Beyond King Tut: National Geographic marks 100th anniversary of tomb discovery


Ellie Sennett
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On November 4, 1922, an archaeological team led by British Egyptologist Howard Carter excavated the tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.

A century later, the National Geographic Museum in Washington is marking the discovery's centennial with an exhibition that brings the tomb, its precious artefacts and all they symbolise to life for a digital era.

The exhibition has drawn from the National Geographic Society's archives to take visitors on a journey into King Tut's Egypt, bringing the archaeological find to life through cinematic storytelling and state-of-the-art projection mapping.

  • Visitors to the National Geographic Museum in Washington take a step into the afterlife at the Beyond King Tut experience. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
    Visitors to the National Geographic Museum in Washington take a step into the afterlife at the Beyond King Tut experience. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
  • Beyond King Tut is produced by Paquin Entertainment Group and Immersive Experiences. Photo: National Geographic
    Beyond King Tut is produced by Paquin Entertainment Group and Immersive Experiences. Photo: National Geographic
  • Viewers admire a digital recreation of King Tut's famous golden sarcophagus. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
    Viewers admire a digital recreation of King Tut's famous golden sarcophagus. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
  • Visitors learn about King Tut's life as well as his death in the immersive new exhibition. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
    Visitors learn about King Tut's life as well as his death in the immersive new exhibition. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
  • The digital recreation of King Tut's tomb includes a scaled-down replica of the Boy King's sarcophagus. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
    The digital recreation of King Tut's tomb includes a scaled-down replica of the Boy King's sarcophagus. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
  • King Tut's final resting place, and its thousands of artefacts, are reimagined in National Geographic's digital exhibition. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
    King Tut's final resting place, and its thousands of artefacts, are reimagined in National Geographic's digital exhibition. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
  • National Geographic's modern exhibition creates plenty of photo and Instagram-worthy moments for visitors. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
    National Geographic's modern exhibition creates plenty of photo and Instagram-worthy moments for visitors. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
  • A recreation of King Tut's golden bust. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
    A recreation of King Tut's golden bust. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
  • The afterlife section of the Beyond King Tut experience was informed by the Book of the Dead and religious beliefs from Ancient Egypt. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
    The afterlife section of the Beyond King Tut experience was informed by the Book of the Dead and religious beliefs from Ancient Egypt. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
  • Visitors move from life into death and afterlife, in National Geographic's Beyond King Tut experience. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
    Visitors move from life into death and afterlife, in National Geographic's Beyond King Tut experience. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
  • The experience takes visitors on a journey flooded with sights, sounds and intrigue through the world of King Tut. Photo: National Geographic
    The experience takes visitors on a journey flooded with sights, sounds and intrigue through the world of King Tut. Photo: National Geographic
  • King Tut ruled Egypt as pharaoh for 10 years until his death at age 19, about 1324BC. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National
    King Tut ruled Egypt as pharaoh for 10 years until his death at age 19, about 1324BC. Photo: Katarina Holtzapple / The National

“This is obviously a story that we've been telling for a hundred years at National Geographic, so the narrative we were pretty sure about and have a lot of research we've been doing over the years,” Kathryn Keane, vice president of public programming for the National Geographic Society, told The National.

“So it was great to get experts in projection technology and media production involved in this story, bring it out of the pages of National Geographic magazine and into this immersive environment.”

The journey begins with the 1922 archaeological mission, with background on Carter, the discovery's front-page coverage in The New York Times, and context on colonialism's role in western expeditions throughout the Ottoman Empire and beyond.

From there, like a monochrome Dorothy being dropped into the colourful land of Oz, visitors are plunged into a digitally and sonically immersive experience that starts with a recreation of the tomb itself, leading to display's of Tutankhamun's family life, history and even his favourite board game, Senet.

The grand finale is an intrepid voyage into the afterlife. Created by immersive storytelling company CityLights and voiced by English actor Hugh Bonneville, visitors join King Tut on a vibrant, 20-minute cinematic journey to the sun god Ra.

  • English Egyptologist Howard Carter (1874-1939, right) with the patron of his research, archaeologist and Fifth Earl of Carnarvon George Herbert (1866-1923), at the Valley of the Kings excavation site, Egypt. In 1922 the pair discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamen. Getty Images
    English Egyptologist Howard Carter (1874-1939, right) with the patron of his research, archaeologist and Fifth Earl of Carnarvon George Herbert (1866-1923), at the Valley of the Kings excavation site, Egypt. In 1922 the pair discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamen. Getty Images
  • Carter and an Egyptian colleague examining the inner coffin. Photo: The Bodleian Library / University of Oxford
    Carter and an Egyptian colleague examining the inner coffin. Photo: The Bodleian Library / University of Oxford
  • Closing the tomb of Tutankhamun, Valley of the Kings, Egypt, February 1923. The discovery of the tomb in 1922 was one of the most astounding discoveries in archaeology. Tutankhamun was a previously unknown pharaoh whose name had been eradicated from historical records by one of his successors because of his association with the heretical pharaoh Akhenaten, who was Tutankhamun's father-in-law. Consequently his tomb, uniquely, had remained undisturbed by grave robbers. Getty Images
    Closing the tomb of Tutankhamun, Valley of the Kings, Egypt, February 1923. The discovery of the tomb in 1922 was one of the most astounding discoveries in archaeology. Tutankhamun was a previously unknown pharaoh whose name had been eradicated from historical records by one of his successors because of his association with the heretical pharaoh Akhenaten, who was Tutankhamun's father-in-law. Consequently his tomb, uniquely, had remained undisturbed by grave robbers. Getty Images
  • Objects found in the antechamber. Getty Images
    Objects found in the antechamber. Getty Images
  • Carter and associates opening the doors of King Tutankhamun's burial shrine in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt; screen print from a photograph, 1923. Getty Images
    Carter and associates opening the doors of King Tutankhamun's burial shrine in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt; screen print from a photograph, 1923. Getty Images
  • British archaeologists Carter, left, and Arthur Callender, who died in 1937, remove objects from the antechamber of the tomb with help from an Egyptian worker, Thebes, Egypt, 1923. Getty Images
    British archaeologists Carter, left, and Arthur Callender, who died in 1937, remove objects from the antechamber of the tomb with help from an Egyptian worker, Thebes, Egypt, 1923. Getty Images
  • One of Carter’s record cards showing his drawing of the jackal god Anubis with notes and measurements. Photo: Griffith Institute / University of Oxford
    One of Carter’s record cards showing his drawing of the jackal god Anubis with notes and measurements. Photo: Griffith Institute / University of Oxford
  • Carter, right, opening the door to the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. Getty Images
    Carter, right, opening the door to the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. Getty Images
  • The Earl of Carnavon, who financed the excavation. Getty Images
    The Earl of Carnavon, who financed the excavation. Getty Images
  • An illustration of Howard Carter and the Earl of Carnarvon inside the tomb. Getty Images
    An illustration of Howard Carter and the Earl of Carnarvon inside the tomb. Getty Images
  • Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus, containing the pharaoh’s gold coffin. Getty Images
    Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus, containing the pharaoh’s gold coffin. Getty Images

Visitors are surrounded by a 360-degree, floor-to-ceiling experience, complete with central mirrors that visually place onlookers into the imagery.

The narrator takes viewers through scenes inspired by ancient religious beliefs, with dramatic music and bright imagery.

“We take a little creative licence, basing our narrative on The Book of the Dead and the common religion of Egyptians at the time and what they thought would have happened to King Tut in the afterlife,” said Ms Keane.

Tutankhamun, nicknamed “The Boy King”, assumed the throne at one nine years old in 1333 BC, ruling for 10 years until his untimely death in 1323 BC. Tutankhamun was then mummified and buried in a tomb filled with artwork, jewellery and other treasures.

Desert sands quickly covered the tomb and it remained mostly hidden for more than 3,000 years, until Carter's archaeological team came along. Carter's expedition uncovered breathtaking artefacts including the famous golden sarcophagus and mummified Boy King himself.

A tour of the recently discovered 4,000-year-old pharaonic tombs near Cairo

If not for that find, Ms Keane noted, the name that has become synonymous with Ancient Egypt may have been lost to history.

“It was world news when it happened in 1922. An intact tomb had never been discovered,” she said. “Even though Tut was a very minor pharaoh … [his tomb] was still full of over 5,000 treasures which have been informing historians and scholars and researchers, and really, captured the imagination of the world ever since.”

A majority of the physical artefacts from Tutankhamun's tomb are in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, but many of these are in the process of moving to a new home: the Grand Egyptian Museum, located near the Giza Pyramids, which will open this year.

In an era when western museums are facing a reckoning over their possession of looted, stolen or colonised artefacts, the immersive Beyond King Tut exhibition in Washington showcases what museum experiences could look like when historical pieces remain in their homelands.

The Beyond King Tut exhibition will run at the National Geographic Museum in Washington until February 2023 and the SoWa Power Station in Boston until September of this year.

National Geographic will also commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in November, with content including a televised documentary and a magazine feature.

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Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.

It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.

It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.

It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.

Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.

The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.

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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

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One in nine do not have enough to eat

Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.

One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.

The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.

Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.

It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.

On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.

Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.

 

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store

To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.

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When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi

  

 

 

 

Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.

 
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Day 3 stumps

New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)

Pakistan require another 139 runs with 10 wickets remaining

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
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  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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Updated: August 27, 2022, 10:38 AM