Las Vegas Sun

Now when he was a young man, he never thought he'd see

People stand in line to see the boy king.

King Tut -- how'd you get so funky?

Thirty years after comedian Steve Martin put the "boy king" in the pop music Top 20, King Tutankhamen is back in the news. The Las Vegas Natural History Museum today announced that it is receiving a donation of "authentic reproductions" from the Tomb and Museum of King Tutankhamen at Luxor. The King Tut Museum at Luxor Las Vegas, that is.

The gift, valued at $3 million, was made possible by MGM Mirage and Luxor President and COO Felix Rappaport, and includes the guardian statues, King Tut's sarcophagus and an array of statues, vases, beds, baskets and pottery. The 17-year-old Natural History Museum will store the items until an expansion is completed to permanently display the exhibit.

"This is the largest gift we've ever received and we're incredibly honored to be given these treasures, which were precisely recreated and reproduced by artisans using the same tools and original 3,300-year-old methods," said Marilyn Gillespie, executive director of the LVNHM in a press announcement today. "Most importantly, through the generosity of MGM Mirage, these treasures will remain in southern Nevada for generations to experience."

Las Vegas Natural History Museum is a private, non-profit institution dedicated to educating children and families in the natural sciences, both past and present. Through its interactive exhibits, educational programs, and the preservation of its collections, the Museum strives to instill an understanding and appreciation of the world's wildlife, ecosystems and cultures.