[dramatic music]
NARRATOR: Egypt,
birthplace of one
of the most enigmatic
civilizations in history.
The pyramid tombs,
and the Valley
of the Kings, the final resting
places of powerful pharaohs.
Of the possible 63
tombs in the Valley,
there is one that
outshines the rest
and has captured the
world's imagination,
the tomb of Tutankhamun.
[dramatic music]
The Boy King was just 18
years old when he died,
but his priceless,
golden treasures
have made him the most
famous pharaoh of all time.
His funerary riches have been
displayed all over the world,
but now they are all
coming back to Egypt.
[dramatic music]
Cairo, in the shadows
of the Great Pyramids.
Engineers are
building a $1 billion
museum and research facility.
[suspenseful music]
The Grand Egyptian museum
will house all Tutankhamun's
5,000 treasures in one place
for the first time in 100 years.
[dramatic music]
One of the centerpieces
of the museum
will be Tutankhamun's
golden coffin.
[dramatic music]
Ahmed Abdrabou is
leading the research
process to get it ready.
AHMED ABDRABOU: I
must be very careful.
One of the bigger
challenge for me
to be responsible
for the restoration
of one of the masterpiece of
the Tutankhamun collection.
NARRATOR: The coffin was one
of many priceless treasures
found in Tutankhamun's tomb.
When Howard Carter's team opened
the tomb in November 1922,
they discovered a wealth
of treasures and gifts
the king would need
in the afterlife, six
disassembled golden chariots,
his throne, and provisions
of food and wine.
Concealed behind
a false wall was
a stone sarcophagus protecting
a gold plated coffin.
[stone scraping]
Inside it, two more coffins,
the innermost made of solid gold
and covered in gemstones.
And inside that, the
mummy of Tutankhamen,
wearing a magnificent
death mask,
the most famous find
in all of Egypt.
Ahmed needs to discover how
the ancient artisans built
Tutankhamun's golden coffin.
The inside is made of
wood, but the outside
is covered with a thin
layer of precious gold.
AHMED ABDRABOU: Must
to be very, very
careful, because I am working
on one of the masterpiece.
[soft music playing]
NARRATOR: Under the
lens, Ahmed discovers
an extraordinary secret.
AHMED ABDRABOU: The thickness
of the gold leaf ranged
in between 14 and 18 micron.
NARRATOR: The ancient artisans
could craft gold as thin
as shrink wrap, but to
get a flawless finish,
they could not apply
the gold directly
onto the uneven, chiseled wood.
Ahmed investigates closer,
and finds a mystery layer
between the gold and the wood.
AHMED ABDRABOU: This is for
the first time to see this.
NARRATOR: Ahmed finds a
3,300-year-old secret,
known only to the top
craftsmen closest to the king.
AHMED ABDRABOU: This textile
layer I think is linen.
[dramatic music]
NARRATOR: The ancient
craftsmen used linen bandages
to smooth out the jagged wood
and create a perfect finish
for the thin gold.
Almost 3,500 years later,
we are still solving
the mysteries of Tutankhamun.
Ahmed is on the
hunt for more clues.
