Earlier this month, the Dallas Museum of Art became the first of three cities to unveil “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs”.
King Tut, as he is usually called, ruled from the age of about 8 to 19 nearly 3,000 years ago. The tomb has become one of the most famous Egyptian tomb after being discovered completely intact by Howard Carter on Nov. 4, 1922.
Close to a century after the discovery, what some call “Tut-mania” has yet to fade. Organizers of the exhibition say approximately 150,000 tickets had been sold in advance of the opening and they expect a total of about 1 million people to see the exhibition in Dallas.
The artifacts have never before been seen in Dallas or the entire Southwest region. The original exhibition in the 1970s traveled to six different museums across the U.S with 55 artifacts from the tomb in celebration of the 55th anniversary of its discovery. After minor damage to an artifact upon its return to Egypt, the Egyptian parliament banned the artifacts from traveling outside of the country. In 2004, the artifacts were allowed to travel again. The exhibition, entitled “Tutenkhamun: The Golden Hereafter,” first traveled through Europe then to four cities in the U.S.: Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago and Philadelphia.
In 2005, work began on the “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs,” the current exhibition. The exhibition contains over 130 artifacts from the tomb as well as artifacts from other ancient Egyptian sites. The death mask is no longer allowed to leave Egypt after the 1970s tour and is not included in this exhibition.
Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, says “this tour gives a whole new generation the chance to discover the wonders of ancient Egypt.”
The exhibition will be in Dallas from October 2008 to May 2009. Following its stay in Dallas, the exhibition will continue to Atlanta and then Indianapolis.
Dallas was the first to exhibit several objects added to the new exhibition including miniature coffins containing the mummified remains of what is thought to be one of Tutankhamun’s stillborn children.
Lectures and other events will be held throughout the exhibitions stay at the DMA. The film “Egypt 3-D: Secrets of the Mummies,” which tells the story of the 19th-century discovery of 40 mummies, among them the legendary Rameses the Great, plays hourly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays through Sundays.
The next several Late Night at the Museum events, held on the third Friday of each month, will also feature programs pertaining to the exhibition.
“Tut” has also sparked interest in the art community Dallas. The Dallas Children’s Theater will present “The Mummy’s Claw,” the 2008-2009 season of the Texas Ballet Theater will include a performance of “Cleopatra” and Theatre Three will perform Agatha Christie’s “Death on the Nile.”
Although student tickets for the exhibition are regularly $24.50 on weekdays and $29.50 on weekends, the DMA has recently announced a fall discount for college students to $15 on weekdays. Tickets for adults are $27.50 on weekdays and $32.50 on weekends. Audio guides for the exhibition are $7 for non-members.
