A project to produce an exact replica of the tomb of Tutankhamun took four years.
Courtesy of Factum Arte/Alicia Guirao
Erecting mural panels —
Laser scanners were used to map the walls in 3-D. The re-created panels were covered with a skin printed with photographic reproductions of the originals.
Courtesy of Factum Arte/Alicia Guirao
Final touches to mural panels —
The panels depict the young pharaoh's voyage to the afterlife following his death in 1327 B.C.
Courtesy of Factum Arte/Ferdinand Saumarez
Installing the ceiling —
The original tomb was discovered by archeologist Howard Carter in 1922, more than 3,000 years after it had been sealed.
Courtesy of Factum Arte/Alicia Guirao
Last roof panels put in place —
Though the old tomb remains open, it will eventually close to allow conservation work to preserve its crumbling contents.
Courtesy of Factum Arte/Ferdinand Saumarez
Preparing the sarcophagus —
King Tutankhamun was 19 when he died, just 10 years into his reign. His mummified remains were sealed inside a sarcophagus.
Courtesy of Factum Arte/Alicia Guirao
The sarcophagus in place —
Tutankhamun's remains were placed in a climate-controlled glass case inside the original tomb in 2007 to prevent further decomposition.
Courtesy of Factum Arte/Ferdinand Saumarez
Visitor's view of sarcophagus —
The interior of the facsimile of the tomb taken from the viewing gallery; the interior is reflected in the glass cover on top of the sarcophagus.
Courtesy of Factum Arte/Ferdinand Saumarez
Constructing an entrance to the tomb —
The replica tomb has been built underground near the entrance to the Valley of the Kings archeological complex.
Courtesy of Factum Arte/Ferdinand Saumarez
Completed tomb at dusk —
Tutankhamun's tomb is a key attraction in Egypt, which is struggling to attract tourists amid ongoing political and social upheaval.
