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Now, a nine-year conservation project has just ended, making the grave its former glory – and making intriguing discoveries along the way.
The researchers feared that the moisture and carbon dioxide from the tourists' breath would cause the formation of brown microbial growth spots on the surface of the paintings in the burial chamber.
Scratches and scratches also accumulated in places where visitors and film crews had access to the small space.
"Stains are no longer a threat"
Today, the tomb still contains Tut's own mummy, a quartzite sarcophagus, a wooden coffin and wall paintings illustrating his life and death.
Wall is from the burial chamber of the grave. The mummy of Tutankhamun is represented, lying in a shrine mounted on a sledge, pulled by 12 men divided into five groups. Men wear white mourning bands on their foreheads. The last pair, distinguished by their shaven heads and their different dress, are the two viziers of Upper and Lower Egypt.
Courtesy of J. Paul Getty Trust
The Conservatives sought to know if the brown growths were increasing, whether they were active or if they presented a danger for the illustrious paintings.
The comparison of photographs taken in the 1920s with the current state of the paintings shows that there was no change in the spots. A scientific investigation then concluded that the growths were dead and had merged with the paint layer.
"It's impossible to remove them safely," said Lori Wong, who worked on the project. "They are no longer a threat to the grave and probably grew up thousands of years ago, soon after the paintings were created."
Clues indicate a hurried burial
At the beginning of restoration work the conservatives also found clues that contribute to the hypothesis that Tutankhamen's death was relatively unexpected, and the grave was not intended for him. According to Wong, the ancient Egyptians probably took a grave that was already under construction and prepared it for burial – quickly.
As Tut's grave is the only Egyptian tomb to suffer from brown spots, it is possible that the burial of the ancient king was exceptionally hasty. It may be that the painting is not dry when the grave has been sealed.
In addition, the space is restricted and the burial chamber, the most important area of the tomb, is the only painted room, which is unusual for famous Egyptian kings.
The golden mask of King Tutankhamun exhibited at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
KHALED DESOUKI / AFP / Getty Images
It had been badumed that each wall of the burial chamber would have had the same number of coats of paint, but the team found that this was not the case. "There is a whole missing layer of a wall that is present on the other three walls," explained Wong, detailing another possible sign of haste.
Colorless and sickly?
The researchers believe that this poor health could be attributed to consanguinity, because genetic badysis shows that Tutankhamen's parents were probably siblings.
Preserved for the future
New platform of observation in the tomb of Tutankhamun
Courtesy of J. Paul Getty Trust
"There must be a high level of good management, maintenance and maintenance of the grave in the future," said Neville Agnew, the project leader. "It is still used by visitors and benefits the education and finance, the Egyptians and the international community."
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