King Tutankhamun exhibition coming to Sydney

A blockbuster Tutankhamun exhibition will visit Sydney's Australian Museum after it receives a $50 million upgrade.

One of Egypt's famed King Tutankhamun's golden sarcophagus displayed at his tomb in a glass case.

One of Egypt's famed King Tutankhamun's golden sarcophagus displayed at his tomb in a glass case. Source: Getty

The largest Tutankhamun exhibition to ever leave Egypt will visit Sydney's Australian Museum in 2021 after a $50 million upgrade to the facility.

The six-month exhibition will be part of a tour of just ten cities marking the centenary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.

The collection includes more than 150 objects from the tomb and 60 treasures never previously displayed outside Egypt.

King Tut Restoration
The restoration was launched in 2009 in collaboration with Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities. Source: AAP

It's the last time they will be on the road because Giza's Grand Egyptian Museum is near completion.

The exhibition, currently in Los Angeles, also features the latest science about King Tut's life, health, death and lineage.

Arts Minister Don Harwin, who on Monday announced $50 million would be allocated in next week's budget for the museum's expansion, called the exhibition a "game changer" for Sydney and Australia.

"The significant upgrades to the Australian Museum will ensure we have world-class museum exhibition spaces for visitors," Mr Harwin said in a statement on Monday.

The museum will repurpose existing storage space to expand touring exhibition halls to 1500 square metres across two levels.

This will allow it to host either one blockbuster or two exhibitions simultaneously.

The government expects visitors to the collection to bring in more than $100 million to the economy.


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