Beyond King Tut – The Immersive Experience

When I was little, I was obsessed with learning everything I could about ancient Egypt and the pharaohs. I even made a pyramid diorama back in middle school that was THE COOLEST.

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When I learned that the National Geographic Beyond King Tut exhibit was coming to San Diego, I jumped on the chance to get tickets.

Keeping reading for a little info on my experience visiting this exhibit.

The Entrance

As we entered the exhibit, our tickets were scanned and we were shown to the entrance of the exhibit. After a brief wait, we entered the exhibit for the first of nine multi-sensory galleries.

The first area has bench seating and a short video about the exhibit. This is the beginning of the journey that will take you from the discovery of his tomb, through his life, death and journey to the afterlife.

For more information, click here to visit the official website.

The Discovery

King Tut and all of his possessions rested in the Valley of the Kings for more than 3,000 years before the tomb was discovered.

Many had searched for King Tut, but for years archeologists would find only small items adorned with his name. His tomb remained a mystery.

The search for his tomb was nearly abandon after countless expeditions. Finally, while digging through sand, a step was found, then another. After unearthing a small staircase, they reached a doorway stamped with the name they had all been hoping for: Tutankhamun.

Then, in 1922 – 3,200 years after his death, a team lead by British archeologist Howard Carter located the tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

The discovery was monumental due to the fact that the tomb was nearly untouched and filled with more than 5,000 artifacts that would help historians learn more about the long lost pharaoh.

The Mystery

So why did it take so long for King Tut’s tomb to be discovered?

First and foremost, his tomb was relatively small compared to others.

Some believe this could have been because he died at such a young age, he was unable to complete the construction of a bigger, more grand pyramid.

Others believe Ay, his successor, switched tombs, placing King Tut in a smaller tomb so that he could take the larger for himself.

Another theory is that the Egyptian people wanted to forget about his father, King Akhenaten, and anything/anyone connected to him – including King Tut. Their names were stricken from lists of the Kings and their statues were destroyed. The tomb of King Ramses VI was built nearly on top of King Tut’s.

The Reign

Prior to the reign of the boy King, Egypt was led by his father, King Akhenaten. Unlike King Tut, his father was despised by commoners for his extreme religious views including denouncing all gods but Aten – the god of the sun.

Tut came to rule at the young age of nine and was guided by a team of royal advisors.

When the boy king came to rule, he immediately repealed his fathers following of Atenism and allowed his people to worship the gods of their choosing – restoring Egypt’s polytheistic society.

The new King repaired temples that had fallen into despair during his fathers reign. He commissioned new statues of the gods to be built.

The Demise

So how did he die at the young age of just 19? In 2006, a CT scan was performed on the mummy. This exam identified a fracture of his femur. Due to this find, many researchers believe that he died from an infection that came as a result of the injury.

The exhibit virtually recreates the famous sarcophagus. The outer layer being a stone tomb adorned with the four deities of protection. The next two coffins were made of wood and adorned with gold and precious stones. The inner-most coffin, which contained the mummy, was made of solid gold.

Most people relate King Tut to the golden death mask that was covering his head when he was first discovered.

Though you may be hoping to see some of the artifacts discovered in his tomb, you wont find any artifacts here. This is a virtual exhibit that uses high resolution images of the treasures found within his tomb to bring the story to life.

In this section of the exhibit, you can try your hand at a game of Senet, an Egyptian version of backgammon. This was one of the few games that was located within his tomb, suggesting that it was a game that King Tut liked to play himself.

The Journey

Within this room, guests are surrounded by projections depicting the King Tut’s journey to the afterlife. According to Egyptians, King Tut would need to journey to the afterlife by boat, lead by Anubis, the god of the dead.

He would need to battle strange beasts and dangerous serpents. If he made it through the realms and past the gates, he would stand trial before the gods. The final test, weighing his heart against that of a feather, would be the final test before entering the afterlife.

According to the gods, king Tut passed the test. His heart was lighter than a feather, making him immortal.

Gift Shop

At the end of the exhibit, you will make your way through the gift shop.

Although we didn’t purchase anything, they did have a large selection of items including books, jewelry and artifact replicas.

The Verdict

I have to admit, I was a bit underwhelmed. I think that the experience is quite cool but I left feeling like I didn’t learn much of anything new.

Sure, there were a few cute photo-ops but I certainly felt like more could have been done on the educational portion of it.

One day I will make my way to Egypt to see all of this stuff for myself and the obsession will continue.

Tickets

The exhibit is currently traveling throughout the United States – it’s currently in Milwaukee, Hartford and Jacksonville.

Click here to find out when it will be in a city near you.

Tickets prices are based on a few factors, including the date of your visit and time of entry.

They do offer a few discounts including military, senior, students, family packages and child pricing.

Plan on paying around $45 – $60 per adult.