Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany has inaugurated the 4th International Tutankhamun GEM Conference, entitled “Tutankhamun: Weapons and Statues,” headed by Fayza Heikal, professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo.

The two-day conference aims at contributing to final preparations for the display of the Tutankhamun collection of artefacts at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).

During the opening ceremony of the conference, El-Enany said that the ministry is moving forward with the planned soft opening of the GEM.

“Until now, 70 per cent of the buildings have been realised and a collection of 43,257 artefacts has been transferred to the GEM as well as another 4,549 objects from the Tutankhamun collection."

The conference will see a number of lectures delivered by international scholars and researchers discussing the latest technology used in displaying and restoring historical artefacts, including military equipment.

Former Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass delivered a lecture on the discovery of Tutankhamun tomb in 1922 and the latest scientific studies being conducted on the boy king’s mummy to know his lineage and the real reason of his death.

Tutankhamun is understood to have died from infection folliwng a wound to his knee.