It’s been 26 years since Egypt’s most famous pharaoh set foot on American soil. King Tut left his permanent home in Cairo’s Egyptian Museum basement in June 2005, making his first stop in Los Angeles, then traveling to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and finally arriving at The Field Museum in Chicago in May 2006.

Three-thousand-year-old things. In Chicago. This is a true novelty in America where “old” usually means 100 years ago. 3000 years? Unthinkable!

“Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of Pharaohs” was last in Chicago in 1977. Unless you’re planning a sojourn to Egypt anytime soon, at this rate the next time you’ll catch the boy king, you’ll be in your 40s.

According to the Field Museum website, a million visitors are expected during the exhibit’s seven-month run. It’s likely that number will be reached, because Chicago is the only stop in the Midwest before Tut heads to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and then home in the fall 2007. Five months after its opening, the exhbit still selling out.

Tut’s artifacts are in remarkably good shape, all intricately decorated with precious metals, stones, and gems. Facts about Egyptian culture during the Tut’s New Kingdom 18th dynasty are interspersed with ankhs, canopic jars, sarcophaguses, and more.

Set the mood for Tut by checking out the Field’s permanent Egypt exhibit. You’ll get to walk through a replica pyramid, with authentic stones.

But it’s tricky. The exhibit appears to be over after the initial walk through the pyramid, but make sure to take a right to go up the stairs. This will lead you back into the pyramid so you can experience the best part of the exhibit.

“Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of Pharaohs” runs through January 1, 2007 at the Field Museum of Natural History on Chicago’s Museum Campus. Tickets are available online at www.fieldmuseum.org for $31.00 each.

Hours
Check the site for available days and times of entry.

Directions
On public transportation: Take the Red Line to Roosevelt. Get off and take the CTA bus #12 Roosevelt Rd. to the museum campus. For those not intimidated by the cold, it’s very walkable.