'It's strange to think that it is now 30 years since we created the Tutankhamun exhibition'

The Tutankhamun Exhibition, located on High West Street, was the brainchild of director, Dr Michael Ridley.

During its 30 years the exhibition has been seen globally by more visitors than any other exhibition on Tutankhamun outside of Egypt, and has been a 'major influence' on many other exhibitions.

It was established following the success of the ‘Treasures of Tutankhamun Exhibition’ at the British Museum London in 1972, which due to damages sustained through travelling a decision was made by the Egyptian Government that Tut’s Gold Mask amongst other treasures, were not to leave Egypt again.

Thus The Tutankhamun Exhibition in Dorchester was born.

It was designed in 1986 to overcome this problem and allow visitors to experience the beauty and story of the treasures without having to travel to Egypt.

It recreates the treasures using, wherever possible, the same materials and methods, allowing the treasures shown in this exhibition as identical as possible to the originals now in Egypt.

The exhibition allows visitors to step back in time and enter Tutankhamun's tomb filled with treasures, just as Howard Carter did when he discovered it in 1922 - including the smells that met Carter as he entered the tomb.

With the help of world expert on Tutankhamun, Dr Nicholas Reeves, who has been associated with the exhibition from its inception, these ancient fragrances have been recreated to heighten the ambience of the tomb.

Dr Ridley said: “It's strange to think that it is now 30 years since we created the exhibition and during that time it has gone on to be a major influence on many other exhibitions on Tutankhamun over the world.

“Using new and innovative techniques we tried to create a totally new experience in an exhibition of this kind. Our aim was to span time itself and make it possible for visitors to enjoy some of the excitement of what could be said to be the most fabulous discovery of the 20th century."

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of The Tutankhamun Exhibition in the county town, two specially commissioned replicas of the shabti figures of Tutankhamun are being put on show for the first time.

In ancient Egypt during the period of Tutankhamun, shabtis were placed in tombs to act as the 'deputy' of the deceased.

The shabtis were created to undertake menial tasks in the next world and were activated by magical texts from The Book of the Dead.

The two shabti figures on display in the Tutankhamun Exhibition were part of 413 found in Tutankhamun's tomb.

Dr Ridley explained that this is an extraordinary number as the average number of shabtis used for a private burial was two.

However, the large number found in the tomb appears to reflect his royal status meaning that the number of Tutankhamun’s shabtis is symbolic.

There are 365 worker shabtis representing each day of the year, 36 supervisor shabtis, one for each ten day week, and a series of 12 monthly overseers.

Only 29 of Tutankhamun’s shabtis were inscribed with the full magical text from The Book of the Dead, most were only inscribed with his name and title.

One of the shabtis on display is one of only two depicting Tutankhamun wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt and is rare. The other is made in blue faience, one of 286 shabtis wearing the tripartite wig.

Dr Ridley said The Tutankhamun Exhibition is unique in that it displays the very first detailed reconstruction of the tomb of Tutankhamun.

He added: "These two beautiful shabtis are personal and poignant relics of the young king Tutankhamun, who died at the age of 19. They are an important addition to the wonderful objects displayed in the exhibition.”

The Tutankhamun Exhibition is open daily from 10am to 5pm.

For more information visit tutankhamun-exhibition.co.uk