Exhibition of Tutankhamun, the Child King's Treasures

Tutankhamun, the Boy King's Treasures Exhibition The mysterious pharaoh Tutankhamun, who ascended to the throne at just 9 years old 3,300 years ago, opens its doors on 20 January at UNIQ Expo Istanbul for an extraordinary Ancient Egypt experience with his tragic life story, the famous death mask, coffin and priceless golden artifacts, as well as mysteries that remain unsolved, captivating millions of people of all ages for 100 years. The exhibition will remain open until the end of March 2023. The "Tutankhamun, the Boy King's Treasures Exhibition," which has toured the world's major metropolises for more than 60 years and set records with over 40 million visitors, is being presented to the appreciation of history, culture and art enthusiasts at UNIQ Expo Istanbul in Turkey for the first time on the 100th anniversary of the treasure's discovery in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. The exhibition organized for the treasures of Tutankhamun, which is the most important archaeological discovery of the 20th Century and at the same time one of the richest and most inspiring ancient royal treasures ever discovered in history, finally opens its doors to the public on 20 January. The exhibition, which attracts particular interest from history enthusiasts, schools and families, offers tickets through the Biletix and Mobilet ticket platforms. At the press conference organized at UNIQ Expo Istanbul to introduce the "Tutankhamun, the Boy King's Treasures Exhibition," renowned historian and author Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, Level A.Ş. Board Chairman Tufan Zaman, organizer of the exhibition, and Mohamed Atef Abdelshafy, one of Egypt's accredited curators, provided information. At the press conference, Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, who served as guest speaker and provided valuable information about Ancient Egypt, one of the most important civilizations in history, and the place and importance of Tutankhamun in this magnificent civilization, stated the following:

"Ancient Egypt, a magnificent civilization created by the wealth of the Nile delta"

  "Civilization does not begin with Greece or Mesopotamia, but in terms of continuity and consistency, the wealth of the Nile and the Nile delta created such a magnificent civilization as Egypt," and regarding the Boy King Tutankhamun, he said:   "Tutankhamun ascended to the throne during a turbulent period in Egyptian history. Tutankhamun's father Akhenaton (also known as Amenhotep IV) was a pharaoh of Egypt's New Kingdom 18th Dynasty. In the 6th year of his reign, he decided to abandon Thebes, which had been Egypt's capital for centuries, and establish a new capital in untouched lands now known as Tel el-Amarna. Akhenaton erased the names of other gods from temples to eliminate belief in other gods and establish the Aton religion.   Aton is a sun-related monotheistic god thought to have passed from Babylon to Egypt. It can be considered the beginning of monotheistic Hebrew religions. One of his most famous wives was Nefertiti, a Mitanni princess. After Akhenaton was removed from power, Tutankhamun, one of his sons, ascended to the throne at 9 years old. He died at an early age. During his reign, Egypt returned to the old polytheistic religion. The priests of Amun were also restored to respectability. However, the fact remains that Tutankhamun is the pharaoh we know most about because his tomb was discovered in the 20th Century and because of how it reflects Egyptian civilization." Noting that no items belonging to the pharaohs were found in the burial chambers of the three great pyramids named Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, which are royal tombs in Egypt, because they were unfortunately all looted, Prof. Ortaylı stated that Tutankhamun's underground tomb was preserved in perfect condition and when discovered in 1922 by English archaeologist Howard Carter, it was important that Tutankhamun was the only pharaoh whose treasures reached the present day without being looted.

"We are delighted to bring this record-breaking exhibition to Istanbul residents"

  Level A.Ş Board Chairman and organizer of the "Tutankhamun, the Boy King's Treasures Exhibition" Tufan Zaman expressed great pleasure at bringing this exhibition, which has set visitor records in the world's most important metropolises, to Istanbul residents, the cultural capital of Europe, and provided the following information:   "The exhibition features over 400 priceless works selected from the artifacts from Pharaoh Tutankhamun's burial chamber, including his solid gold coffin, the world-renowned death mask made of gold and precious stones, war chariots, weapons, canes, furniture and other daily items, all of which are carefully produced exact replicas by Egypt's accredited artisans.   The exhibition will take visitors on a journey of discovery through the mysteries of Ancient Egypt as they were when the treasures were discovered in 1922 by English archaeologist Howard Carter. Throughout the exhibition, a unique experience will be offered through video and projection screenings based on archaeologist Howard Carter's diaries regarding Ancient Egypt and Tutankhamun. In addition to over 400 works from the treasure, the exhibition will feature the mysterious story of the famous pharaoh and recreated visual elements relating to Ancient Egypt.   In this way, visitors of all ages will be able to witness Tutankhamun's life firsthand and observe this mysterious and magnificent life in its finest details."

Tutankhamun's love story and treasures

  The exhibition's Egyptian curator Mohamed Atef Abdelshafy said the following at the conference: "Today we are in Istanbul on the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun's treasure. All our guests who have come here will witness 3 stories. The first of these is the love story of King Tutankhamun and his wife Queen Ankhesenamun.   The second is the story of the treasure's discovery… The story of how English archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the treasure 100 years ago and presented it to the world… And third and finally, regarding Tutankhamun's tomb. The tomb's four chambers, all of solid gold artifacts and treasures… People who come here will have the opportunity to experience and view King Tut's belongings and treasures as if they had visited the actual museum in Egypt."  

Which works are in the exhibition?

  Pharaoh Tutankhamun, who ruled between 1332 BC – 1323 BC, was born during the reign of his father Pharaoh Akhenaton during the end of Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty. Tutankhamun was 9 years old when he ascended to the throne. The Golden Pharaoh, who died at 19 years of age, was mummified within 70 days and his body was placed in tomb number 69 in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor. English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's magnificent treasure in the Valley of the Kings in southern Egypt in 1922 had a major impact worldwide, and the artifacts found became symbols of Ancient Egypt. The treasures of the Young Pharaoh shed light on many aspects of ancient Egyptian civilization history. Since all the items found in his tomb were made of solid gold, the exhibition organized for Tutankhamun, also known as the 'Golden King,' features exact replicas of 409 specially selected works from the treasure.   The exhibition features the world-renowned golden death mask adorned with precious stones, the coffin with depictions of Egyptian goddesses Isis, Nephthys, Neith and Selket, the mummy inside the coffin, a gilded wooden bed, a war chariot, the golden throne depicting Tutankhamun's love with his wife Queen Ankhesenamun, statues depicting the boy king hunting hippopotami, various furniture, a horse-drawn cart, weapons such as bows and arrows, and interesting artifacts such as the dagger called the "dagger from space" made of iron from a meteor that fell to Anatolia. One of the genetic defects that is said to have played a role in Tutankhamun's death at a young age also caused one of his feet to be disabled. For this reason, examples of his canes, which caused great surprise when his tomb was discovered, and replicas of hundreds more pieces are featured in this exciting exhibition.