Giant Tutankhamun-shaped maize field marks 100 years since tomb's opening

Heir of wealthy earl who backed 1923 excavation opens Ancient Egypt-themed maze in England

An effigy of Tutankhamun's famous death mask forms a maze in the north of England. PA

A giant image of Tutankhamun has been carved into an English grain field, forming a maze to mark 100 years since the opening of the legendary boy king's tomb.

The York maze opens to guests on Saturday and was officially unveiled by the great-grandson of Lord Carnarvon, the wealthy earl who backed the tomb's excavation a century ago.

The tomb was discovered in Egypt in November 1922 but it was not until 1923 that archaeologist Howard Carter entered the inner burial chamber that had been sealed for more than three millennia.

Marking the centenary, a likeness of Tutankhamun's famous blue-and-gold death mask was cut into a 15-acre maize field by farmer Tom Pearcy, the maze's owner.

The shaped pathways run to more than five kilometres.

“King Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus is such an iconic image, it makes a great maize maze which visitors can explore and try to find their way through," he said, according to the PA news agency.

He said the maze had a tricky hieroglyphic quiz trail that he joked was a real "corn-undrum".

George Herbert, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, said his great-grandfather would have been "amazed, as I am, to see this incredible image of Tutankhamun carved into a field of maize".

"As a photographer my great-grandfather knew the power of an image to tell a story and made sure that when he and Carter entered the tomb photographs of the discovery were captured and sent around the world," he said.

“It is fantastic that 100 years on this amazing image of Tutankhamun will also be sent around the world.”

The 5th Earl died from a mosquito bite only months after the tomb's opening in what became mythologised as part of a "curse of the pharaohs".

The centenary of the tomb's discovery last year was marked with special UK stamps and a commemoration in Luxor, Egypt, where Carter lived.