Tutankhamun’s mummy remains in his original tomb, known as KV62, in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, Egypt. While thousands of his burial treasures have been moved to museums over the past century, the mummy itself has never left the tomb where Howard Carter discovered it in 1922. It rests inside a climate-controlled glass case in the underground burial chamber, visible to anyone who purchases a ticket.
Why the Mummy Stayed in Luxor
When Egypt’s Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) opened near the Giza pyramids in November 2025, it brought together Tutankhamun’s complete burial collection for the first time: over 5,500 artifacts including the famous gold mask, his throne, and his chariots. For decades, only about 1,800 of those pieces had been on public display. The rest sat in storage. The GEM changed that, reuniting the entire tomb’s contents in one place.
The mummy, however, was not part of that move. Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities assembled a committee of experts to evaluate whether transporting the mummy from Luxor to Cairo would be safe. Moving a 3,300-year-old body across hundreds of kilometers carries real preservation risks, and as of now, the decision has been to keep Tutankhamun in his tomb. The mummy remains in the Valley of the Kings while his treasures are displayed at the GEM, roughly 650 kilometers to the north.
What the Display Looks Like
Inside KV62, the mummy lies in a climate-controlled glass case within the burial chamber. It is wrapped in linen, and the case maintains stable temperature and humidity to slow deterioration. The tomb itself is underground, small compared to other royal tombs in the valley, and can feel cramped with even a handful of visitors inside. The painted walls of the burial chamber are visible around the case, showing scenes of Tutankhamun’s journey to the afterlife.
Visiting requires a separate ticket beyond the general Valley of the Kings admission. General entry costs about 240 Egyptian pounds (around $8), which covers access to three tombs of your choice. Tutankhamun’s tomb requires an additional 300 Egyptian pounds (roughly $10). Photography permits for professional equipment cost another 300 Egyptian pounds. A Luxor Pass, available in standard ($100) and premium ($200) versions, covers multiple sites including KV62.
What Modern Scans Have Revealed
Tutankhamun’s mummy has been studied extensively without ever leaving its tomb. CT scans performed in the early 2000s resolved one of the longest-running mysteries about the young king: bone fragments visible inside his skull on earlier X-rays had fueled decades of murder theories. The scans showed the fragments were loose inside the cranium rather than embedded in embalming material, meaning they weren’t caused by a blow during his lifetime. Researchers concluded the skull was likely damaged either during the embalming process or when Carter’s team first examined the mummy in 1922.
The scans also found no evidence of poisoning. What they did find was a serious fracture in his lower left thighbone that happened while he was still alive. The break showed no signs of healing, suggesting it occurred shortly before death.
How DNA Testing Identified His Parents and Cause of Death
A landmark 2010 DNA study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association built a five-generation family tree from genetic fingerprinting of multiple royal mummies. The study identified Tutankhamun’s father as the mummy found in tomb KV55 (believed to be Akhenaten) and his mother as a mummy known as “the Younger Lady” from tomb KV35. His parents were likely siblings, and the researchers noted an accumulation of genetic malformations across the family.
Tutankhamun himself had a bone disorder affecting his foot, which would have made walking painful and helps explain the 130 walking canes found in his tomb. More critically, genetic testing detected DNA from the parasite that causes the most dangerous form of malaria in four of the royal mummies, including Tutankhamun. The researchers concluded that a combination of bone disease and malarial infection was the most likely cause of his death, probably compounded by the leg fracture. He died around age 19, circa 1325 BC.
The Open Question of Relocation
Whether Tutankhamun’s mummy will eventually join his treasures at the Grand Egyptian Museum remains unresolved. Egyptian authorities have publicly stated that any decision to move the mummy would require extensive expert review and protective measures. For now, if you want to see the pharaoh himself, the trip goes to Luxor, not Cairo. His belongings tell his story at the GEM, but the mummy stays where it has been for over three millennia.