PHARAOH’S FURY King Tutankhamun’s golden sarcophagus removed from his tomb for first time in 100 years sparking ‘Curse of the Pharaohs’ fears

KING Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus has been removed from his tomb for the first time since its discovery 100 years ago – sparking fears of a deadly curse.

The Egyptian boy king’s sinister gold-plated coffin and thousands of artefacts are being restored by archaeologists for a new museum exhibit.

9The sarcophagus of boy pharaoh King Tutankhamun on display in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings in JanuaryCredit: Reuters9Archaeologist Howard Carter removing oils from the coffin of Tutankhamun in the 1920sCredit: Griffith Institute, University of Oxford

British archaeologist Haward Carter discovered the tomb of the 18th dynasty king in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor in 1922. The tomb was untouched and included about 5,000 artefacts.

Many believe Tut’s remains are cursed as the opening of his tomb was followed by a string of deaths of people involved with the discovery.

Archaeologists, and even their family members, died from horrible illnesses or in strange accidents – and some say the deaths weren’t a coincidence.

Tut’s sarcophagus and the treasured collection of his tomb are expected to be the centrepiece of the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) that Egypt will open next year near the Pyramids of Giza.

9The tomb was secretively transported in this wooden crate last weekCredit: Egyptian Ministry Of Antiquities9Tut was aged 10 when he took the throne, and died at 19 under mysterious circumstancesCredit: EPA

Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities said the coffin was transported from Tut’s tomb in southern Egypt to the GEM last week “in order to be restored for the first time since the tomb’s discovery”.

“The coffin has suffered a lot of damage, including cracks in the golden layers of plaster and a general weakness in all golden layers,” said GEM expert Eissa Zidan.

Restoration work on the coffin, which is made of wood and covered with gold, will take about eight months, he added.

It was the only sarcophagus left in Tut’s tomb after the two other coffins of Tutankhamun were moved to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir square in 1922.

9King Tut is famed for the iconic ‘death mask’ placed over his head after deathCredit: Reuters9Digital reconstruction of the pharaohCredit: AFP

Egypt has previously announced that the GEM, which has been under construction for about 15 years and is partially funded by Japan, will officially open by the end of 2020.

Tutankhamun, a pharaoh of the 18th Egyptian dynasty, ruled Egypt from 1332 to 1323 B.C.

He is most famous for his age – experts believe the boy was 10 when he took the reigns of the world’s most powerful empire.

His death aged just 19 has puzzled experts for decades. Some believe he died of a broken leg or other accident, while others suspect he was assassinated.