Exhibition: More reTutankhamun

Reuters Africa

Through a succession of rooms, visitors see statues, empty jars for mummified body parts, masks and daily objects.

Turning a corner, the visitor is confronted by a life-sized bust of the boy king. Then comes the heart of the exhibition with gold figurines and the ceremonial trappings of power.

"To stand in the presence of an object that Tut touched or saw takes us back in time," said John Taylor of the British Museum.

In all, 130 objects, none less than 3,000 years old, are on display, including 50 from the tomb itself such as the boy king's gold crown.

Some critics have said the organisers have debased the treasures with merchandising that includes a Tutankhamun shot glass, mummy fridge magnets and a King Tut headband.

"The exhibition doesn't totally escape the risks of profiteering ... but it is often powerful, sometimes provocative and always worth seeing" the New York Times commented when the show was in the United States.