Sunday 02/November/2025 – 10:48 PM
Eid Mortaha, antiquities restorer at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir and a member of the Egyptian-German team, which participated in the restoration of the golden mask of King Tutankhamun in 2015, said that he lived a unique journey with the golden mask that lasted for more than 15 years, and was full of pride, belonging, and responsibility towards one of the greatest symbols of ancient Egyptian civilization.
Restorer of Tutankhamun’s Golden Mask: I felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend thousands of years old
The antiquities restorer at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir added, in special statements to Cairo 24, that his relationship with the mask began when he was a child on a school trip to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, where that was the first moment he contemplated the king’s majestic golden face, saying: “I stopped in front of that wonderful face, the sparkle of gold, its inlays, and the king’s look at me at that moment, all of which captivated my heart and from that moment a dream was born within me to one day work in this great place, among the treasures of my ancestors.”
Mertaha pointed out that this dream accompanied him until he studied Egyptology and restoration, and then it came true when he became a member of the Egyptian Museum restoration team in 2011.
Mortah also mentioned that he was part of the Egyptian-German team that restored the mask in 2015, explaining that for him that moment was a meeting between dream and reality. He said: “When I held the mask in my hands for the first time up close, I felt deep awe and indescribable pride. It was not just a moment of action, but a moment of meeting between the child who dreamed and the man who became part of the history of this immortal monument.”
Adjusting the new stand for the golden mask before transporting it to the Grand Egyptian Museum
He continued that during the year 2021, he participated in transporting the mask inside the Egyptian Museum during the redisplay of the Tanis collection, a moment he described as “loaded with memories and feelings,” as he recalled the long years of work he spent next to the mask.
He explained that the year 2025 was the final moment of his journey with the mask inside the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, when he participated in adjusting the new holder for the golden mask before transporting it to the Grand Egyptian Museum. He stressed that he felt at that time as if he was bidding farewell to a dear friend who had accompanied him for years, continuing: “I looked at the king’s face and felt the same old connection that linked me to him since the first meeting. It was a touching moment of farewell, but full of pride and gratitude.”
Mortaha concluded his speech by thanking and appreciating Dr. Issa Zidane and the work team for their great efforts in securing the golden mask and transporting it to its new hall in the Grand Egyptian Museum, noting that he looks forward to seeing it in its new location inside the museum, where it will have a status worthy of its greatness and history.
