More than a Tut tutorial

Munich, a city of soaring bell towers and burnished copper domes, is one of Germany's most cultural cities. Visitors to this Bavarian metropolis flock to its many museums, which house works from the Renaissance through present times.

The cultural calendar is packed with events such as the annual Opera Festival, which attracts huge crowds of music lovers.

With such love of art and culture, it was only natural that Munich be chosen as the starting point of the European tour of the exhibition Tutankhamun — His tomb and His Treasures.

This will be on show in Munich until August and will then move to Barcelona, Budapest and Warsaw.

Theatrical authenticity

This is an opportunity for visitors to relive history and see the boy king's tomb just as it had been found almost 83 years ago.

Recreated down to the finest detail, the exhibition brings to life the splendour that evoked such wonder when British archaeologist Howard Carter opened the tomb in 1922. With over 1,000 dazzling objects at the exhibition, many of which were made of gold and jewels, visitors can see up close the statues, masks and artwork that were intended for Tutankhamun's afterlife.

The heat and harsh conditions in the Egyptian desert were a small price to pay for the rewards of discovery that awaited Carter and other early 20th-century archaeologists.

For present-day adventurers, this wonder of discovery comes in the form of the exhibition. Though more akin to entering a theatre than descending into a dark tomb, the theatricality works as the perfect vehicle via which to enjoy these ancient wonders.

“The short life of King Tutankhamun has captured the imagination of the world for over 80 years,'' said Zahi Hawass, an authority on the boy king and the secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

“Buried with him were treasures that provided a glimpse of ancient Egypt.''

The tomb was piled high with objects, many of them made of gold and encrusted with precious stones. The most fascinating piece was the golden death mask that covered the pharaoh's face and head.

Adorned with coloured glass, lapis lazuli and turquoise, the death mask has lost none of its mystique even after 5,000 years. Still considered the greatest archaeological find, the boy king's tomb contained an array of such objects of unsurpassed beauty.

Instead of just displaying these items in glass cases or behind a roped-off area, the exhibition allows visitors to see Tutankhamun's tomb just as Carter found it. Gold sandals, intricately carved, ivory-inlaid furniture, alabaster figures of a youthful king, elaborate jewellery and richly adorned gold containers in the shape of coffins — which were used to store the pharaoh's internal organs — all vie for attention.

These handmade replicas were crafted using traditional methods, under the supervision of the Cairo Museum in Egypt. Over 1,000 artefacts, along with the king's four-room-tomb, have been recreated.

However, the exhibition is much more than just a history lesson. It throws light on some of the prime elements that shaped Egyptian art at the time. In most cases, it is easy to recognise ancient Egyptian work. The stance of the subjects — with head in profile, torso facing the viewer and legs striding in profile — is typical of Egyptian art.

The paintings, relief carvings and sculptures from ancient Egypt have evolved little over almost three millennia. A grid of 18 squares was used to achieve the perfect proportions of the body.

A standing figure was based on a measure of six cubits, measured as 24 finger widths. Each square grid was approximately the size of a human palm, with a width of four fingers.

Funds for upgrades

Though the massive collection of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is magnificent, the setting, layout and labelling of the artefacts are not. But all that is about to change.

The money generated by the King Tut Roadshow is being used to build a new museum near the Pyramids at Giza. The Grand Egyptian Museum is already being promoted by the authorities as the world's largest.

The modern facility, designed by Ash Sekula, will feature a translucent alabaster façade, behind which will be a series of streets, piazzas and suspended bridges to allow visitors access to the galleries where some 100,000 artefacts will be on display.

The exhibition Tutankhamun — His Tomb and His Treasures gives visitors a taste of the excitement of entering a new world of wonders.

Using the latest technology, it conjures up the fascination of the long-gone Kingdom on the Nile. The burial chambers and the treasures have been accurately recreated to give visitors an authentic idea of the artefacts that were thought to accompany the king on his magical journey after death.

— Scott Adams is a Madrid-based freelance writer

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Where to stay

• Mandarin Oriental Hotel
  The Mandarin Oriental Hotel is the epitome of European style but with delightful Oriental touches. With over 70 luxurious rooms and suites, this boutique hotel is cosy and prides itself on the attention it pays to guest needs.
  
  Before heading off to the Tutankhamun exhibition, enjoy a light lunch on the rooftop terrace as you gaze out at the beautiful views of Munich. Those seeking to discover more about the city's gastronomy will love the stylish restaurant Mark's, which has been awarded two Michelin stars. For information and reservations, visit www.mohg.com/munich

Legacy of the boy king

In 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered a small tomb near the Egyptian city of Luxor. Inside, he found more gold than he could ever imagine.

Although Tutankhamun was just 19 years old when he died, a minor king in terms of Egypt's pharaonic history, he was buried with all the splendour befitting an Egyptian king, considered a human incarnation of the Egyptian deities.

His unexpected death, which experts such as Hawass believe was due to a blow to the head and a broken leg, probably the result of a riding accident, threw the royal court into panic.

As his tomb was still far from ready, the mummified body of the boy king was laid to rest in another tomb, a donation from a rich noble.

There was little time to adorn the tomb with the rich paintings that generally adorn the tombs of pharaohs.

But to compensate for this, four richly decorated golden boxes, each fitting neatly into the next, were placed in the tomb as a substitute golden palace for the afterlife.

But though the four-room tomb could be considered simple in some ways, its contents were mind-blowing.