Visitors to the royal necropolis in the Valley of the Kings will be unable to admire the tomb of boy king Tutankhamun after 1 October as it will be closed for conservation.

Antiquities minister Mamdouh Eldamaty has said the project includes the restoration of the tomb's floor and the relocation of the king's mummy from its current position to side room which will provide a better environment for its preservation.

Eldamaty said the restoration work near Luxor will last between one and three months.

The tomb's walls will be cleaned and restored with paintings also consolidated and strengthened.

The tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered intact by British archaeologist Howard Carter in November 1922 during excavation works carried out in the Valley of the Kings on Luxor's west bank.