Tutankhamun uncovered: more than 5,000 artifacts belonging to the pharaoh will be displayed for the first time

As a teenager, Mertah spent Eid reading books about the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun , tracing hieroglyphics , and dreaming of holding the king's golden mask. "I studied archaeology because of Tut," said Mertah, 36. "My dream was to work with his treasures , and that dream came true."

Mertah is one of more than 150 curators and 100 archaeologists who have worked quietly for more than a decade to restore thousands of artifacts at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GME) , a $1 billion project on the edge of the Giza plateau.

Its opening was originally scheduled for July 3, but was rescheduled for later this year for security reasons. When it finally opens, the GME will be the world's largest archaeological museum dedicated to a single civilization.

It will house more than 100,000 artifacts , half of them on display, and will include a living conservation laboratory.

From behind glass walls, visitors can watch experts working to restore a 4,500-year-old boat that was buried near the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu to transport his soul to Ra, the sun god.

But the star of the museum will be the Tutankhamun collection , with more than 5,000 objects, many of which will be displayed together for the first time.

It includes his gold funerary mask , gold coffins and amulets, bead necklaces, ceremonial chariots, and two mummified fetuses believed to be his stillborn daughters.

Many of these treasures have not been restored since their discovery by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922. The conservation methods employed by Carter's team sought to protect the objects, but more than a century later, their preservation remains a challenge.

Covering gold surfaces with wax, for example, "preserved the objects in their time," curator Hind Bayoumi noted, "but hid the details he wanted everyone to see."

For months, 39-year-old Bayoumi and his colleagues removed the wax applied by British chemist Alfred Lucas . Over the decades, that wax trapped dirt and dulled the gold's shine.

The restoration was a joint effort between Egypt and Japan, which provided $800 million in loans and technical support.

The golden coffin of Tutankhamun , transported from his tomb in Luxor, was one of the most complex works. In the GME's wood laboratory, curator Fatma Magdy, 34, used magnifying glasses and archival images to reassemble its delicate gold sheets.

"It was like solving a giant puzzle," he said. "The shape of the cut, the flow of the hieroglyphics—every detail mattered."

Before restoration, the Tutankhamun collection was recovered from various museums, storage facilities, and tombs in Egypt. Some artifacts were lightly restored before being transported so they could be moved safely.

Before touching the objects, the teams performed photographic documentation, X-ray analysis , and material testing to understand the condition of each artifact.

"We had to understand the condition of each piece, the layers of gold, the adhesives, the wood structure, everything," Mertah explained.

The team's philosophy has been one of caution . "The goal is always to do as little as necessary and respect the object's history," said Mohamed Moustafa, a 36-year-old restorer.

But beyond the restoration work, the process has been an emotional journey for many of those involved.

"I think we 're more excited to see the museum than the tourists," Moustafa admitted.

"When visitors walk through the museum, they'll see the beauty of these artifacts. But for us, each piece is a reminder of the endless hours of work , the discussions, the training," he said. "Each piece tells a story."