Tutankhamun Exhibition

One of the undoubted highlights of the 2009 cultural year in Barcelona has been the fabulous Tutankhamun Exhibition – the Tomb and its Treasures – in the Museu Marítim.

Both local residents and visitors alike have flocked to one of the city’s favourite museums to have a taste of the glories and the legends surrounding the most famous ‘boy pharaoh’, Tutankhamun.

Although he only ruled as part of the Eighteenth Dynasty for a ten year spell after becoming Pharaoh as a nine year old boy, Tutankhamun is remembered because his is the most complete royal tomb to have been discovered in Egypt to date. Howard Carter made his momentous discovery in November, 1922 and the exhibition in Barcelona, La Tumba y sus tesoros, has full-scale reproductions of three of the four funeral chambers unearthed.

In addition to the stunning display of funerary treasures, including some of the boy pharaoh’s jewels, there are over 1,000 replicas of burial objects uncovered during the excavations. These wonderfully authentic reproductions were all handcrafted by Egyptian artesans, using the traditional tools and techniques originally employed.

A visually stunning experience, the Tutankhamun Exhibition manages to bring a sense of historical perspective to the story of a boy who ruled one of the world’s most important kingdoms thirteen hundred years before Christ. To help make this fascinating educational experience even more valid, visitors to the museum have the opportunity of listening to a free audio guide as they wander around.

Barcelona’s Maritime Museum is in a perfect location for visitors to the city; close by the Monument to Columbus at the southern end of Las Ramblas on the Avinguda de las Drassanes (the Shipyards).

First built in the thirteenth century, there are few better places for a maritime museum to be sited – but, amazingly, the Tutankhamun exhibits fit their location to perfection. Somehow, the medieval atmosphere of the Gothic architecture, lends an eerie sense of mystery to the artefacts on display.

Opening Times and Location

The nearest Metro station to the Maritime Museum is Drassanes (Green Line,3) and there are many bus routes passing by the building – lines 14, 18, 36, 38, 57, 59, 64 and 91, as well as the Tourist Bus.

Admittance to the exhibition is €16 for an adult; €8 for a child between 4 and 13 years of age; €10 for pensioners, students and other concessionaries and a family ticket for two adults and a child is available for €32.

Tutankhamun, the Tomb and its Treasures, will continue at the Maritime Museum until October 4th. It is open for seven days each week from 10am and closes daily at 9pm, and 10pm on Saturdays.

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