World

Egypt shows Tutankhamun mask under restoration after botched epoxy repair

Associated Press
Published | Updated

German restorer Christian Eckmann begins restoration work on the golden mask of King Tutankhamun over a year after the beard was accidentally broken off and hastily glued back with epoxy, at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015. The 3,300-year-old burial pharaonic mask was discovered in Tutankhamun's tomb along with other artifacts by British archeologists in 1922, sparking worldwide interest in archaeology and ancient Egypt. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) (The Associated Press)

German restorer Christian Eckmann examines the beard of the golden mask of the famed King Tutankhamun as an Egyptian-German team begins restoration work over a year after the beard was accidentally broken off and hastily glued back with epoxy, at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015. The 3,300-year-old burial pharaonic mask was discovered in Tutankhamun's tomb along with other artifacts by British archeologists in 1922, sparking worldwide interest in archaeology and ancient Egypt. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) (The Associated Press)

German restorer Christian Eckmann examines the beard of the golden mask of King Tutankhamun as an Egyptian-German team begins restoration work over a year after the beard was accidentally broken off and hastily glued back with epoxy, at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015. The 3,300-year-old burial pharaonic mask was discovered in Tutankhamun's tomb along with other artifacts by British archeologists in 1922, sparking worldwide interest in archaeology and ancient Egypt. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) (The Associated Press)

Restoration of the famed golden mask of Tutankhamun is underway in Cairo, over a year after the beard was accidentally knocked off and hastily glued back with epoxy.

A German-Egyptian team of experts showed off the mask in a laboratory Tuesday in the Egyptian Museum, detailing plans for how the glue will be scraped off and the beard carefully removed before being reattached by a method to be determined by a scientific committee.

Christian Eckmann, the lead restoration specialist, said the work should take a month or two, depending on how long it takes to remove the beard.

The mask is arguably the best-known piece in the museum, one of Cairo's main tourist sites, which was built in 1902 and houses ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies.