Exploring King Tut's Tomb at HMNS

Stepping into the King Tut’s Tomb exhibit at Houston Museum of Natural Science, you are immediately transported back over 100 years into history when archaeologist Howard Carter first discovered King Tut’s tomb and its four chambers.

At the start of the exhibit, Howard Carter’s tent stands to transport visitors back to the archaeological site. Fabricated sandstone meant to represent the Valley of the Kings covers the wall with various textures. Experience the dark and winded tunnels that led to Tutankhamen’s burial chambers, and walk through a forced perspective hallway to create the illusion of descending into his tomb. 

Buzz intern Gia Gaston admires some of the replicated artifacts found in King Tut’s burial site.

This exhibit was made fully in house by the museum’s team and features everything from replicated artifacts, to hands-on experiences, and more. Each room in the exhibit is differentiated based on carpet color. The rooms with tan carpet are known as the 1:1 rooms, meaning that the room is true to size and accurately represents the real space from ancient times. 

Once you have descended into King Tut’s tomb, replicated artifacts found in the burial site are scattered around the entrance just as they were placed in the original chamber, with detailed descriptions of each piece.

The exhibit features interactive visuals explaining various aspects of the burial site. As you make your way past the exhibit, a room projecting a video describing the brightly colored, floor-to-ceiling hieroglyphs that detail his life and offer prayers to the gods to ensure a blessed afterlife is displayed. 

Buzz interns Gia Gaston and Natalie French watch a video explaining the life and death of King Tut.

In one part of the exhibit, you can see the different layers archaeologists had to explore to get to King Tut’s sarcophagus. The museum curators replicated the different levels of shrines that expert Kathleen Havens likens to a nesting doll. Each shrine was carefully crafted and inscribed with spells of protection.

From an interactive sand pit with replicas of some of the ancient pottery discovered, to pieces of various stone materials that were used in these ancient times, this exhibit involves all five senses.

The exhibit ends with a wall that the museum refers to as “Tutmania,” where visitors can reflect on the influence King Tut has had on American pop culture, including films, television, and even “Tut Tacos.” While King Tut’s reign wasn’t long, his legacy and his perfectly intact burial site discovery makes his story remarkable. 

This exhibit currently doesn’t have an end date, and tickets are $35 for adults, $27 for children, and $20 for members.