King Tut’s gold on display at the AGO

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The travelling exhibit, “Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs”, is now on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, and it’s definitely an event worth checking out, especially for fans of art, history, or gold.

Last seen in Toronto in 1979, the King Tut exhibit features 130 items including jewellery, statues, Tut’s golden death mask, and even 3000-year-old wooden furniture. Tickets are $28.50 on weekdays and $32.50 on the weekends.

Here are a couple of tips you might want to consider when planning your trip to see the Golden King’s exhibition…

DO:

• Get the audio tour which costs $6 and is narrated by Harrison Ford and includes a lot of extra detail about the objects that are on display by Egyptology expert Dr. Zahi Hawass. The extra info really makes the whole exhibit even more worthwhile (For example, did you know that the Egyptians tossed away the brain during the mummification process, because they didn’t consider as important as, say, the stomach?).
• Spend the afternoon at the AGO. Your ticket to King Tut includes admission to see the rest of the exhibits at the AGO.
• Bring some extra cash. There are lots of Tut-inspired items for sale (although a lot of them are admittedly just plain silly).

DON’T:

• Bring your camera. The AGO has security on hand and won’t let you take any pictures inside the exhibit.
• Arrive late. On a busy day it can take half an hour (or more) to get through the line-up and in to see King Tut’s stuff.
• Expect to see the King himself. Tut is not on display, and neither are any of his full-size coffins. The “coffinette” shown in most of the publicity is less than a foot tall.
• Rush. A good trip through the exhibit will take you between 2 and 3 hours (with the audio tour especially), but gallery staff say that you’re welcome to spend the day once you’re inside.

“Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs” is on display at the AGO until April 18, 2010. You can find more information at www.ago.net/kingtut and www.kingtut.org.

Watch a preview of the exhibit below: