Egypt says King Tut mask was scratched, sends 8 to trial

Eight Egyptian museum employees face trial for damaging the iconic Tutankhamun mask in a botched attempt to glue his beard back on, local media has reported.

The beard came off the over 3,000-year-old artifact after museum workers allegedly mishandled the mask and hastily tried to reattach the beard with glue.

CAIRO (AP) — Eight Egyptians involved in a botched fix of the famed golden burial mask of King Tut, which was corrected late past year, have been referred to trial for “gross negligence”.

Last year, a conservationist pointed out the beard was already loose and the damage was reversible.

They “handled the mask with extreme recklessness”, Samir said.

King Tutankhamen’s death mask, known for its distinctive gold and blue pattern, is among the Egyptian capital’s biggest tourist attractions.

Museum workers are accused of making four failed attempts to reattach the beard – at first by using large amounts of inappropriate glue and later by also attempting to cover up their mistakes by using metal tools – which also damaged the mask.

According to the Daily News Egypt, the suspects include restoration experts and a former director of the museum. Removing the adhesive device and using beeswax instead, the German-Egyptian crew was successful – King Tut’s mask was back on public display two months later.

The beard became detached past year between August and November 2014 with varied accounts on circumstances leading to the detachment.

Tutankhamun, who became pharaoh at age 9, was part of Egypt’s 18th dynasty, ruling from 1361 to 1352 B.C. His almost intact tomb was discovered by English archeologist Howard Carter in 1922, and many of its treasures have become the crown jewels of the Egyptian Museum.