Bust of Tukankhamun

Carved of wood and then covered in gesso and painted, this bust of Tutankhamun portrays the young king. Although wearing a royal crown with a cobra deity projecting at his brow, he has on a simple linen shirt through which the upper part of his rib cage shows.

The excavators suggested that the enigmatic statue may have served as a clothes dummy on which garments of the king could be draped or his jewelry displayed.

Tickets to one of the most anticipated exhibitions of the year, "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," are available for public purchase on Wednesday, 12 September. More than 180,000 tickets already have been reserved for the exhibition, which will be on display at London's newest state-of-the-art venue, The O2, 15 November to 30 August 2008.

Organised by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International and AEG Exhibitions, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, and sponsored by Credit Suisse, "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" will be the first exhibition to take place in The O2's 6500m squared exhibition centre, The O2 Bubble.

Some of the treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb were last displayed in the UK in 1972 and attracted some 1.7 million visitors, setting traveling exhibition attendance records. The British Museum hosted the previous Tutankhamun exhibition and will once again participate in the new display, which will be housed in 11 different experiential galleries. Unique to the London exhibition will be a dedicated gallery to Howard Carter, the British archaeologist who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb.

The exhibition includes more than 130 treasures, all of which are 3,000 to 3,500 years old. These include artefacts found in the tomb of the celebrated pharaoh as well as several of his relatives and 18th Dynasty (1555 B.C. to 1305 B.C.) contemporaries. Major objects on display from Tutankhamun's tomb will include his royal diadem - the gold crown discovered encircling the head of his mummified body that he likely wore as king - and one of the gold and precious stone inlaid canopic coffinettes that contained his mummified internal organs.

Beginning next week, eager visitors who are O2 phone customers will have the chance to purchase exhibition tickets in advance of the general September 12 on-sale date during a pre-sale period from 29 August -11 September by texting "Tut" to 2020. They also will be the first to marvel at the treasures during the first week of the exhibition (15 November - 21 November), which will be open O2 customers and their guests only.

James Bidwell, Chief Executive, Visit London, said, "There is tremendous anticipation in the UK surrounding Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. A blockbuster attraction of this scale is a great opportunity for London and we are fortunate to be the exclusive European city to host Tutankhamun's treasures."

Registrations: http://www.kingtut.org/