GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) - It's one of the most highly anticipated exhibits to come through Grand Rapids and it has finally arrived in West Michigan. Saturday, The Discovery of King Tut opens at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
"The discovery of King Tutankhamen in 1922 was the most incredible archaeological find of all time and that stands to be true today. It was the only in tact Egyptian pharaoh ever found," said Jason Simmons with Premier Exhibitions.
The exhibition begins with a video depicting how famed archaeologist, Howard Carter, discovered the real tomb. From there, visitors are guided through a tour into the exhibition where they get to experience what it must have been like 92 years ago.
"You experience everything Howard Carter experienced. It gives you the whole background and allows you the visitor to experience opening the tomb for the first time," says Simmons. "There is definitely entertainment value. It is theatrically lit. There is a lot of video content. There is an audio tour. It is meant to be very entertaining but also extremely educational and inspiring."
"The Discovery of King Tut" includes more than 1,000 scientifically produced recreations. The actual artifacts are no longer allowed to leave Egypt.
Simmons says "even when they did, you could only get a small portion of them. We have over 1,000 artifacts recreated perfectly to scale, made by Egyptian craftsman working hand-in-hand with Egyptologists to make sure every detail is correct."
The exhibition tour opened in Europe, according to Simmons, and this is only the third city it has appeared in the United States. It will be at the Grand Rapids Public Museum through January of 2016.
Simmons says the experience will leave visitors with a much better understanding of the ancient Egyptians culture.
"There is almost too much to learn. You might have to come back several times," he said.
For more information including ticket prices visit the museum's website.
