Chairman of Al-Ahram Foundation Ahmed El-Naggar and Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany signed on Monday a protocol of cooperation to launch a touring exhibition in Japan of replicas from Tutankhamun's funerary collection.

During the signing, which took place in the presence of Japanese ambassador Takehiro Kagawa, El-Naggar offered El-Enany and Kagawa the Al-Ahram Foundation award and a collection of books published by Al-Ahram.

The exhibition tour will start in April 2017 in Tokyo before moving on to Osaka, Japan.

El-Enany told Ahram Online that this would not be the last cooperation effort with Al-Ahram. El-Enany and El-Naggar also priliminarly agreed to publish illustrated books for Egyptian children to raise their awareness of their heritage.

El-Enany said that the replica exhibition comes after the success of the first local replica exhibition held in July at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square.

Al-Ahram foundation will cover all the costs of the exhibition, including insurance fees, which cost EGP 3,7 million, as well as EGP 100,000 for the right to use the replicas.

Amr El-Tibi, executive director of the Replica Unit at the ministry, explained that the exhibition, “The Treasures of Tutankhamun,” includes a collection of 150 replicas from the boy-king's funerary collection.

The exhibition will last for 18 days, with nine days in each of the two Japanese cities. El-Tibi said that books published by the ministry and replicas produced by the ministry are to be sold during the exhibition.