New Tutankhamun show breaks France visitor record

Toutankhamon, le Trésor du Pharaon (“Tutankhamun: The Treasure of the Pharaoh”) has been open to the public at the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris since March 23. Due to its popularity, its closing date has been extended to September 22.

With 1.3 million visitors, it has become the most-visited-ever exhibition in France, smashing the previous 1967 record, which was coincidentally also held by an exhibition about Tutankhamun.

Organisers said: “Ticket sales for Toutankhamon, le Trésor du Pharaon...have broken the threshold of 1.3 million, and in doing so have surpassed the amount of visitors to the Toutankhamon et Son Temps (“Tutankhamun and His Time”) exhibition from 1967, which attracted 1.2 million visitors to the Petit Palais - also in Paris - setting a [country] record that had never been beaten, until now.”

There are still some tickets available for the exhibition in Paris. Online reservation is recommended.

The show’s 150 precious, original objects - of which at least 60 have never left Egypt before - will continue on a ten-city world tour, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Paris is the second city on the global list, with London’s Saatchi Gallery (UK) next.

After the tour, the objects will be returned to the permanent collection in the new Grand Egyptian Museum - also known as the Giza Museum - which is set to open in 2020.