Museums: Howard Carter's House opens

It is great news that the mud-brick home of Howard Carter on the West Bank at Luxor has now opened to the public as a museum, on an anniversary of the opening of the tomb of Tutankhamen. Thanks to Jane Akshar for the pre-opening updates.

Luxor News Blog (Jane Akshar)

Jane has provided a photo-story of the opening ceremony and the house itself which looks great.



BBC News (Yolande Knell)

The Egyptian mud-brick house of British archaeologist Howard Carter has been re-opened as a museum.

Carter was living in the house 87 years ago when he made his most famous discovery, the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun.

He had been employed by collector Lord Carnarvon to search for the tomb of the then relatively unknown pharaoh.

Relatives of Carter and his patron were among the first visitors to the newly-renovated property.

"This is where the two men spent long winter months over many years," said the modern-day Lord Carnarvon.

"It is poignant to come back.

"My great-grandfather was so persistent and determined to find objects of beauty and Howard Carter was such a great organiser, draughtsman and scholar."

'Unlocking secrets'

The museum displays tools Carter used in excavations and a collection of photographs of work under way.

Egypt State Information Service

Zahi Hawwas, the Secretary-General of the Supreme council of Antiquities (SCA), inaugurated on Wednesday 4/11/2009 the rest house of Howard Carter, the discoverer of ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922, after its restoration.

“Soon, the members of King Tut's family will be uncovered after finishing the DNA tests,” he said.

He said the rest-house, located at al-Bar Al-Gharbi (West Bank of the River Nile) in the Upper Egyptian archaeological city of Luxor, will be leased for three nights annually, including 4 November, the day the tomb was unearthed, for a sum of $20,000.

Meanwhile, Hawas noted that Egypt will retrieve five archaeological pieces from the Louvre on 20 November.