Is the ‘Curse of the Pharaohs’ real?

CAIRO – 13 March 2022: Endless rumors have been circulating about Tutankhamun since his tomb was discovered in 1922. Among those rumors is the demise of 22 people because of the curse of the pharaohs.

Several months after the discovery, the world was surprised by a number of strange deaths, which reached 22 cases by 1929. This raised the astonishment of some, and made them consider the possibility that the curse of the pharaohs might be true.

Among these mysterious deaths was that of the funder of the expedition, which took  place several months after the discovery, in April 1923.  

In addition to the demise of many researchers and workers in the cemetery within a only few years of the discovery in strange circumstances and accidents, British archaeologist Howard Carter, who discovered the tomb, died bit by a mosquito, which was later discovered to have been found in the chest of Tutankhamun. 

"The curse of the pharaohs is still to be doubted. Personally, I do not believe it is true," said prominent Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass.

On November 4, 1922, when Carter was excavating at the entrance to the tunnel leading to the tomb of Ramses VI in the Valley of the Kings, he noticed the presence of a large vault and continued to excavate carefully until he entered the room that includes the tomb of Tutankhamun .

On the walls of the room that contained the sarcophagus were wonderful drawings that told the story of Tutankhamun’s departure to the world of the dead. The scene was wonderful for the scientist Howard Carter, who was looking at the room through a hole with a candle in his hand. It is said that his assistant asked him, “Can you see anything?” Carter replied, "Yes, I see wonderful things."

Carter noticed the presence of a wooden box with inscriptions inlaid with gold in the center of the room, and when he lifted the box, he found that it was covering a second box also decorated with inscriptions inlaid with gold and covering a third box inlaid with gold. When the third box was lifted, Carter finally reached the sarcophagus, which was covered with a thick layer of stone carved in the form of a statue of Tutankhamun.

Carter had difficulty lifting the third golden shroud that covered the mummy of Tutankhamun. Carter thought that exposing the shroud to the heat of the Egyptian summer sun would be enough to separate the golden shroud from the mummy, but his attempts failed and he was forced in the end to cut the golden shroud in half to reach the mummy.

The mummy of Tutankhamun was found, with all its necklaces, rings, crown and wands, made of pure gold.

To remove these artifacts, the excavation team had to separate the skull and major bones from their joints, and the team later reassembled the skeleton of the mummy and placed it in a wooden coffin.

The treasures of the Golden King, Tutankhamun, will be displayed altogether in one place for the first time in a 7,500-square meter hall in the Grand Egyptian Museum.