others shortly after. But its arguably highest profile visit actually occurred less than a month ago, on November 21st 2023 when “Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition” made it’s debut at the Grand Egyptian Museum. According to Jelle De Jong -MAD Chief Executive, this is the biggest compliment “Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition” could have ever received.
“Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition” is scheduled to run for 3 months as part of the Grand Egyptian Museum’s temporary exhibition series. It is narrated in both English and Arabic in order to cater to the preferences of both the local populations as well as tourists from other countries and is currently playing 16 times per day.
“Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition” is basically a 30-minute digital simulation experience that takes place in a dark room with multiple projectors projecting moving images onto all four walls as well as the floor along with an impressive sound system that adds to the immersion of the experience. During the simulation, a digital recreation of Tutankhamun himself, narrates his own story, mainly his 10-year tenure ruling Egypt from his throne between 1333 BCE and 1323 BCE.
“Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition” is split into 6 chapters, the first of which tells the story of the ancient city of Heliopolis and how it was built. The exhibition focuses on this city in particular as it is the supposed birthplace of Tutankhamun at the hands of Khnum, the ancient Egyptian God of fertility. The second chapter would then switch to a simulation of a ride along the Nile River where visitors feel a simulated sense of movement as if they are physically on a boat while being surrounded by a digitally generated landscape of ancient Egypt. As for the third chapter, focus switches to temples such as Abu Simbel along with documentary style black and white images dating back to when Tutankhamun’s tomb was first discovered as well as extracts from newspaper headlines from all over the world commenting on said discovery back then. The remaining chapters of “Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition” focus solely on the interior of Tutankhamun’s tomb while offering a degree of graphical realism and detail that truly brings the tomb to life.
It is also worth mentioning that visitors who book “Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition” will also be able to go on a tour of the grand staircase which includes 64 relics that are associated with the most famous ancient Egyptian Gods, Kings, and Queens. Once you reach the top, you are met with a giant glass window that offers a breathtaking view of the Pyramids of Giza.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is only partially open where it is limited to offering specific tours such as a view of the atrium with its 11-meter-high, 83-tonne, 3,200-year-old Ramses II statue as well as of course “Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition” in addition to the interactive children’s museum. The official opening is currently scheduled for the first half of 2024. According to Nacho Ares who is “Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition” curator and script writer, “When the museum is inaugurated in a few months, I am convinced that it will become one of the best museums in the world, it will have been worth the wait.”
With that, we conclude our article discussing “Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition”.
If you would like to get more information and read various other interesting articles, we invite you to check out Bayut Misr blog and stay up to date with the latest we have to offer.
